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Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 Review

J and I were excited to go out for every 6-8 weeks date night on Thursday night to a quaint little italian restaurant on Main Street in Fort Mill. It was tiny - one chef, one waitress, and one other lady who floated between the two. We unfortunately were seated next to a large party of about 12 who were absolutely rude, disrespectful and downright obnoxious.  They took all of the attention from all 3 of the employees, which made our meal a little extended - which in the end made for quite a nice evening. The food was delicious and was served slowly, allowing us time to really have conversation with one another.  We started talking about the past year and how the Lord has provided over and over again, and even taken away in some instances.  His protection, provision, and plan were screaming through each thing we talked about ...and I didn't want to forget some of the fun memories and important moments of this year, so here is my attempt to recap as much as possible of the past 365 days that we can remember.
January - Miriam meets my college girlfriends at our first real reunion since 2004; Miriam learns how to hold a 4 oz bottle
February - Miriam officially learns to sit up without support
March - Miriam starts off slow with some rice cereal; Miriam and her friend Taylor enjoy their first celebrity gig (posing at the park for a photo for the local newspaper)
April - Jeremy travels to NYC for a college buddy's wedding; Jeremy gets a new job
May - Miriam gets her first tooth (bottom left); Miriam starts real solids - most of which were homemade; our first family trip to Edisto beach (that had a slight change in plans...); I become part of a blended family when dad remarries; family trip to the zoo on Memorial day
June - Miriam starts with the BabyNet program working with an Early Intervention Specialist to help with her developmental delays (the start of a great friendship with her specialist); Miriam starts crawling almost 2 weeks before she turns 1
July - Miriam experiences her first mission trip; we celebrate Miriam's first birthday pink ducky style; we learn that we'll be expecting another child by March - I stop nursing Miriam 2 days after I find that out - she was almost 13 months old; Jeremy scores a F150 truck with his new job to use as a personal vehicle
August - Miriam has surgery (tubes put in her ears) and comes through with flying colors after she suffered some minor hearing loss and many ear infections
September - the honda was sold (it was my car that my parents bought when I was a senior in high school and I drove it until April 2009); 2nd family trip to Edisto beach to make up for our shortened May trip; we travel to Columbia for me; Miriam takes her first steps
October - Miriam gives up the pacifier (or I make her do it - it only took 3 days); Miriam takes her last bottle (morning milk) - sippy cup and whole milk from now on; Miriam's top two teeth come in; the sentra was sold (we tried selling on craigslist but ended up taking it to carmax - that was Jeremy's car that his parents bought him when he was a sophomore in college and he drove it until he got the company truck); we learn that we'll be having another girl; Jeremy and I take our first trip away from Miriam for a friends wedding in Tennessee
November - we refinanced the house to save over $150/month and dropped almost 2% in interest - woohoo!!; 3 of Miriam's molars start to come in; I begin my 7th year in full time ministry as a Director of Christian Education
December - we bought a minivan (for barely nothing!) and sold the camry (I cried the hardest with the sell of this car....mom bought it new off the lot in 2005 and then I got it after she died in 2009.  watching that car drive away was one of the hardest things because it was one of the ways I remembered momma...now, I'm just a minivan mom); J gets a promotion at work; both of our fathers have surgery

I'm so excited to see what milestones, memories, and changes happen in 2012 - looking forward to seeing how the Lord presides in our lives. As for new years resolutions...here are a few:
- take at least one picture a day of Miriam (and soon Lydia) and something that makes me practice using something other than the "auto" setting on the camera
- start my MOM'S ONE LINE A DAY: A FIVE-YEAR MEMORY BOOK [Book] book (tomorrow!) - so excited to find the journal at 50% at Books A Million and use my coupon because I also bought this book: <em>One Thousand Gifts</em>: <em>A</em> Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are [Book]!!
- visit my grandparents and godparents more frequently
- cook at least 20 meals a month - seeing how many crock pot meals I can make and how many meals can be doubled/frozen
- become involved in a Bible study, like Bible Study Fellowship that's completely separate from my job and church
- serve, in some capacity, in a non-profit organization like the Crisis Pregnancy Center or a children's home

Take a moment to review your year....and figure out what new things you'll accomplish in 2012 (and steer clear of the diet and exercise plans - they never seem to last long anyway...)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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