Last post of the year

I'm leaving tomorrow for a 3 week trip (similar to the fateful 3 hour tour, but hopefully with a less climactic outcome), so this will be my last post for a while. A few reflections on 2007:

What I am most grateful for: My family. It's been a year of changes & transitions for all of us, but I feel we are stronger than ever. M graduated and started medical school. Peaches has grown and evolved, and is very much the young lady. Sometimes when I look at her, I can see her 12 year old self just bursting to get out. We've got another monkey on the way, and although there are days when I have no clue how I am going to handle another baby, I am so excited that our family is expanding and my parental dreams are beginning to be fulfilled. This year has also shown me how important they are to me. Despite taking a 40% pay cut when we moved to Iowa, the time I now have with them is precious and irreplaceable. This change has really shown me how unhappy I was with work in Oregon, and how negatively it was impacting me as a parent and a wife.

Best purchases: 1. Sorel snow boots 2. Twin bed for Peaches 3. 37" LCD TV 4. Louis Vuitton wallet (fake or not, I get a little thrill of pleasure every time I pull it out of my purse - I know, it's selfish and completely shallow, but I can't help myself)

Lessons learned: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Selling the house in a matter of a few days was impossibly easy, and sure enough - it all came crashing down. We're still trying to figure out what to do next, but are grateful that it hasn't bankrupted us yet. Second lesson - don't let your work talk you into taking a pay cut without a specified reduction in responsibilities. OK, I could have pushed back harder, but I was in the throes of pregnancy hormones and feeling precariously on edge about even being able to keep my job. I'm still glad that I have a job with health insurance, and I do make more working part-time than many people do working full time. I'm still trying to balance it all out, but know it's a work in progress. With a little bit of jockeying and help from the FMLA, I'll still have the same job and pay when I return from my abominably short maternity leave.

Thoughts for the New Year: Be more supportive of my family; take time to be grateful for what I have; be confident that all will be well, no matter how bleak things seem; make time to do something nice for myself every day; even a 15 minute walk can change your perspective; remember that I am a smart, talented, attractive woman with many marketable skills and a willingness to go the distance.