This time last year

I'm still mom and still putting everyone else first. It would be nice for someone to acknowledge my time BEFORE I begged or worked around their schedule to make time for me. That didn't happen but this year I did make the time for me to go to the movies with friends, to walk in not one but 2 Breast Cancer walks, train and run in 2 half marathons and 1 full marathon. This year I did make me a priority as well as getting everyone elses things in. I made new friends, a made new goals and achieved them. Hollywood played baseball and started guitar lessons. Jackson is still drawing pictures like crazy. They are both into music so much its kinda scary. They spend hours listening to the radio or their ipods. The hubby spent January shooting ducks and October shooting elk and deer. They've been out a few times shooting ducks and geese for the last few weeks with his friend Daron and even brought home some wild pig for our freezer this spring with Brett Gruben. Who needs to shop for meat, I've got that hunter gatherer hubby to thank for a full freezer.

We did have a bit of a crazy summer though. All those fires really changed our outlook. The Humbolt fire started here in Chico but took off and ended up all the way out by Butte College. It seemed under control until the winds came up and left a trail of destruction across the county, but not before nearly taking out my parents house, six homes on their street, actually loosing our friends house and in the end over 100 homes between the start and the end were destroyed. That weekend was supposed to be our Anniversary and although we would have gone out I couldn't leave my parents at home with the kids when they didn't even know if they had a home. That next morning after getting word that our friends home was gone but my parents was saved was bittersweet. the hubby went to help Daron pull the safe out, Although it was standing it was virtually destroyed and nothing was left in side. to get out of town we did go to our favorite spot for a couple of nights with Good Neighbor and the kiddos over fathers day weekend just to unwind. We came home and got back to business. Shortly after Hubby lost his Gpa D to a strong battle with cancer. That was a very difficult few weeks. More lightning started more fires and the whole summer we lived in this toxic fog. For a few days it lightened up and we could celebrate Sista and GI Bri's renewal of vows. I went back to training this fall and then Hubby lost his other grandpa to a long battle with diabetes and dementia and various other ailments. Sad year for sure.

2008 was so crazy I think I'm going for a MELLOW year in 2009 full of quiet blessings and achievements. A healthier happy existence. Maybe more "green". Yea, that sounds like a plan.