New Year..."the first day of the rest of our lives"

oK, so this is my very first online blog. Well, except for all the ones that I have previously done on myspace. LOL. So, I am a little bit nervous. Bare with me.

"Today is the first day of the rest of my life."
When I was a little girl, I had a plaque that said that on it. I had no idea at the age of ten what it meant, but I liked the picture on it. As I grew older, it made more sense. I have had MANY first days of the rest of my life.

There was the first day of High School, which I dreaded would become the rest of my life. Then there was College, which I prayed was the rest of my life. And then marriage.....ah, the rest of my life? Children - quickly BRINGING me to life!!!

So every December 31st we hope and pray just that - the first day of the rest of our lives. We vow to change, to re arrange. To do better, do more. Lose weight. Spend more time with the family. Pay bills on time. Call home more. Get better grades. Find a better paying job. Pay our bills on time. Heck, just PAY BILLS. :P

I must say, though, this past year was definately one that I was glad to let go of. It seems like every year is harder than the one before. Not long after the start of 2006, we had our car stolen. Talk about wanting a "do over"! In May I had a miscarriage. In July, after almost ten years of employment, I quit my job. (this is another blog all by itself, so it will be my #2). The best thing about 2006 was that Jim (husband) decided on a career change which led us down the path of happiness.............or so we thought.

So even though December 31, 2006 was whisked away and January 1, 2007 held the promise of a brighter tomorrow - sadly, it wasn't as great as it "smelled". I must say that 2007 was definately a year of change for us! Due to my husbands WONDERFUL new job, we had to relocate a thousand miles from home. From family. I had to take my children away from the only life they ever knew. They could no longer see Grandma whenever they wanted.

In February, we said "goodbye" to our house. The one we had struggled so long and so hard to get. I loved that house. I have pictures of it. I vowed to never purchase another home again. It was too heartbreaking to put that much time, hard work and love into something you can so easily lose.

We moved from Northeast Ohio to North Myrtle Beach South Carolina. We traded snow for sun. Tropical location. The beach is only a few miles away. Now, don't misunderstand, I adore the ocean. There is no better sound to me than the waves crashing on the shore. I love to go there early in the mornings and watch the day unfold. It is like a gift from God. Although I know it wouldn't happen, I can almost see the angels lining up like they do in that movie with Nicholas Cage.

Upon moving we researched the school system and couldn't believe how much different things are done down South. The schools are spread out and the children go to a new building every two years. They would each ride seperate buses. I know that happens all the time, but our girls are so very close and I just didn't think my five year old would get on a bus alone. She is too shy. Given that and the different locations of the schools, we decided to try homeschooling. I will admit, at first I was skeptical. Then I met some people on line who homeschool and it is not as scarey or as hard as it sounds! We had a "bumpy" start, but now my kids beg to do school. They don't even like to have days off. They want to do something each day, even if it is just flash cards or researching.

All is well and good at the beach, no?! So in April we got a surprise visit from Jim's sister and her family. That ended in disaster (again, perhaps another blog will be in order, so this will be #3). In July we were treated to visits from both my Parents and Jim's. It was also during this time that we had "found" his daughter, Courtney. He has never seen this child. (again, another blog, so already that will be #4) By September, we were feeling a bit homesick and when he had vacation, we traveled to Indiana to visit. We then decided that possibly South Carolina was NOT the right place for us and thought about moving.

Of course, it was right after this trip that Jim was robbed at gun point in his restaraunt. He is pretty sure it was an ex employee. They knew how to get into the store, where the walk in cooler was located as well as a storage closet. He had a shotgun put to his head and all the money demanded. Later on, we found out the gun was loaded and cocked. THANK GOD he cooperated!

With Christmas quickly approaching and barely enough money coming in to cover all our bills, we quickly fell behind on a lot of things. I found myself missing meals and praying that things would somehow change. A wonderful couple from a local church contacted us and said they wanted to bless our family for the holiday. Our kids would have a Christmas after all! It ended up being better than any of the ones we had ever provided for them in the past. Praise the Lord for even the small things!

At his work party, Jim's district manager said they were sory to be seeing him transfer up North and that if he decided to stay here instead, good things were in store for him. We talked about it, prayed about it and together we decided that it is worth the effort. So, we are staying put. With the possibility of a raise and/or a promotion in his future, things are looking a little bit brighter.

So we let go of 2007 to make way for 2008. Possibly the year for changes. The year things get better.......
"the first day of the rest of our lives"!!