Welcome 2010! A Year of Change for Me!

We're starting a new decade and this just boggles my mind! I can't exactly remember what I was doing on New Year's Eve 10 years ago. I'm pretty sure that I was at the apartment of my friends Courtney and Emily acting silly and drinking white russians (I had no clue ha, ha). I also vaguely remember some very bad karoke. But, the fuzzy details don't really matter because I do remember where I was every New Year's Eve since...at my Darling Husband's side.

We've only made a big deal of our very first NYE together with a fancy dinner, champagne, and all of that "stuff" that seems like a big deal when you're first dating. Since then, we've spent our evenings the same way every year - at home with a nice homemade meal, wine, conversation, a good movie, and lots of cuddling. *ahem ;)

This NYE will be different because we have another addition to our family. She's only about 8.5 lbs. but she's rocked our world upside down in a good way! No, we will not be cooking an elaborate meal tonight. Actually, I'm just thinking about sticking a frozen pizza in the oven after I suck down another cup of coffee. There's something about having a newborn and not sleeping that makes good food temporarily unimportant. But, DH did come home from the grocery store with a good bottle of wine! So, we're at least sticking to that part of our NYE tradition. I also will not be disappointed if I somehow manage to be asleep at midnight. But, that's up to baby girl.

I can't stop reflecting on how my life has changed in the past 10 years. I'm a planner, a list maker, and a go getter. But, nothing about my life has turned out the way I planned. When I was 20 years old, I knew that I had the world in my hand. I was capable of doing anything I wanted and my life was going to be amazing! I had plans of graduate school, a high level corporate position of some type, power suits, big bucks, a Mercedes, cute shoes and designer handbags, and of course I'd be married to the perfect man with the perfect children and we'd live in the perfect mansion!

Now at 30, I gave up my successful career and my very nice salary which paid for my cute shoes and designer handbags (sigh...) to become a stay at home Mom to two beautiful girls, a Wife to an amazing man who has somehow put up with me for 7 years of marriage, and we live in a beautiful but "normal" home. Oh, and I don't have a Mercedes but I do drive a fully loaded Saturn SUV - Holla!!! Hey, at least it's not a mini-van because I swore that I would never be one of those mini-van Moms. (Don't tell anyone but now that I'm a Mom, I secretly think that having a mini-van with those automatic sliding doors and a TV/DVD player would be a lifesaver).

I never saw my life taking this path but I am so grateful that it did! God really does know my heart, my desires, and how to make me whole even when I don't. Praise the Lord! Having said that, I don't think that I'll make any resolutions this year except for one - to listen more closely to God and to work on being the Woman he gave me the potential to be. This will be a hard journey for me because I'm stubborn and dangit I'm tired! I'd much rather sit on the couch with a piece of cheesecake and watch re-runs of the Real Housewives of Orange County than work on myself. But, I promise to give it my best shot - for myself and my family.

God Bless you and yours in 2010! My hope and prayer for you all is that your dreams will come true and that you may all know the fullness of God in hearts.

Hugs!