Thanks Be For 2009

I am feeling sentimental tonight, I really must be, because what else on earth would prompt me to write at 9:50 at night, on the first day back to school, having gone through with a pre-school birthday party/parent helper day and swimming lessons in the evening added on like a cherry on top.

Truly though, I started reflecting on the past year, which was brought on by few things:

a) my daughter just had her 4th birthday and I am feeling sad and old and wistful all rolled into one mushball of emotions.

b) lack of sleep

c) thinking of resolutions and how I don’t make them

d)which lead to me thinking what a hell of a year I just had, all without resolving or coercion from outside sources telling me RESOLVE!! RESOLVE!!

Then, oho, then my friends, I made the monumental mistake that only rookie bloggers fall prey to.

I started looking through my old pictures in my computer files.

Cardinal rule #1 of blogging; love it, write it, leave it. Or so I think. Because I completely and utterly just made that up.But I honestly shouldn’t have gone a knockin’ at memory’s door tonight. Heck, I didn’t just go knocking on memory’s door tonight, I took a fifth of good ol’ Jack Daniels with me, stumbled onto his doorstep and said “honey, you look so good, I could put you on a plate and sop you up with a biscuit”. I’m like that.

I digress as usual. Anyone else notice that I digress when it’s late at night? And no, there is a distinct lack of liquor involved, I honestly think that sleep deprivation lends itself to running off at the mouth my going on and on endlessly.

On to reminiscing. In 2009 we…

Got our new cat Buffy, from the Humane Society, and one year later she is the most patient, loving cat who ever put up with my daughter. Not to mention, she is the perfect little Halloween cat, and her black hair is completely camouflaged on my dark floors. Bonus.

three large pumpkins near the window with a huge black cat beside it

A couple weeks later, we also went back there and gout our rabbit Scooby, who caught my eye and my heart, when we were getting Buffy. And yes, I name my pets after TV shows.

kids applying paint to a plywood in rabbit's cage

I left my heart in San Francisco, and the empty place in my chest wants me to move there someday.

San Francisco bridge with some view of blooming plants

Taking my dad with us on our trip, which made it so much more special.

daughter and Dad sitting in the restaurant

There are some moments in your life that are seared onto your heart by the pure white heat of love’s branding iron, and this would be one of them, my son running in the ocean for the first time in his little life.

Other than the fact I can’t believe I just made that soppy stuff up (love’s branding iron? Seriously Karlynn? Maybe I AM into the JD) this too, is another searing moment. My dad and my son, walking towards the ocean hand in hand.

man and little boy, walking towards the ocean hand in hand

And this.

man carrying little girl avoiding the ocean waves on her feet

I also visited two places that were on my list of things to see and do in my life, the Winchester Mansion:

And Hearst’s Castle, where I still have 3 more tours to explore on other trips!

This wasn’t actually on my list, but I did my first graveyard tour and was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it was.

I am infinitely grateful that I got to stand on the edge of San Francisco Bay and roll my eyes at my husband while being a dork. I am thankful for any further opportunity to embarrass myself.

woman wearing sun glasses standing on the edge of San Francisco Bay

This doesn’t look like a picture of anything, however, this is the very first picture I took when we visited Disneyland. The kids were on the trolley, not even in the park yet.

two young kids sitting on the trolley during Disneyland tour

Our first family picture at Disney. I am so infinitely thankful and grateful that we were able to take our children, they still talk about it, “play” going to Disneyland and have such great memories of it.

group photo of family at Disney with Pooh

And then we had a summer full of tornado warnings, weird weather that went from dang cold to flipping hot, a summer spent looking at the incredibly weird clouds around my house in the ‘burbs and wondering where the funnels were going to come from first…

Our first staycation which was a rip-roaring success, and I am excited to do this a couple weekends this coming summer.

camping tent, chair and campfire set up in a yard

The kids driving around in the truck, “helping” to haul the hay in from the fields.

kids driving around in the truck in the field, man at the back of the truck hauling the hay bales

My beautiful boy starting grade one.

close up of a young boy wearing blue jacket with his backpack

My littlest heart starting preschool.

little girl with pink backpack standing in the yard with plants in her background

There are so many other things, which is why I blog them as they happen, because there’s not enough space to be thankful in one post. Or time.

I was first published in a magazine, and have since written again for the February/March edition, and have been asked again to write the section. So I guess I am officially the writer for the BookSense section of MumSense magazine now. Never saw that coming.

People also think that I write nice book reviews for some reason, and the SuperMom has more books waiting to be reviewed than I can get to right now. Meep. Must stop procrastinating and get back to writing. I have received to date over $1000 worth of books that are going to my son’s school and the hospital where I work. Astonishing.

Add on birthdays’, friends and family, a wonderful holiday season and love everlasting for those two littles in my life, and we have what I consider a beautiful year.

May 2010 be just as amazing for us all.