Another Year to Look Forward To

I love everything about the new year. I'm one of those people who thrive on change, love a chance to make goals and look forward to seeing what can happen over a year.  

I realized I was pretty much absent for half of November and the whole month of December.  Oops.  Life was busy, hectic and full of good things.  We enjoyed a wonderful holiday together as family and were able to relax from a busy month. Beau was on a deadline to finish up a journal paper that he needed to finish before Christmas. He almost made it, but decided to relax and spend Christmas Eve, Christmas and a few days after with us. It's a good thing too or Santa might have just left him a hunk of coal.  We had a great time, and he was able to finish it up before the new year. 

We are now on the countdown to writing the final dissertation and finishing up the last of the research by mid February so he can graduate come April.  I think we see an end in sight.  Our first 10 years of marriage to complete his education.  Would I have done it differently? Never.   He has grown so much in these years. The things he is now capable of doing, and the things he has learned have been amazing.  To see him develop talents and abilities, along with watching him grow as a person has been worth it all.  There have been hard times, frustration, late hours, stress and tight finances that we have experienced here and there through this road of getting a higher education while choosing to have a family, but the Lord has truly blessed us for that choice. It doesn't add up by the world's ways or on paper, but it has added up in our lives in blessings  more numerous to count, happiness that is we could never imagine, and experiences we would never want to pass up.

It is going to be a good year. We can both feel it. Change is in the air and I love it's feeling.  Here's to another new year of joy, growth, trials, love, new people, learning and fun.