2008... in a few hours will be history. Bring on 2009! I am ready, I think. Lots of challenges ahead... things to face and deal with but I know it will bring some good moments... even some great ones. This year has been a long struggle but we have had some fun and interesting moments too.
We have had two new additions to our household. On July 5th we went to the Wisconsin Humane Society and adopted Simon - a cute 4 month old gray and white tabby. He was vocal when we first got him and didn't like being left alone. I remember spending his first night sleeping on the couch and he constantly woke me up. I should mention here that J and K1 were on a backpacking trip at the time and had no idea we were going to do this. J wasn't happy at first but when he saw how happy Simon made not only the kids but me as well, he let him stay. Well, J should've known what would happen next... I am a big believer that cats need to come in twos. A month later we went back to WHS and adopted Lydia only we would change her name to Luna. I went with the intention of adopting another boy kitty (I have never had any success with female cats) but Lydia/Luna was a beautiful Siamese mix with blue eyes. I relented and we know have a him and her... both fixed and microchipped compliments of the WHS.
J and K1 went to Philmont Boy Scout camp in New Mexico for 12 days of backpacking. They were supposed to be completely out of contact for the entire time so 7 days into the trip when I recieved a phone call from J, I knew something was wrong. He had wiped out pretty badly on a mountain bike and it was thought that he had dislocated his shoulder. He was pulled off trail and spent the remainder of the trip at base camp while the others carried on. J was able to join the boys on their last night on trail as it wasn't far from base camp. When he got home, the doc diagnosed it as a dislocated clavicle that didn't necessarily need to be repaired as long as J didn't mind living with a bone that continually popped up out of its joint. He tried it for a month and finally decided to get it fixed. Three months and $22,000 later, he is better with a nice looking scar as a reminder.
While the boys were in New Mexico, the girls and I drove to Ohio for 4 days joined by K2's BFF, Erma and her mom. We spent 2 days at CedarPoint - a fantastic roller coaster park. I hadn't been there since I was 10 - it was the place of my first upside-down roller coaster, The Corkscrew. We had a blast riding all the coasters like Magnum, Maverick, Millenium Force and yes, we did it... Top Thrill Dragster! It wasn't quite a "real" vacation but it was a nice chance to get away for a few days.
The kids continue to do well in school... K1 still likes high school...lots of friends, guys and girls. No one that he is dating, which is perfectly fine with me. He is on the swim team again this year... working hard. He turns 16 in a couple of months but we haven't started him in Driver's Ed yet. Too much with school and swim team. Spring is soon enough for that. K2 is in her last year of middle school. She's ready for high school, I just hope it doesn't change her too much. She is still this sweet, easy-going girl who is friends with everyone and walks to the beat of her own drum. Her own unique sense of style often earns many comments as well as some strange looks. But she still acts like a tween even though she is 13. She isn't trying to rush being older than she is. She is playing the oboe and was invited to play in the UWM Honors Band Festival this fall. We were proud of her. K3 is in her last year of elementary school and can't wait to get to middle school. This one is my helper and the first one to notice things. She's smart too... she has already learned to be quiet and observe. She says she learns lots from adults, even teachers, that way... by being quiet they don't realize she's there listening. She is paying the trombone in band and loves it - the only female trombone player at school this year. She can definitely handle it and the boys, who are all "dumb" and don't know anything.
I had my first anniversary at Compass this year in April. It's not a field - health insurance sales - I ever thought I would be interested in but while some is very mundane other parts are interesting and I am learning lots. I love most of the people that I work with... we get along well. Although I'm sure I am not exactly what they were expecting as I am the loud-mouth there. Most people accept it and play along. Back in March, I started working for our agent who specializes in Medicare products. My normal day is 4 hours for Compass and 2 for TW but the last couple of weeks I have been working 8-9 hour days with some weekends involved... it certainly helped with Christmas. Now that open enrollment is officially over, things can slowly go back to normal (except for the fact that my desk is a mess and about two weeks from being caught up). But regardless of it all, I do like where I work... it certainly beats T@rget.
So we have our health... we have jobs... we have happy, healthy kids.... all in all, I shouldn't be complaining. The rest can be worked out. Bring on 2009!!
Happy New Year!
