2010: A Year in Review

2010 was a pretty big year for us. Here are some of the highlights:

The Good Stuff

* Savannah turned 1 in February

* Found out we were pregnant in March

* Sold our first house in June

* Moved into a new home in Arlington in June

* Heather got a promotion

* Jeremy got married in September so we got a new sister in law (and Aunt!) Kelly

* Tim ran the Chicago Marathon (again!) in October

* Our son Caleb was born in November!

* Julie got engaged so we'll get a new brother in law (and Uncle!), Brett

* Celebrated our first Christmas as a family of four

The Challenges

* Our house did not appraise for the full offer price, THEREFORE

* Had to figure out how to cover costs of closing both homes and installing a fence in our new house

* Caleb came about one year earlyn (haha!), BUT I really can't imagine it any differently

* Had to get work done on the Jeep

* My dad had to have his other knee replaced

* My grandmother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and moved to the alzheimer wing of her assisted living community

My Biggest Life Lesson

I think it's important to look at your challenges as well as your successes to see what you were able to overcome. Definitely my biggest lesson throughout 2010 has been contentment. It's not that I've mastered it yet, but I'm learning to be truly content, joyful, and happy with the life I have NOW. So often I subscribe to the "grass is greener" philosophy. I've wasted a lot of time wishing I had this thing or that thing, that I was a stay-at-home-mom, that I had more money, or a nicer house, that I was thinner. Although I've always known that I should be grateful, somewhere in 2010 it dawned on me that my life pretty much rocks. There are some things I can change and some things that I can't, so instead of complaining/wishing about those things, in 2011, I will work on changing those that I have the power to change. And for those that will not or cannot change, I am letting them go. Enter serenity prayer here.

**If you need ideas and or help following or even making resolutions, The Happiness Project is a great place to start. I am a HUGE Gretchen fan.