Happy and New

I feel like I should begin this post with one. great. big. sigh. (AHHHHHHHHHHHHH.) 2012 is over. Phee-ew. As my sister said it best (quoting "Mary Poppins"): "Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Deary!"  I am SO glad 2012 is over!!  I always feel a little ungrateful saying that after a bad year.  There's always so  much to be grateful for, but some years put you through the ringer more than others.  And 2012 was our doozie.  I'd rank it as my hardest.  Yup, including law school years.  Law school years at least gave us a break for summers and Christmas.  This year was full of what seemed like nonstop blood pressure spikes.  I'm ready for a breather!

SO, out with the old and in with the new!  My wise little planner had this quote in it today (mm, hm, still using a Franklin ... holy outdated nerdiness, I know!), and I thought it was PERFECT for how I'm feeling about 2013: "Your future takes precedence over your past. Focus on your future, rather than on the past."  I think my motto for 2013 could and should be just that: "Focus on your future, rather than on the past."

Along those lines, my awesome friend Laura made this one of her goals for 2013: "Everyone gets a clean slate."  I love that.  She's a great example of not holding grudges or judging or gossiping.  I think it's one of the things that makes her so incredibly easy to like.  She is so positive and fair with everyone.  I want to be more like that this year. And heaven knows I have been in need of wiping my slate clean.  I love that mental image of cleaning up that old board and starting fresh.  My toast to the New Years is "Let's start fresh."

I have lots of areas in which I could use a fresh start.  I need a kick in the pants with diet and exercise.  I have been one massive stress case over the last few months.  Zach's health struggles have rendered me a walking ball of anxiety.  Instead of turning all my nervous energy into productive task-tackling or logging awesome miles on the treadmill, I have let my worry keep me up at night and send me to the pantry for false comfort.  Time to set those things aside and put my stress to good use.  I am hoping that a recent dose of good news regarding Zach's health (his chronic pneumonia is NOT being caused by Cystic Fibrosis) should help me sleep better and not feel constantly on edge.  Yes, we still have to get through winter and RSV season, which will mean a lot of time holed up with active boys, but it's nice to know that Z's respiratory struggles are not being caused by something life altering.  Major sigh of relief.

I need a fresh start with my scripture study and prayers.  I need to get back to those being daily habits instead of sporadic attempts.  Grant and I also want to accept the challenge from our bishop to attend the temple once a month.  We were doing really well with that goal and then got derailed by Zach's last hospital stay and the holidays.  I always look forward to that time together and feel a lot more at peace when that's a regular part of my life.

I need a fresh start in my relationships with others.  I have been caught up in my own worries and concerns too much and need to do more reaching out.  Tricky when I'm limited by needing to keep Zach home and germ free.  But there's still much I can do to continue mending broken relationships and extending a hand of friendship in my new ward and neighborhood.

I could probably keep going but feel that's a good start.  And I hope 2013 will get off to a good start.  We're hoping to minimal if not any hospital stays this year (none would be awesome).  I'm excited for Eliot to start "real" school this fall.  We have projects for the house in mind and other goals to achieve individually and as a family.

Welcome, 2013.  Be good to us.