Mark Twain. He’s always an oldie, but goodie, [it is obvious I teach Language Arts].
Jingle bells are stowed. Mistletoe is taken down. Wonderland yard figurines are placed in the back corner of the garage. The twinkling lights that line roof tops may remain to ring in the new year on Wednesday night.
New Year’s Eve is more than wearing glitter & sippin’ bubbly drinks out of champagne flutes, {although, that is my favorite part}. New Year’s is an opportunity to start over. It’s an opportunity to set goals, discover something new about yourself, and get rid of old, unwanted habits. It is also about reflecting on the greatness of your past year.
I think back to last year’s New Year’s Eve night. Tony and I were at my best friend’s house and as the ball dropped, we looked at each other and said, “we’re going to fuck 2014 up.” & continue to hashtag “#2013cansuckadick” in our instagram picture with our {inappropriate} quote. Sorry for the offensive language. But quite honestly, in our opinion, we had experience the year from hell – I had been handed a cancer diagnosis. It was a moment and a year we wanted to put behind us and forget about completely.
Now, as the same ball-dropping, kiss your honey, moment approaches, I reflect back on our year. Did we in fact, “fuck 2014 up?” I’m not quite sure. Did we have a good year? Of course we did! But did we really light shit up? Make a difference? I am still going to say, yes, we did.
Some amazing moments & accomplishments of 2014:
1. Ace graduated his Canine Good Citizen class & became a level one therapy dog. {I can only imagine what it will feel like when we’re parents and our child does something extraordinary. Tony and I woke up the morning of the final test nervous as hell. Ace breezed through the test with flying colors – and we were both SO proud of our little guy. Our hearts were full.}
2. Tony absolutely soaring in his professional life. {This is another proud moment, but just for me. I have watched Tony grow so much as a person; from the 17 year old boy I started dating in high school, to the wide receiver & center fielder athlete in college, the copier salesmen in his early 20s, & to the impressive sales director who walks through the door every night & gives me a hello kiss. He is person who works hard & is one of the most determined and hardworking people I know. He has made some big things happen for his company this year & I can’t wait to keep watching him fly.}
3. Celebrating love. {We celebrated another wedding anniversary – # 3! – we made time for one another for an entire weekend. We laughed, ate, & loved. I don’t care that our wedding anniversary happens every year; every year I will label it as an amazing moment. Life throws twists and turns constantly & I refuse to take ANY moment for granted. Every year I will pray and thank God I was able to spend another amazing year with my best friend.}
Reflect on your 2014.. Did you do everything you wanted? See everything to be seen? Experience all of life’s enjoyments? Really think. Don’t be so hard on yourself. There are moments and memories that you will NEVER experience again – savor them, think about them, & know there’s going to be many more of these in the new year.
Off to eat an old Christmas cookie and curl up with Ace by the fire – Cheers!
xo