~Reflections~

Thanks to my friend Crystal for this beautiful picture taken right before Christmas '09. It summed up our "walk" so well, I thought that this would be the perfect choice for a picture. :)

This last year has been so different, breaking my "cookie-cutter" life. I hadn't realized before how idealic my life really was. :) This past year, I went through a car wreck that came very close to taking my life, if it wasn't for the Lord's mercy upon me. I can't imagine what life would be like right now, it it wasn't for His grace. If things had been just a little bit different...if I had swerved, and spun the car to where it would have hit on the boys' side....if I hadn't gotten so far off the road when he hit me... if, if, if. I am just so thankful that God was looking out for me. I really don't view myself all that great of a driver, so I figure that God sent angels to push my car over, to keep from getting killed. In all of that, I still broke my foot in three places, had to wear a walking boot for 5 months waiting on it to heal, and still doing therapy to undo the damage that occured.... moved from our big 4 bedroom house, to a much smaller house, trying to unpack everything, (still haven't. :) Having work so iffy around here that James went out of state to find work, living this past almost month without him, to finding out that we are going to be moving up there the 22nd. I still feel like the merry-go-round that we have been on is still shaking us up, and I will be glad when I get settled down. I have been sorting through all of our belongings, trying to decide what is most important to take on the plane. We have been married 9 years, and I started collecting things while we were dating, planning on marriage... (to be honest, even before that. My Granny helped alot with my "hope-chest".) We have lived in 5 different places since we have been married, each one a little bit bigger and better until this last move. :) We have had two children, alot of hobbies, saving up for the "future", a coupon addiction :), a business out of our home, friends that we so generous to us to keep giving us gifts, a sweet husband that made sure that I had all the "girly" things, (foot spas, parafin treatment machines, manicure sets that buff, sand, ect., massagers, ect.), so our home is VERY full. I am looking around now thinking of all that will have to be done before we can move. We are going to be going on a plane, and not making the 7 day trip in the car, so we are really limited to what we can bring. Everything I pick up, I am reminded of some story behind it, when we bought it, what we were doing when we found it, which birthday/holiday it was when we recieved it, ect. Looking back on it, we have had such a happy life. Our children have never had to do without anything, as evidenced in their toy boxes, closets full of clothes and massive amounts of school equipment. We have furniture that feels like home to us, that you can plop down to a good movie together, blankets to keep us warm and cozy, just about any kind of kitchen gadget that you can think of to make entertaining fun, books to keep us busy when it is rainy outside, playground equipment right outside our door for the boys to spend hours staying busy and active with....life has been so good. :) I guess not to many people have the opportunity to evaluate their situation as I have had, either people keep their things forever, or they get rid of it a little at a time when something better comes along, or they loose it all at once where a fire or some other catastrophy happens, and sweeps it all away before they have a chance to say good-bye. My sister and brother have both been through that, and I can't imagine that feeling. :( This way, I am able to reflect on all the good times that we have shared, when we were newlyweds, when our children were babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. Now we are going to start over, in a house that I have never lived in just like it was when I got married and returned from our honeymoon, we are starting over where we have two school-age children, (will have this fall anyway when Jared starts Kindergarten.) Yes, life has been sweet, and I wonder what kind of experiences we will experience together in this next nine years...