Saturday, January 2, 2016

I Bid You Adieu, 2015!

In years past, I've been utterly happy to say "Goodbye!" to bad years, but 2015 is different. 2015 was a pretty good year for my little family and me. Yes, we had our challenges, but in comparison to other years, 2015 felt really good! :) I'm so very grateful for having had two-and-a-half good years in a row—my heart is so happy!

When I really stop and think about it, I'm almost in disbelief that we've lived in our lovely 70s house for two years, six months and 18 days! Yes, I'm the dorkiest because I still count how many days we've lived here! In my defense, this is literally the longest I've lived in one place consistently, at one time, since I've been married (remember, we lived here from 2008-2010, too). Our happy anniversary is truly cause for celebration!

Yesterday morning, I enjoyed looking back on my smart phone's calendar. Reminiscing about everything I did in 2015 was a lot of fun! Here are some of my calendar items from 2015—not everything I've listed here was actually scheduled on my phone, but I remember those items, too!
  • exercise dates with myself (Yes, I schedule every exercise day to keep myself on track and accountable! And I totally rescheduled my exercising times if something truly urgent came up, but that wasn't very often.)
  • soccer and basketball games for my boys
  • extended family parties
  • teaching piano lessons seven times per week
  • movie nights
  • church—including: the three-hour Sunday block; Young Women activities/meetings/lessons; and choir practices
  • daily driving my kids to/from school
  • breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner dates with friends and family
  • all kinds of shopping
  • praying and fasting for others in need
  • babysitting children of family and friends
  • paying bills
  • attending musicals and plays
  • blogging (!)
  • Instagramming (I enjoy every bit of that fun app! Well, except for the occasional inappropriate photo—I completely despise those!)
  • parent–teacher conferences
  • date nights with my husband
  • housework and home improvements
  • get-togethers with friends
  • reading and researching
  • being a "single mom" while my husband traveled for work...
Speaking of my husband traveling... 2015 was filled with my husband's work travels! Now that this difficult year of my husband traveling is over (Hopefully, we won't have a repeat in 2016!), I must say that it was really hard having my beloved Gregor gone for eight weeks last year! Thankfully, the weeks he traveled for business weren't all right in a row, but there were a few consecutive weeks when we were in each other's company only other every-other week! It was rough.

Experiencing such extended time apart from Greg really reminded me of what single mothers go through—I experienced that in 2008 for three months when Greg was working in Utah, and I was living in CO with our three children, waiting for our house to sell. My heart truly aches for single mothers and their difficult situations. Granted, I know some single mothers have set up their lives that way on purpose—they don't want to be in a relationship. But for me, living without Greg when he's traveling is not something I enjoy! I would not be a good single mother! Of course, I could be a single mother if I absolutely had no other choice, but single motherhood is most definitely not something I would ever choose. Ever!

If I remember right, I believe it was after the third week Greg traveled for work that I felt like I was really getting the hang of being a "single mother." I realized how vitally important it was for me to get enough sleep every night. If I didn't get a good night of sleep, the rest of my day was shot!

I was also pretty diligent at getting my schedule going and sticking to it...which if you know me well, you know that I extremely dislike being scheduled! I LOVE being random! I love waking up and just seeing where the day takes me! I love surprising myself and others with what I choose to do with my days! Thus, when I have to be scheduled and stick to time-frames that are the furthest thing from my natural tendencies, well, let me assure you, it is a struggle for my free-bird random soul! :) 

That said, I must state how pleased I am that I was able to conquer my annoyances with schedules! Ha ha. I love that I really did what needed to be done! "Yay me!" Did I do it all perfectly when Greg was working in Texas, or Tennessee, or Arizona, or Ohio? Goodness, no! I wasn't perfect, but I did my best and that is something that will make me smile forever! :)

The two benefits of Greg's extended travels were this:
  1. I had to make only my side of the bed! Ha ha.
  2. Greg and I appreciated each other so much more when he returned home!
Oh, how Greg's and my love blossomed this past year because of being forced to spend so much time apart from each other! If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that Greg and I have a truly great love for each other—our marriage is as solid as granite...as durable as tungsten...as indestructible as a diamond! Thus, the fact that our relationship became even stronger—even when we had to be apart for so many weeks—well, it makes me unbelievably happy and grateful for what we've been able to accomplish. :)

All of that said, I do not want a repeat of 2015 in the work-travel department! I want to see my husband in his comfy-cozy clothes, working at his basement desk for hours on end! :) I want to eat lunch with him every day! I want to be able to hear his savvy business sense as he talks with his employees and clients on the phone. I want to give Greg a kiss anytime my heart desires it! (If you can't tell, for much of my life, I feel like I live in a really awesome romantic movie! Ha ha.)

It's worth mentioning that what used to be a simmering frustration when I had to be quiet for Greg's daily conference calls has turned into gratitude that my husband has a job he can do successfully from the comfort of our disco dandy 70s home! Yes, I learned a lot in 2015!

Here is my favorite photo of Greg and me from our lovely 2015 Christmas season. We took the photo at my darling mom's house the day of our extended family Christmas party.

Oh, how I love this glorious man of mine! I'm so grateful I have Greg for eternity!

I'd like to thank 2015 for all of the wonderful lessons I learned while in its care. I will fondly remember 2015 forever! And now, I bid you adieu, 2015—may 2016 be as good to my family as you were! :)

P.S. Just as a reminder: while I would truly love to share updated photos of my three beautiful children here on Enthusiastic Fantastic (My children mean everything to me!), I purposely don't post any on my blog for safety's sake. I know the majority of humanity is good, but I'm a mama who wants to keep her babies safe from the dangerous weirdos of our world! (The one photo I've shared of my children in my "Paramount Parents" post is from eight years ago, so I think I'm okay sharing that one.) 

3 comments:

  1. From 2015: "You are welcome"!!

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    1. Ha ha, thank you, Greg, for making 2015 SO wonderful and memorable! You are everything to me!

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  2. Yay!

    I am SO excited that (aside from your forced separation from your Prince Charming!) your 2015 was SO wonderful!

    I have known of too many people who had hard and harsh trials, and reflect on 2015 with mixed emotions. I have been making the rounds, being supportive.

    Personally...some abrupt challenges, quickly followed by needed miracles, has been the rule for me for 2015.

    I am the only member in my family, so I take my responsibility for praying and fasting and exercising faith on their behalf seriously.

    My Dad had a stroke on his birthday in September, and it was in a part of the brain where you would not notice it right away. Heavenly Father clued me in in time. He can walk and talk and think clearly and his personality is intact. All blessings of Heavenly Father's miraculous intervention.

    IN the meantime...my Dad was out of the hospital and home on a weekend pass from the rehab facility, attending a great-granddaughter's birthday celebration, when my older sister's husband was goofing around and injured his knee. The pain was so great that he had to go to the hospital...where they discovered that a stint that was placed in his heart previously, was clogged, and he was actually in the midst of a heart attack. If he had not broken his knee...he would have been home asleep...dead.

    So we were collectively grateful for a broken knee.

    Problems with solutions are good. *grins*

    As for myself, regarding exercise...I run. A lot.

    I also do body weight exercises. Handstand push-ups, one-hand push-ups (even in my *ahem* advanced years, I can still do my age in one-hand push-ups, then switch hands and do my age again) four types of pull-ups/chin-ups, and one-leg squats.

    Thus, I can toss them off whenever and where-ever during the course of the day.

    There's more re exercise, but those are the basics.

    As for family fun...my children were parentally-abducted (against the law in Canada) back in 2006. So I haven't seen my babies since they were 7,5,3 and 1 respectively.

    Ongoing, excruciating psychological torture.

    My lovely ex-bride had mental health issues. No, I don't hate her.

    I realize a great many people have it worse than me.

    Heavenly Father helps me deal. I'll see them again.

    That love burns brightly! And I am grateful for every moment I was with them.

    I am grateful I can be here for my parents in their time of need.

    I avoid dating.

    Yes. I am a wimp.

    Face down a pack of wolves...sure.

    Date again?

    Too scary. *grins*

    As to shopping...as a guy...I CAN do the whole: "I'm cold. (Enters nearest store and buys nearest jacket) I'm not cold anymore.

    BUT...

    I acted in a lot of plays while at BYU, so I can ALSO appreciate crawling through the costume racks and bins searching for just the right look.

    But it's been a while.

    And...with no significant other...no female to romance...then there's no reason to make that kind of effort.

    But reading and researching!

    That makes my heart sparkle!

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