Adios 2008

Taken from the El Jay...

So for my annual New Years Eve post...Steve and I both agree that 2008 was one of the most challenging years we've ever had (both individually and as a couple) and we are looking forward to 2009 because we know that many great things are going to come our way.

2008, a recap: 2008 started out pretty positively for me at work, I started to feel comfortable as a teacher and my administration started to recognize me for the work I was doing. There was a lot of stress in the spring because I thought I might lose my job due to budget cuts. I took a lot of classes and got my ESOL certification. 2008 was a stressful and busy year for my career.

In February, Steve started working with Tile USA in what we hoped would be a career that would help us to acheive some of our dreams. Unfortunately, the economy went to hell and his job went along with it. Things never looked up with Tile USA and we spent probably the next 6 months fighting over him finding a new job. Finally in November, he got an interview and starts his new job in a few days.

Around March, Steve and I decided that we wanted to have a family sooner than we had originally thought. We started planning towards that... but it turns out that things just weren't ready financially. By the summer, Steve basically told me he wasn't ready and I knew deep down that we couldn't afford a baby. Plans off...

The summer was the definite low of 2008. In the beginning of July, Steve's older brother tried to commit suicide twice. It was a combination of things that lead him to it, but mostly his f-ed up marriage. After his recovery, he came to live with us. He was extremely difficult to live with and despite all the horrible stories he told us about living with his wife, he ended up going back to her and calling off the divorce. He also cut off his family in the process. BAD summer.

The new school year started in August and for a few months there I actually thought that this year would be a breeze. EHH wrong again. We got a new principal and with that came a plethora of new responsibilities. My school is on the verge of being "restructured" by the Dept. of Education. BAD stuff going on at school.

The whole year I debated between switching careers, moving, getting up and running off to a foreign country.... this whole being an adult thing is a hard adjustment to make. Even though I was married in 2007, 2008 was the year I truly adjusted to being married. It's not all sunshine and fairy tales kids. When normal life hits you and the honeymoon phase wears off, you really have to work to keep your marriage working. I am happy to say, that Steve and I are ending 2008 on a positive note and more in love than before.

Now the year is over and we've decided to start a family. Steve is more than on board now. We are doing OKAY. We are not perfect, nor will we ever be. We have two dogs that we love like children. We have a lot of love to give to a child.

If I have to make any resolutions for 2009, one of the main ones would definitely be to stop worrying so much. To realize that life doesn't have a set plan for anyone. I don't have to have the next 5 years of my life planned out down to the last detail. I can have a family and still pursue another career. The only limits that exist are the ones that I place there for myself. Sometimes the unexpected turns out to be exactly what we wanted (even though we didn't know it at the time).

2009 will be the year that I become a mother.
2009 might be the year that I change careers.
2009 will be the year that we change the place that we live into a true home.

There are a lot of expectations that we have for this year, but I just know that things will look up from where they were at this time a year ago. Happy New Years EVERYONE! ♥