Where to start?

I'm excited to be starting something new! It's been a while since I've had an outlet for writing and I really do miss it. I'll warn you though, I can be a bit wordy!

2010 has not been the best year so far and I find that sad considering we are only 4 months in! However, if you look for the silver lining, there is a lot to be thankful for. While not easy to keep in mind, it does help me accept the cards I've been dealt.

My husband, of almost a year and a half, and I are in the process of purchasing our first home and are just waiting on a closing date... We married Dec 2008 and have been on a whirlwind path ever since. I apparently am a magnet for stress! I'm a firm believer that the manner in which you start something, is typically the way things are for the duration. For example, every year at New Year's, I go through a cleansing: cleaning my home and trying to de-clutter my life. This way, I feel I've given myself the best chance at having a year filled with a clean home that is stress- & clutter-free. Maybe getting married at the end of a stressful final semester in college at the end of finals week wasn't the best plan given my philosophy on life.

Either way, I did as I always do & cleaned my home at New Year's & started the year off right. My birthday conveniently falls one week after New Year's Day - January 8th. Had by far the best birthday party I've had in a long time and celebrated the day with my closest friends. The day after, everything changed and my husband got sick. We are now post 2 surgeries in as many months with one more to go in 2.5 weeks. That silver lining is that my husband will now be pain free & able to enjoy life without expecting a surgery every few years. These surgeries will be permanent & will make a priceless improvement to our marriage.

The best news is that we'll be back to "normal", even better than normal, in another 5 weeks! Can't wait! I feel like in some ways my life has been on hold since the day after my birthday (I still haven't even celebrated my birthday with my family - all the meat for my birthday dinner is still in the freezer!). I'm excited at the "better than normal" prospect though! We'll be in our new home (if we can ever get a flippin' closing date!), with our new puppy, with my husband's new lease on life. I'm thinking it doesn't get much better than that!

Let's see where this goes...