2017 Top Ten
The sun came out in 2017...
I feel like singing the theme song from Annie... "the sun will come out tomorrow...
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun! Just thinking about tomorrow clears out the cobwebs, and the sorrow 'til there's none! When I'm stuck in a day that's gray, and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin and say, Oh, the sun will come out tomorrow so you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow come what may... Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow!
You're always a day away!"
And there it is... the key to life (or at least one of them)... so you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow come what may! The sun WILL come out tomorrow...it's always a day away!
At the end of each year, I always like to do a recap of "all the things." 2017 was a monumental year in my life. Big things happened. It sure as heck beat out 2016 which was by far the worst of my life.
It takes me awhile to gather all of my thoughts for the year because I have to go back to my calendar and look at everything that happened. My brain has trouble remembering on its own these days. ha
So I'm a few months into 2017. It's okay.
Here is a list of my top ten 2017 happenings (in no particular order):
1. Signed a contract on a house: Oh, my word! I looked for months for a house. Every time I would find a house I really liked (very few times btw), I would ask to go to see it and find out that someone just put a contract in on it. I mean this happened more times than I can remember. The homes in my price range were flying off the market like hotcakes! So one day in March I found it. This house had everything that I wanted except my preferred location. I mean something somewhere was going to have to give and for me, turned out it was location. The house had everything else on my list. I found the house online and immediately emailed my realtor asking her to make an appointment for us to go see it. We went after school that same day, and I put an offer on it that same evening. I also did something I've never heard of before... I wrote a note to the owners and told them how much I loved the house and how much I wanted it. I left it on the kitchen counter. It was a full 24 hours before we heard back from the sellers, but basically, they were giving me first dibs BECAUSE OF THAT NOTE! I will also add here that I gave them over their asking price. There were three other offers on this house and I finally got to be the one to get it! I was thrilled but my heart and mind went into hyper overdrive with the realization that I was going to be a homeowner and all the cost that goes along with the title "homeowner." But, I had a house, Y'all!
2. Found a house to live in for a 6-week interim: This was one of those "jewels" of the year for us. I needed to find a place for my son and me to live for at least 6 weeks until we could close on June 15th. I needed a place that would be really cheap to rent or else by some miracle, free. I prayed and prayed. I was going to have to store 90% of my things and it was going to be a huge expense. Thus the reason I needed a miracle for a living space. My prayers were answered way more than I could have imagined. Friends of mine had their house on the market and it just wasn't selling. They agreed to let us move in for as long as we needed to (after June 15th) and all we had to do was keep the house ready in case of showings and to upkeep the pool throughout the week (yes, I said pool!) which only meant emptying the baskets and putting in a gallon of Clorox each night. This house was a haven. A retreat set in a beautiful setting of landscaped "woods" with a gorgeous pool and the house itself had been completely renovated. It was a beautiful big home and we were going to live there "free and clear." The only thing I paid for was cable/internet service. I mean. We enjoyed those weeks so much. My life was given a boost and my tired mind and body got the rejuvenation it so desperately needed. I absolutely loved coming "home" to that house every single day for all those weeks. Jacob loved it as well. My friends gave me a tremendous gift and little did they know, they also restored and saved me. I will forever be grateful.
3. Closed on my house:
This was a monumental day in my life. *I* bought a house. Just me, myself and I. This is a difficult emotion to explain (unless you've done it). I was filled with so many things...doubt that I had made a terrible mistake because "what if I can't pay for it?" The mortgage I could pay, but what about when something major breaks or needs fixed? What about the million and one little and big things that a homeowner must attend to when maintaining a home? I was freaking my own self out. Then my children and my friends said to me, "Look at what you've accomplished! You have a house. You have a house! Be proud of yourself. You can do it." I felt excitement, elation, and I really was proud of myself. I had learned to do so much on my own in the three years since "moving out." This was my house and I could do whatever I wanted with it. What a day!
4. A trip to Egypt: I have some dear friends I met in 2006 when I first went back to teaching full-time. I had their daughter, Amanda, in my fourth-grade class. We became friends over the course of that school year and have been friends ever since. The Elsayed's first invited us to Egypt back in 2007. My then-husband and I were already going to be abroad so we thought we would just head on over to Cairo for 7 days. It was amazing and we had the best time. I always hoped I could go back. Fast forward to 2017. Islam, their son, was getting married in July and they asked me to go. I am currently divorced, with no small children and no reason not to go. So I thought, "why not?" I bought my ticket in January and planned to stay for three weeks. At the time I purchased the ticket, I sure didn't realize I would be a homeowner and only in my house two weeks before leaving the country. My son stayed at our house and I took off for Cairo, Egypt, all by myself. I had an experience of a lifetime. I will write solely about my trip in another post to come. I promise.
5. Family vacation: 2017 was our second year of doing our own family vacation...my children and I. I know that this is going to be a tradition... it's going to be a "what we do" kind of thing. It isn't cheap and it takes a huge chunk out of my budget, but this is a week that I firmly and wholeheartedly believe in. Families should spend time together especially when everyone is so spread out and gatherings are few and far between. I absolutely LOVE having my kids all together in one place for any period of time, but an entire week is the bombdotcom. This time together is the greatest gift for me and I'm hoping my children will love and appreciate this time and treasure these times with great gratitude and hopefully continue this tradition long after I'm gone. I currently have two grandchildren and I'm hoping for lots more. Think about all the fun and cherished memories to come! These vacays gonna get LIT for sure! LOL :)
6. Eric Church Concert: Believe it or not, this was the ONLY concert I attended for 2017. It may have been the only one, but it was a doozy! Soooo good. I enjoyed it and Eric Church is awesome!
8. My daughter's wedding: Honestly, this will have to be a whole other post, but this was one of the best things about 2017. #TheBest. My girl was the happiest she has ever been that day. She was stunningly beautiful and radiated sunshine. I was transfixed.
9. All of my kids home for Christmas: Now that I have married children, our holidays have to be "shared" with the in-laws. Really this is only true for my son, Jared, because Katelyn's husband's family is in Washington State and their visits are few and far between. But this Christmas was Jared and Marenda's turn to come to NC and boy, was I ever happy about that! John Robert flew home from Texas, Katelyn and Nick were here from Raleigh, Jared and Marenda were here from West Virginia, and Jacob lives here so it was a wonderful time of togetherness and lots of laughs and then some. I actually got all of my children to attend the Moravian Love Feast on Christmas Eve as well. This had not happened since well, EVER! My heart was happy having all my treasures sitting in church in one pew celebrating the birth of Jesus, the reason for Christmas in the first place. You can read the full post here.
2017 really was a good year. I was blessed in many ways. Oh, there were rough times and plenty of days of doubt, but overall, it was a good year. I am truly thankful for God's goodness. It's been a long time since I've been able to say, "It's been a good year." Now we are already into the fourth month of 2018 and so far so good. :) I will give the final report next January. :) For now, I'm taking one day at a time and giving thanks for waking up each morning. That's huge in my book. I'm still working on my word of the year--Purposeful. I think I've gotten a great start.
I hope you all have a wonderful 2018 and find many things to be thankful for along the way.
Love,
D~
I feel like singing the theme song from Annie... "the sun will come out tomorrow...
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun! Just thinking about tomorrow clears out the cobwebs, and the sorrow 'til there's none! When I'm stuck in a day that's gray, and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin and say, Oh, the sun will come out tomorrow so you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow come what may... Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow!
You're always a day away!"
And there it is... the key to life (or at least one of them)... so you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow come what may! The sun WILL come out tomorrow...it's always a day away!
At the end of each year, I always like to do a recap of "all the things." 2017 was a monumental year in my life. Big things happened. It sure as heck beat out 2016 which was by far the worst of my life.
It takes me awhile to gather all of my thoughts for the year because I have to go back to my calendar and look at everything that happened. My brain has trouble remembering on its own these days. ha
So I'm a few months into 2017. It's okay.
Here is a list of my top ten 2017 happenings (in no particular order):
2. Found a house to live in for a 6-week interim: This was one of those "jewels" of the year for us. I needed to find a place for my son and me to live for at least 6 weeks until we could close on June 15th. I needed a place that would be really cheap to rent or else by some miracle, free. I prayed and prayed. I was going to have to store 90% of my things and it was going to be a huge expense. Thus the reason I needed a miracle for a living space. My prayers were answered way more than I could have imagined. Friends of mine had their house on the market and it just wasn't selling. They agreed to let us move in for as long as we needed to (after June 15th) and all we had to do was keep the house ready in case of showings and to upkeep the pool throughout the week (yes, I said pool!) which only meant emptying the baskets and putting in a gallon of Clorox each night. This house was a haven. A retreat set in a beautiful setting of landscaped "woods" with a gorgeous pool and the house itself had been completely renovated. It was a beautiful big home and we were going to live there "free and clear." The only thing I paid for was cable/internet service. I mean. We enjoyed those weeks so much. My life was given a boost and my tired mind and body got the rejuvenation it so desperately needed. I absolutely loved coming "home" to that house every single day for all those weeks. Jacob loved it as well. My friends gave me a tremendous gift and little did they know, they also restored and saved me. I will forever be grateful.
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| my babies enjoying some pool time |
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| one of my most favorite things to do at this house |
This was a monumental day in my life. *I* bought a house. Just me, myself and I. This is a difficult emotion to explain (unless you've done it). I was filled with so many things...doubt that I had made a terrible mistake because "what if I can't pay for it?" The mortgage I could pay, but what about when something major breaks or needs fixed? What about the million and one little and big things that a homeowner must attend to when maintaining a home? I was freaking my own self out. Then my children and my friends said to me, "Look at what you've accomplished! You have a house. You have a house! Be proud of yourself. You can do it." I felt excitement, elation, and I really was proud of myself. I had learned to do so much on my own in the three years since "moving out." This was my house and I could do whatever I wanted with it. What a day!
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| June 15th, 2017--It's MINE! |
5. Family vacation: 2017 was our second year of doing our own family vacation...my children and I. I know that this is going to be a tradition... it's going to be a "what we do" kind of thing. It isn't cheap and it takes a huge chunk out of my budget, but this is a week that I firmly and wholeheartedly believe in. Families should spend time together especially when everyone is so spread out and gatherings are few and far between. I absolutely LOVE having my kids all together in one place for any period of time, but an entire week is the bombdotcom. This time together is the greatest gift for me and I'm hoping my children will love and appreciate this time and treasure these times with great gratitude and hopefully continue this tradition long after I'm gone. I currently have two grandchildren and I'm hoping for lots more. Think about all the fun and cherished memories to come! These vacays gonna get LIT for sure! LOL :)
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this was July 2016 (all were present)  |
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| May 21, 2017 7. Got a dog: My children thought I needed a furry companion and I got a huge surprise on Christmas Eve. I was sitting in my living room with Jacob and next thing I know I'm being told to close my eyes. A few seconds later my daughter walks in with a DOG!! I was pretty much speechless. I had been thinking about a dog but decided probably not, but they had other plans. I now have a very sweet mostly yellow lab dog (the rest we don't know) who we think is a little more than a year old. I named her "Bailey" after George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life movie. (my favorite of all time). Her middle name is Zuzu, also after George Bailey's daughter in the movie... "it's Zuzu's petals!" Bailey has definitely changed up things around here and is A LOT of extra, but I love her and I believe she will be a good companion. She's going to need some work. haha |
8. My daughter's wedding: Honestly, this will have to be a whole other post, but this was one of the best things about 2017. #TheBest. My girl was the happiest she has ever been that day. She was stunningly beautiful and radiated sunshine. I was transfixed.
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| The OG 4 10. Two friend weekend trips: In February, I got to go away to two different destinations for a fun girls' weekend both times. Early Feb. I met my friend, Katie, in Highlands, NC, for a winter escape and to celebrate Christmas with her since we didn't get together in December. We stayed at a fun hotel with a beautiful fireplace and woodsy feel. (Read all about it here) We explored downtown Highlands and some waterfalls and mostly just relaxed and enjoyed talking and catching up with each other. The very next weekend, I was on my way to Hilton Head, SC, with two other friends. We spent an entire day in Beaufort, went on a Dolphin Cruise, ate lunch and dinner at some fun places, and had a good time exploring. It was a fun weekend spent with good friends. |
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| Highlands, NC |
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| February 2017 |
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| Dolphin Cruise-we saw so many! |
I hope you all have a wonderful 2018 and find many things to be thankful for along the way.
Love,
D~
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