2009 Newsletter

What a crazy year! In some ways, I will be happy to say “See ya” to 2009. This year was a strange mix of good and bad… But everything worked out the way it was supposed to.

Started off the new year with a colicky newborn… But thankfully the three month rule was true and at the end of January, Shelby had grown out of the colic.

I got laid off in January from Cisco (for the 2nd time in my career…) and it happened 3 years to the day of the first layoff. But you know the saying… sometimes things are blessings in disguise. That very day I sent my resume to Teres Solutions and they contacted me the following week. It seems like it was kismet... perfect timing and meant to be. Teres had been looking for a writer for a while and had not found one that clicked and I was new on the job hunting scene. I love my new job. In so many ways, it is very close to my “dream” technical writing job. Not only do I get to create new technical documentation (there wasn’t a writer here prior to me) but I also help out with training material. I’m currently playing with new software, creating Flash training videos for web-based training courses. I’m also learning new software that will help me single source content in XML to easily create a plethora of customer documentation! It’s so much fun to learn new applications and techniques. I actually look forward to going to work every day now. Professionally, it is very rewarding... something I haven't felt in quite awhile.

Jon started off the new year unemployed. We were getting really worried when he wasn’t getting any bites on his resume. He finally found a job but ended up HATING it. It was not a good place to work. Luckily he started looking for a job while he was still employed and found a wonderful new job. He’s really enjoying himself… doing something similar to his past positions but different enough to keep it interesting. He’s learned so many new things and has been recognized for his accomplishments during his short time there! The downside is that it is a temporary job (2 year contract) but looks like they may hire him at some point. Keep your fingers crossed that 2010 will bring him permanent employment!

As many of you know, my wonderful stepfather of 18 years passed away in April. It was very difficult on the family but as you can imagine, most difficult on my mom. We all discussed it and determined that she needed to come live with us in Austin. We wanted her to be close to family in case something happened to her (after all, she is 77). Mom moved down here and began living with us this summer. We took Shelby out of daycare and Mom started watching her. That new arrangement has created so many positive things for both Mom and Shelby, well... all of us actually. We soon discovered that our house was way too small for a growing baby, 3 adults, 3 dogs, and 1 cat so we put our house on the market in early June. It seems like it took an eternity but it finally sold in October! Whew… I have to say we had the most wonderful and patient realtor. She was very supportive during my mini-breakdowns… She had been in a similar situation (her mother lived with her at one time as well) so she offered wonderful and helpful advice during that stressful time.

We moved into our new house in November. We are still getting settled in and have much to do but everyone seems pleased with the increase in space. My mom has her own little “suite”, complete with her own full bath and sitting room. When we retire upstairs at night, Mom pretty much has the whole downstairs to herself. It is nice to see her getting excited about decorating her space or giving input on house-related issues. She is still grieving but I think having Shelby's smiling face (complete with 8 teeth) around helps her make it through each day. Speaking of Shelby, she really loves having a huge room and plenty of space to practice her walking/running skills! She is getting so big and is talking up a storm. It seems like she learns something new each day, whether it is a word, game or something else. Her newest thing is playing hide and seek. She thinks if she turns her head to one side, you can’t see her. Silly girl…

You know how the Chinese have the Year of the Dog… or the Year of the Ox… Well, for me this has been the Year of the Friend. Friendships seemed to be the theme for this year. There were some friendships that kinda slowed down (for lack of better words). But some friendships have blossomed, far beyond my expectations! This is a good thing because I really needed friends this year… needed those ears to bend and those shoulders to cry on. There’s a song by Tracy Lawrence, “Find Out Who Your Friends Are”. That would be my theme song for 2009. Friends came out of the woodwork when I lost my job… when my stepfather passed… just to be there for me to talk to. New friends… old friends… wonderful friends…

Through the magic of Facebook, I have also reconnected with childhood friends and old friends from elementary, junior high, high school, and past jobs. Crazy world but fun to see all of these people as grown adults with their own families! It is also fun to reminisce about old times and such. Through Facebook, I have also connected with members of my father's family... first and second cousins. It has filled me with such joy to "meet" these wonderful people! I'm hoping we can have a cousin's reunion in 2010...

And let’s not forget, our lovely daughter turned one year old in October. She had kinda started walking that week but seemed to pull out all the stops and walked like crazy the day of her birthday party. It’s like she was holding back and wanted to show off for everyone. And trust me, she hasn’t stopped walking since!

A lot has happened in 2009. Job loss, new jobs, death, selling, buying, moving, etc. I think we've hit several of the "top 10 stresses" this year. For 2010:

- My hope is that my Mom will find peace with her grief and loss... That she will remember the good times and let those wonderful memories keep Charles alive in her heart.

- I know we have a lot to look forward to with Shelby and her wonderful personality that seems to grow so much as each day passes. She loves to look at her books and carry on conversations with us (which we can’t understand right now). I look forward to watching her vocabulary expand and her personality explode!

- I look forward to learning more at my job and creating new ways to help the customer grasp our products and processes.

- My hope is that Jon continues to enjoy his job and that they recognize his efforts and reward him accordingly.

- I look forward to enjoying our new home and making “ours”. We have so many plans and ideas. We have learned a valuable lesson… Don’t wait until you are about to put your house on the market before you do all those things you wanted to do. We made our last home almost perfect, right before we sold it. Just in time for someone else to enjoy our “dream” home.

- I look forward to making 2010 “The Second Year of the Friend” and continue to cultivate my friendships and make them stronger… friendships with my dear friends, my husband, my Mom, my family, or my new found cousins.

- I plan to update my blog more. My father-in-law is going to Afghanistan for a year and I promised him I'd update it more often so he can know what is going on here.

- And now that we have a much larger mortgage, I look forward to cooking more at home, learning to be more frugal, and learning the magic of coupon clipping!

In closing, my hope is that you have a wonderful 2010 as well. Our past can only make us stronger and more prepared for our future. No matter how bad things may seem for us, someone out there has it worse and we should be thankful for what we do have. I’m certainly thankful for everything I have and everyone that is in my life. Enjoy every moment you have and make every moment count.