Has it REALLY been a whole year?!?!

I can NOT believe it's been a year since I've written anything on my blog! How very remiss of me! Let's see if I can fill you in a bit.

Rowan is now 6 years old and attending kindergarten. She loves to dance and sing and play with barbies and dolls and stuffed animals. She's learning guitar at school and loving that! She played so much that she came home with a blister on her finger! Poor baby! She calls herself Princess Rowan of the land of Coalhurst...because she's God's princess! I love it! She is sweet and fun and full of life and I love being her Mom! She has her challenging days when I wonder if I'll survive this little spitfire running through my house, but for the most part, she is a complete joy!

Declan is 11 and turning 12 soon! He's into all things video game, and loves to read! Who would have thought?! A few years ago he couldn't read well at all but thanks to some very dedicated teachers, he can't be without his books! He keeps at least 3 in the bathroom at all times which drives me nuts! Not because I'm always stepping on books but because we only have ONE bathroom! Hard to share when he's constantly hogging it because it's a quiet place to read! Declan is becoming more of a man every day, though he tells me he really doesn't want to grow up just yet. I can't say I blame him...being an adult can be scary! I've told him that there's no rush and he can take his time growing up. I think that made him feel better. Declan is an avid fisherman and can hardly wait until spring so he can bring some fish home for supper! His favorite fishing buddy is Rick who has really taken Declan under his wing and shown him the best fishing spots, how to gut a fish (yuck!) and which lures to use for which fish! I had no idea there was so much to know about fishing! I have to say I enjoyed fishing so much last summer that I bought myself a fishing rod too! Even Rowan gets in on the action, but never for very long. Declan has turned into a very wonderful, thoughtful, sincere, HANDSOME young man and I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be his Mom.

As for me...well...I'm still working as an Insurance Sales Agent. I'm now taking courses that will eventually turn into a Chartered Insurance Professional designation. Sound interesting? It really isn't. I'd much rather be doing something involving music but unfortunately that doesn't pay the bills. I still get to play at my church 2 out of 3 Sundays and I sing as often as I can. I have had the pleasure of singing and playing for various women's ministries in Lethbridge and that has been such a wonderful experience! I'm hoping to do more of that in the coming year.

A few hard things have happened this year too.

My friend, Stacy, has been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. I've never seen anyone fight for her life like this woman has fought. She is a single mom of 8 year old Olivia and her whole goal is to watch her beautiful daughter grow up. She knows, however, that her time may be short so she's determined to create some memories with Olivia now. To that end, friends of Stacy have created a group called "Angels for Olivia". A silent auction/birthday party is being held for Stacy on March 24, 2012 to raise money to send Olivia and Stacy on their dream vacation...Disneyworld and New York! I have been witness to people who have never even met Stacy donating air miles to purchase disney passes for her. I look forward to seeing many more acts of kindness toward Stacy and Olivia. I know that God is the only One who can heal Stacy and I pray for a miracle for her, but I think it's so great that so many are working to help Stacy fulfill her wishes...just in case.

Another sad event was that my pastor, who has been the pastor at my church for the last 30 years, chose to leave our congregation this year. I found this really hard because he was more than a pastor to me. He was the guy that would call me when it became known that I was dating and he would ask, "are you maintaining your boundaries?"...LOL!! That still makes me roar! There's no one else in my life who would ever ask me a question like that but I've never been so happy to have a question asked of me. He kept me accountable, and I always knew I was loved. He was sincere, funny, down to earth and so full of love for his congregation. I'm praying for another Pastor to come and lead our church...we don't want to wander the desert for 40 years. And I'm praying extra hard that the Pastor who comes will be someone that is approachable and someone who loves this congregation like my Pastor did. My Pastor poured his life into this church and I'm so grateful to have been one of the many that he loved so well. He's earned his retirement...but I will miss him.

So that's my world in a nutshell. What's new with all of you?!

:)