What have I accomplished this year??

Well, this year went by in a flash and much was done!!! January started off with a bang as we learned the move to Georgia was fast approaching. It was a dilemma for Brandi and finishing school. She wouldn't have finished in time at Cole so we enrolled her with Penn Foster and she finished a year earlier. That was great.

In the early spring, I shaved my head completely bald for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's 'Totally Baldacious' campaign. I raised nearly $800 and it was a great feeling. Not just having a clean shaved head and the invigorating sensation of a newly found freedom, but more so the gift of doing something so good for someone else. I have always gotten satisfaction from giving, but rundraising for me takes it to a whole new level! The family also participated in the Relay for Life in April which was great. We sold coffee to help keep everyone awake all night!! There was so much love and devotion on that track and field that night it was electric!!

Work was moving along good and we started our purging at the house. We had accumulated a lot in San Antonio. Many friends and much stuff in our house. We didn't purge the friends of course, but the stuff had to find a new home. Got rid of most of it on Craigslist and Ebay, then the yard sale. The rest we got rid of here at the Thrift Store. We still managed to have around 16,000lbs of household goods.

The summer was coming around the corner and many things needed done yet in preparation. The deck needed disassembling, the plants dug up and transplanted in my in-laws yard, the garage cleaned out, the basement cleared, the attic emptied. But for a moment in May, time seemed to stand still while we watched the life of a great man come to an end. He was a man that served his country honorable, cared for his Soldiers and loved his family endlessly. Cancer sucks.

I left my beloved optometry clinic and the doc I have worked with for years in June. Dr. L is a great mentor and I have thanked him profusely for the many memories and learning lessons; especially morning math!!!! He taught me not to say 'good-bye' but rather 'see you later' as the Army is a small world and we will see each other again.

It was time to move on to a new 'flavor' as we have come to affectionately call frequent moves. Home is where the Army sends us and as long as we're together!! It truly is all we need. The house doesn't mean anything, the place we live doesn't mean anything. The only thing that matters is us!!! Our family. We could be in a mansion or a cardboard box and it would all be good.

The following months were busy. Brandi's Disney vacation with her family, Matt moved the animals and I to Georgia, Madi went to camp and then Matt brought them to Georgia. Matt finished his duties in San Antonio and then joined us in Georgia, but for just a short stint as duty calls.

He is in school for five months for the Army learning how to be a Senior Officer leader and doing a good job at it already!! When he returns in March, he will be in charge of the Fort Benning Blood Donor Center, which has the Army's highest number of donor collections.

While waiting to return to work, I embarked on another fundraiser for my friend from high school. She and her husband are in the process of adopting two awesome boys from Africa. We hosted a Tupperware fundraiser and every penny counts!!! It was great to help someone bring the pitter patter of feet home....they aren't here yet, but will be soon!! Being a parent is the best and I can't wait to read her posts about the challenges and triumphs of motherhood!!!

I returned to work in September at my new clinic and love it. I love caring for our Soldiers and their eye care needs. I have contemplated going to school to just be an optometrist but I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

I have enjoyed reading for the first time. I never thought I had the time and wasn't sure there was anything I would enjoy reading; however, I found I like non-fiction and biographies. I have read all three of Tori Spelling's books and she is a hoot. I have read several other books and now am reading Elizabeth Edward's book. I also ventured in an endeavor I never thought I would have never thought I would...I wrote a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. It was National Novel Writing Month (NanoWriMo). I was exciting and addictive!!!

What will next year hold for me?? Well, I would like to think many great things!!! I am still contemplating working on my Master's, I will continue to read good books, I plan to continue walking at lunch to keep my mind clear and burn off some steam and will love more and more about my life!!