Is it just ME?

I can't believe today is February 1st! Am I the only one that feels like January flew right past them? I am really excited about 2008; the thought of starting a new year and all the possibilities that it may hold just gives me chills! Let's recap 2007 just a little bit and then look forward to 2008.

Events of 2007, Alexa and I moved back home...definitely not the most exciting of events (for any involved...except that Mimi and Pop get to see Alexa every day which they love). It was a big decision for me, and one that meant lots of different things. One of the biggest reasons we moved home was because I felt God calling me out of our current living arrangement. At some point it occurred to me that it was next to impossible for me to try and raise Alexa with God as the center of her life when her mother was "living in sin". Clearly we are all sinners, and I am not saying that I am perfect now that I am living at home, but it was a choice that I made for all of us. It was a hard decision. I am sure there are those who have judged me for lots of things that I have done, and that's ok.

I also started back to school in 2007, and it has been a trying year at times because of that. I can't take the conventional route with anything I do, so instead I get to be a mommy, work, and go to school full time. It is certainly a balancing act, and one that I don't always have down, but we make it work somehow! I don't feel like I'm any closer to finishing school than I was a year ago, but I guess I am. Forward progress seems to be very slow!

Then in September we celebrated Alexa and Walker's first birthdays! I don't think any of us could believe it had been a year since they were born. It was certainly a crazy year, and lots of things changed during that year, but it was a wonderful year nonetheless, and we were glad to be able to celebrate their birthdays together! I am so excited to see what the future holds for Walker and Alexa, and I hope they will remain close growing up.

Then we finished up the year with two of my favorite holidays...Thanksgiving where we all get to reflect on the things we are thankful for and spend some time with family we don't otherwise get to see very often. Then we have Christmas where we focus on the birth of our Savior and what that means to us as Christians. I want to make sure that as Alexa gets older she understands why we celebrate this holiday. That it's not because we need an excuse to give presents, but that we celebrate because of our love for Jesus. I don't ever want to stray from the real meaning of Christmas!

I have to say Christmas this year was very different for me. For the first time in 3 years Anthony and I didn't celebrate Christmas together. It was hard for me, but I also felt relieved. I was very excited to see Alexa and how she reacted to everything, but it was just different. We broke up shortly after Thanksgiving, and it has been an adjustment for all of us.

That brings us back to 2008. I know this is going to be a great year for lots of reasons. The first reason is that we are again blessed to be able to spend time with friends and family as Alexa grows and that is very important to me. Then as the year goes by I will be a few steps closer to graduation and I am definitely looking forward to that. I won't graduate in 2008, but I will be closer than I was last year!

As always I am looking forward to watching Alexa grow and play as a happy little girl! She is already getting so big, and she talks non-stop! She amazes me at the things she says at 16 months. Who knows what tomorrow holds for her! I can't wait for her 2nd birthday...another great milestone in her life.

I am also looking forward to financial freedom in 2008. I know that may seem strange, but it is one of my biggest goals! By this time next I should be totally and completely debt free! HALLELUJAH! I can't wait! That means I will be saving to buy a house as well, and I am definitely looking forward to that. I hope I don't ever have to rent again! I HATE renting! Especially after my last rental experience I am looking forward to having my own house that I can do whatever I want to it!

Please don't take this the wrong way, I am by no means trying to say that living at home is horrible. It's just different! Once you have had your own space and freedom, it's just hard to go back. I am thankful that I had somewhere to come back to and that mama and daddy have been able to help me out during this hard time...but most importantly I am thankful that they want me to move on as well. They don't want me to live at home forever...and neither do I! Too many times a hand up is taken as a hand out and what was meant as help is actually enabling someone to stay in their circumstances...that is not the case here! I am ready to move on...when the time is right!

Most importantly I am looking forward to growing my relationship with God during 2008! We have just started Experiencing God as a small group on Wednesday night at church and I am really excited about it. We have never done small groups before, so this is certainly a step of faith for lots of people. I can't wait to see what I learn from this Bible study, and I hope to form some lasting relationships within our group as well.

2008 promises to be a great year, not without trials, but a great year nonetheless! I hope you all are looking forward to what this year may hold for you, and thanking God for the years He has given you in the past. I know I am...because without the trials I have already been through, I wouldn't be here today. I want to make the most of today, worry less about tomorrow, and look to God for everything I do!