Monday, December 29, 2014

The wild adventures of 2014

The year of 2014 has been an adventure.

The year began with my baby turning 18. When your baby girl turns 18 and you aren't sure you are ready for it.....
It was not as challenging as I anticipated.  We were able to have a small family gathering.  She had some girlfriends stay the night in motel suite.  They wanted to do their nails and pedicures and sit in the hot tub and just be girls.  They were unable to sit in the hot tub because it wasn't hot and they had some other issue in the room. They had a good time despite all that.

I found the end of January to be an exceptionally difficult time.  I had to leave my husband for a short separation.  That was so difficult.  His actions had become out of control.  My girls didn't understand.  They thought I was being unfair. It was a decision that had been thought about and prayed about for a very long time.  It had been threatened on numerous occasions. It was time to follow through. The separation was not long and I had tremendous support from my church family and those that were close to me and involved in the situation.  We were being bathed in prayer. The hardest part was leaving my baby girl.... and having her be so angry with ME. It didn't make sense to her. But it was necessary for me.

My daughter was named the Future First Citizen of Roseburg. She received a $10,000 scholarship.  It was such an honor, such a tremendous blessing. She had worked incredibly hard. Despite the turmoil in her home, she was thriving.

The remainder of the spring consisted of a lot of "lasts".  This was going to be the last banquet for her sports team, the last Mother-Daughter Senior Tea, the last time...... fill in the blank.  It was full. She was involved in everything!  What a roller coaster of emotions that I went through those last few months leading up to graduation.

Graduation..... she was the Valedictorian, the Class President and ranked number 1 in her graduating class.  She would be delivering the speech and calling out all the names.  What a day!  I knew I would be an emotional wreck, but God was so good to me, I didn't shed a tear on Graduation! The party the day before was a huge success, she was showered in love and Mom and Dad's place looked fantastic. We had been turning their backyard into a new place for over a year.  We finished just in time.

We found ourselves traveling to Hawaii in the later part of June.  It was a first for many of us.  We met our daughter and son in law and his family there.  We all stayed in the same condo resort, but different condos! There were 12 of us.  It was a fabulous trip.  Memories made to last for a lifetime.

September found us taking our baby to college and facing our empty nest. Again, I was sure that it would be incredibly emotional for me, as my husband had his annual hunting trip to Eastern Oregon.  I only shed a couple of quiet tears on the way home from leaving her there.

She is doing fantastic, she is involved in some awesome church groups called "Fight Clubs" after the good fight analogy. She is involved in the student association in the Honor's College and even gained a position in the leadership of such.  Her roommate is a doll and they get along fabulously.  They were well chosen. They are sure to be friends for a lifetime.

The end of the year has found me spending quite a bit of my time with my parents.  My mom was found to have severe arthritis in her hips and required a hip replacement. The surgery was scheduled for Christmas Eve, as this was the soonest available slot for the doctor.  I spent many moments trying to be of help to Mom and Dad, as Dad was getting more and more stressed as the time approached.  Thankfully a cancellation happened and we were able to go a whole week early.  It was a blessing to be able to do it early.  My girl was home from college and she has been a HUGE help in being with Nana at home and getting her to do her exercises.  She has her first therapy appointment outside the home tomorrow!

Grateful that over the weekend we were able to have EVERYONE home.  My oldest and her hubby were able to come down on Friday, as well as my sister and her family, my youngest and her boyfriend. It was such a great weekend.

I am blessed beyond measure.  I know that we face trials of many different degrees, but God has continued to provide for every need and continued to bless every difficulty.  I am praying that 2015 brings a new set of adventures.  That I will continue to see the hand of God in all that transpires and that I would be more disciplined in sharing those moments on my blog.