Goodbye 2010!

Happy 2011! Obviously I am a couple days late on this, I meant to write on New Years Eve but it just didn't happen. I was a bridesmaid in one of my best friends weddings yesterday, and the last week has been chocked full of rehearsal dinners and mani/pedis and luncheons and preparing. I also had to get ready for my parents to get here, since they were kind enough to come down from Nevada and watch L the day/night of the wedding. The wedding was beautiful and a blast, and S and I were so excited to have a night just for us. We stayed at a hotel down at the venue and it was the first whole day and night we were away from L since he has been born. I missed him like crazy, and S did too, but it was also a really nice break from us.

Anyway, I will write a longer post with pictures about the wedding later this week, but for now I want to take a second and reflect on 2010. What an amazing year it has been. My first full year as a mama. I don't want to romanticize it too much, because it was by no means perfect. Along with all the happiness and laughter there were definitely tears and sadness. There were times when I cried and felt so overwhelmed with all my roles as wife and mother and daughter and my job, and times when I was so sleep deprived I wasn't sure if I could keep going. There were frights with friends and with S and there were times we got incredibly stressed out about money. There was sickness and tragedy and hate and prejudice in the world around us, that made me frantic about the world I was raising my son in. But, the older I get, the more comfortable I get with these feelings that aren't always so great. I realize that without the tears and angst we would not be able to fully appreciate all the good. And, oh, there was so much good this year. And all that good overshadowed any bad by a ten fold. There were baby laughs and milestones like sitting and walking and talking and solid food. There was the first time L gave me a kiss, accompanied by a big smooching sound. There were days at the park and days at the pool and picnics and a trip to Flagstaff. There was late nights cuddling on the couch and watching movies with S. There were times of  talking about nothing and everything, marveling over this little boy we had brought into the world and speculating at the future and all it had in store for us and our little family. There were happy hours and nights out with my girlfriends, who always are there to remind me where I've come from and how lucky I am to have them in my life. There were cards nights with my parents when they came up to visit, and a visit from my sister, brother-in-law and nephews, were L got to play with boys who I hope he will grow up with.

Oh yes, there was so much more good then bad. And for every tear shed there was a friend on the other line of the phone to offer advice, or S there to give me a hug and some comfort, or L there to give me a kiss and grin that big toothy grin of his.

I know I've kind of backtracked on not romanticizing this last year, but 2010 was pretty damn amazing. Excuse my language, but I don't feel like darn really expresses how happy I am. And now I am ready for 2011 and all that it might bring. The Christmas stuff is all packed up and I am ready to start this new year and all the adventures it might bring.

So happy New Year everyone! I can only hope that your 2010 was as great as mine, and that 2011 brings everyone all the happiness in the world! (And that for those times of sadness, that you all have amazing people in your life to lift you up again!)