Year In Review

     *Whew*  Where has the year gone?

     Yes, I do technically know that the year is not over yet.... BUT, today is the one year mark since closing on my house!  Hard to believe that just one year ago I closed the Ellsworth AFB chapter of my book of life and began a new one in Colorado Springs.

     I've done so much in the last year that I have never done before, and I did it (mostly) by myself. I entered the world of DIY and have laid hardwood floors in the living room, put in a retaining wall in the front yard, created nooks in empty walls, removed a swamp cooler, and tore out an entire exisiting bathroom. That is - of course - not all that I have done to my home. With the help of various home professionals and my trusty contractor, we have also installed a whole house humidifier, an A/C unit, a patio wall, new windows, new front door, hardwood flooring in the dining room and hallway, french doors, a deck in the crawl space, replumbed the laundry room and 3rd bathroom, and poured a shower pan. I wish I could show you before and after pictures, but the before pictures are on my desktop - the one that the kids have again messed up and is at the computer repair shop.

     While the past year has been good to me and the kids, we have also had our share of heartbreaks as well. During the summer, we had to say goodbye to Pumpkin, my ever faithful and loving cat of 11 years. He had been with me longer than my marriage had lasted. From a cute 8 week old flea invested kitten that I picked up from the humane society in Everett, WA, he had traveled with me from Washington state back to Alaska after a failed relationship (unknown to my dad *grin*), joined me in marriage to Matt, stayed by my side during various deployments and Matt's death, and stoicly battled feline IBD (http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/Inflammatory-Bowel-Disease-in-Cats.html) until the stress from moving from South Dakota to Colorado was too much for him to handle.

RIP my sweet kitty

     While the loss of a pet is always hard, that's not the only death we had to deal with. The daughter of a good friend also passed away in September... Gabby's best friend Charity. Of course, we traveled back up to South Dakota for the funeral - that much was a given. Come hell or high water, I would not have stayed away from that. The funeral was beautiful and Gabby gave a very moving speech when they opened up the stage for speakers. With as much as my children have gone through, I am oh so very proud of the way they have handled these adverse moments.

RIP sweet girl... you'll forever live in our hearts and we will miss you tremendously

     We have also welcome many new people into our lives. My dear friends Lynette and Joy, the first of many I have made here.

Our Golden Retriever puppy, Chief.

    

I've jumped out of a perfectly good airplane

http://www.mile-hi-skydiving.com/

I even ran a 5K mud run with Charlotte and some of the army wives I've met.

http://www.godirtygirl.com/

     So as we move into the holiday season this year, we do so with old friends from before, new friends who have come into our lives, and loved ones looking down on us from above. Remember to live your life to the fullest and enjoy it, as you never know when you will be called home. 

The next chapter

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.  - Lao Tzo

With most things, we keep moving forward, always taking the next step wherever it may lead us. My steps have taken me many places and have introduced me to many more people who help in my journey. After a year and a half, those steps have brought me back into the dating world. It's been years - 10 years to be exact - since I last dated. So much has changed in that decade, yet many have not. It's still crazy awkward, though maybe that awkwardness is from the fact that in an alternate reality I would still be married to a man I loved. However, I am happy with the path that I am on.

I know I have mentioned to my friends before that no, I wouldn't date another service member. Been there, done that, would not like to visit that hell again. That, however, is difficult to do in a town surrounded by five military bases. It's truly hard to move on from a reality that you grew up in, married into, and still surround yourself in. So I find myself dipping into the dating pool and encountered a couple people. Three times is the charm is what they say.... so after the first two attempts at meeting people, I ended up getting together with the guy I am currently seeing.

Our relationship is going well.... I enjoy spending time with him and he makes me laugh. I see myself looking forward to seeing him when his time allows.  He knows I have my demons, and he knows I'm widowed.... but he does not know the circumstances and he hasn't pushed, for which I am thankful. Has he met the kids? No. That's not something I'm ready for, not something he has asked about, and I'm good with that. It's much more fun sneaking around like sex starved teenagers hiding from their parents. ;)