Last night, when Dave and I were reflecting on the past year, we agreed that the theme of 2012 would be change. In 2012, we moved, lost a parent, had a child, started new jobs, welcomed a nephew, and left our church. Phew! People would ask us how we were making it, and our answer was, simply, God. He is the One who gave us strength through it all. Now, as we begin 2013, we hope this new year is a bit more settled. But we know from experience that God is faithful, even in the most tumultuous of times, and He is more than capable of giving us strength when we're at our weakest.
In order to remember all that went down in 2012, I thought I'd do a quick month-by-month recap of the year.
January--House Drama
We started out the year with an offer on what appeared to be a nice starter home. Then we discovered it may or may not be in a flood plain. After our praying that God would kindly slam the door shut if this wasn't the house for us, our inspector discovered huge cracks in the foundation that were causing the house to shift like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. There was our answer! The next week, we found another home that was perfect for us! Our offer was accepted, and we made plans to close on the house in March.
February--It's a Girl!
February 3 was a very special day for us because we found out we were having a girl! I had been convinced it was a boy, so I was very shocked. We decided, in order to ensure that people would give us the gender neutral items we'd registered for, we wouldn't announce the gender to anyone other than our family until I had my baby showers. It was one of the toughest secrets to keep!
March--We Bought a House?!
After signing our lives away, we walked out of a nondescript office building with the keys to our first home. In that month, our garage door opener broke; the water heater's pilot light wouldn't light, requiring an expensive call to the heating guy; and our pipes in the kitchen sprung a leak or two. I wondered if home ownership was all it was cracked up to be as we settled in and paid for these unexpected home repairs. (I'm happy to report that having this home is, indeed, worth it.)
April--Flying Solo
After a valiant fight against cancer, Dave's dad took a turn for the worse in April, so Dave headed to Scotland to be with his family for two weeks. It was difficult being apart during this time of uncertainty, but Skype calls helped, and we had amazing people from our church looking out for my eight-months-pregnant self while Dave was away. Three days after Dave returned to the States, his dad passed away. We miss him a lot, but we're grateful he doesn't have to deal with the pain anymore.
May--Surprise!
Miss G wasn't due until June 12, but she decided to surprise all of us by arriving on May 19. I spent a lot of that day in shock, not really believing that my daughter was indeed on her way. In the weeks that followed, I couldn't imagine having to wait any longer to meet Miss G.
June--Parenthood
The month of June was a blur. We were getting used to being parents of this tiny human being, adjusting to sleepless nights, and loving every minute of it.
July--First Trip
Dave and I decided to celebrate our anniversary with a trip to Michigan--Miss G's first big trip out of state. She was a champ, and we had a lot of fun going to the beach, drinking Biggby coffee, and eating our anniversary dinner at Logan's Roadhouse.
August--Ch-ch-ch-changes
Yes, most of the year was filled with change, but August was by far the craziest. In August, I embarked on a new journey in my career as a work-at-home mom; Dave began new jobs as a resource teacher and a kidmin assistant at our church's main campus; and we welcomed our nephew to the family. With Dave's new job at church, we had to leave our local campus and attend the main campus again. August marked the last month of regularly attending our local campus.
September--New/Old Church
As I mentioned in the August review, we moved back to the main campus of our church in September. This was a difficult change, and Dave and I prayed a lot about his decision to take the kidmin job when we learned it would involve this move. This was the month we learned that following God's direction in your life isn't always easy, but it's worth the sacrifice.
October--Happy Birthday
Nothing much happened in October. We celebrated my birthday at the beginning of the month, and we continued to attend a marriage class at church, which we both really enjoyed. All-in-all, although it was a "normal" month, it was nice to experience normal again.
November--Baby Dedication
For many years, I would participate as a member of the congregation for many dedications, imagining what it would be like to dedicate my own child someday. In November, Dave and I stood before the congregation to dedicate Miss G to the One who gave her to us. I know I haven't been a mom for very long, but that moment will be one of my most treasured memories.
December--First Christmas
Everyone told us this year was going to be so much fun now that we had a child. I think we'll have more fun once Miss G is old enough to realize a little bit more about what Christmas is all about, but this year was a wonderful celebration of the best gifts our family received this year--Miss G and her cousin.
The year 2012 was without a doubt a crazy one, but it was good. Our heavenly Father was with us every step of the way, and even during the times of uncertainty, knowing He was walking beside us, and sometimes carrying us, was the reason why I would consider 2012 an amazing year.
No comments:
Post a Comment