Happy New Year!!!

Well, I'm sure you've guessed that things are busy right now and that is why I'm not blogging, and you're right. The new job keeps me very busy, and I've been fighting a cold or something lately, so when I get home I'm exhausted. It seems like it takes all my energy just to get out of bed every morning. So, I apologize for the quiet. I need to upload some photos and fill you in on the camping trip and Mom and Dad's new house. They bought a new house and have moved after 28 years at my childhood home. I'll miss the old house, but the new house is twice as big and SO NICE that my excitement for my parents greatly outweighs any sentimental feelings! They are getting settled in and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas sitting by the fire. (Mom finally has a fireplace!)

Dad retired as of December 31st, and tomorrow his co-workers are having a luncheon in his honor. He is OVERJOYED to be retiring at last. I am so excited for him! I hope that he will now be able to travel "out west" like he has wanted to do for so many years. I also hope that he will get some much needed rest now and be able to resolve some health issues.

Speaking of health issues, my brother had a mild heart attack a few weeks ago. He's 34, but he doesn't lead a very healthy lifestyle (has been smoking since a teenager and still eats like one and is always under a lot of stress). He is on some new medication to try to stop smoking. Please pray that this medication will work and he will break this chain of addiction. He's much too young to be dealing with this kind of health problem.

We had a good Christmas here in the Kountry, although it was busy and not nearly long enough (especially with all the extended family!). I think L got everything she wanted. It was a bittersweet Christmas, but we changed some traditions to help ease the grief. I had a beautiful ornament made in memory of my grandparents, and we all bought poinsettias for Gran and Grandaddy's church in their memory and in memory of Mickey (Dad's cousin). We also bought poinsettias in memory of Gran and Grandaddy and Charles (Dad's friend) for Mom and Dad's church. We haven't had Christmas with Dad's brother and his family yet, but will do so in a couple of weeks. They are going to come to Mom and Dad's house instead of us driving north. I think it will better help us transition to Christmas without Gran and Grandaddy if we have Christmas in another town.

Brad and L and I drove to Callaway Gardens the Sunday before Christmas. (NOTE: This is the first family "vacation" (just B, L, and me) we have taken in quite a while and it was SO NICE!) We surprised L with a horseback ride through Roosevelt State Park on Sunday morning. She was so excited! She kept telling us that it was the best surprise ever. She was a natural, of course, and kept saying she wants a horse at home. After the ride, we checked into the hotel and changed our clothes and then we found some lunch at the Country Kitchen. Then we visited the Butterfly House, the Horticulture Center, and the Discovery Center. It was fun, especially feeding the koi. We decided to go to the Christmas Village and look around before our Jolly Trolley ride through the Fantasy in Lights. We had fun drinking gallons of hot chocolate to keep warm in the frigid weather. The trolley ride was fun, but COLD. The lights were beautiful! After the lights, we found dinner at Aspen's Mountain Grill. I can definitely recommend their flat iron steak with fried green beans and white cheddar grits. YUM, YUM!!! On our way home, we stopped at several shops to look around. It was a great, relaxing trip.

I went back to the doctor the day after Christmas, and I am finished with formal treatment except for the anti-inflammatory medication (I'm not sure how long I'll have to take it) and some home PT exercises. I don't have to go back to the doctor unless I develop a problem. So, we're going to see what happens and we're hopeful that things are on the mend. I still have good days and bad days... I get really sore at work and when I'm driving, and some days I just hurt for no good reason. But, it could have been a lot worse and I am grateful to be where I am.

Brad and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary today. Seven years ago today, we were snowed in our cabin outside Gatlinburg, eating canned ravioli for supper. It seems like only yesterday. B, L and I went out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate at a Japanese restaurant and had a great time. They brought us a yummy pineapple boat, sang us a "Japanese Happy Song" and took our picture. They also gave us some really pretty chopsticks in a neat little wooden box. Since L was three when Brad and I married, our anniversary is not just a wedding anniversary, but the anniversary of us becoming a family, so we try to include L in the celebration somehow. Dinner at a fun restaurant we only go to on special occasions is a perfect solution! She loved it.

Well, I guess that is all for now... I just heard the dryer buzz!

Goodbye, 2007... a year we won't soon forget. Hello, 2008... we pray you bring blessings of joy!