It Occurred to me.

It occurred to me I didn't do a post for a year in review. Well, I'm not going to. If you want to know how my year went, I got archives! Feel free to go back and be nosy from January 2008 to December 2008. If you read that, you'll know exactly how my year went, I can promise you that.

I want to talk of what I'm looking forward to in 2009 instead. There are 364 more days of this glorious year left and it stretches before me with unlimited possibilities.

I want to maintain my level of contentment. Funny, I used to think that word was a bad thing. The silliness of my being young warped that word in my mind. For some crazy reason, I thought it meant I was settling. Settling for what, I don't really know. It was like I had to keep searching and seeking. For what, again I don't know. Being older now has given me a tad bit more wisdom and I have raised my eyebrow at what I used to be on more than one occasion. I know now that contentment is something that comes from deep inside of you. It's the exact opposite of "settling for what you have". It's knowing that what you have makes you happy inside and out. My life makes me happy inside and out. Good thing to know that's one thing money can't buy.

I want to find a better me this year. This isn't something anyone else can do for me and I know this. It's a song and dance I've sung many times before. Heck, I'll probably be singing it the rest of my life. I think all humans are a work in progress their whole lives. We are forever changing and aging. Learning to deal with new aspects of our bodies. I am no different. I am knocking on 40 and I want to greet that magical number when it gets here with gladness. I have a little over two years to get it straight. Not a long time when you're this age as time seems to fly by on hummingbird's wings the older you get. I can do this. I've been here before. The right frame of mind can conquer even the most insurmountable foe. When I find that right frame of mind? I will be feeling ten feet tall and bulletproof.

This year will be full of decisions for my family. The Man will start preparing for retirement and life after the U.S. Navy. While most of you wonder what a big deal that is.....well, it is. My husband has given almost 20 years of his life serving this country. He came into the service in his early 20's and it has shaped him and molded him to be the man he is. When all was not right in his world, the military never changed. It has been a rock and the love this man has for his country has made his service an honor and a bearable hardship at times. He wears his uniform every single day with pride and the ribbons on his chest are a testament to what he has accomplished. To not wear that uniform day in and day out will be hard for him. To no longer be a part of "the mission" will weigh heavily on his heart. While he's really not into missions while on shore duty now, he supports missions. Going back into the civilian world won't be hard for me. It will be life changing for him. I will be revisiting this subject from time to time because I love him and will be figuring out how I can support him to the best of my abilities to make sure the civilian world isn't as different as he thinks. We're going to get this man through to the world of golf shirts and khaki pants.

My children are another priority this year. I wish to get to know them better and love them even more (if that's possible). Each one of them is unique and so incredible and I sit in constant awe that God let me give birth to the three of them. I pray for them on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis as they go through their days and nights. It's my pleasure and honor to do so. I know my Mama still prays for me and I want to be praying for my three until I take my last breath on this Earth.

I want to strengthen the bonds of friendship with the amazing ladies I've met both on here and here in Georgia while maintaining the bonds with those I have back in South Carolina. While being a wife and mother are two things I love with all my heart.....I love being able to be Miss Hope, too. A whole new world has opened up to me as I venture out and discover sides of myself that were either undiscovered or dormant. I am so excited to see what I can learn this year about myself.

So, would you call this a year in "Preview"? Is there really any correct way I can word it so that my English O.C.D. friends will accept it? (Girls, you know I love you!)

364 days. Wow. The possibilities!