Happy New Year

Happy New Year from TX!  It seems that for many people 2014 was anything less than stellar.  Happily, I can say that is not true for us.  The calendar change always makes me look back and think about the year, good things and bad.  There have been so many rough years for us lately I was pleasantly surprised to realize that 2014 was not one of them. For the first time in 4 years we had a GOOD year, a very happy year, from start to finish.  I wasn't sad to see the year change, instead hopeful that 2015 will be a continuation of the good.  

So my quick look back at 2014 and we have so many things to remember... ice storms from January through March that got us several days off school and introduced us to sideways icicles, several trips to the zoo in Waco, our annual outing for pictures in the bluebonnets, a long weekend at the beach in May, an amazing trip to Oregon over the summer, the boys learned how to ride their bikes on two wheels and swim, a new car, nearly continuous dogsitting from March through November, strawberry picking in the spring and peach picking in the summer, giving up Nyla but gaining Arthur and Sherman the hermit crab, visits from family in September and December, I discovered edx & coursera (several courses under my belt, more to come), birthdays and pumpkin picking and rainbows and art contests, and surely so much more that I have forgotten. 

And so I leave you with this thought...  

"May your coming year be filled with magic & dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to makes some art - write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself". - Neil Gaiman