HAPPY New Year

It's 2011. And I'm breathing a BIG sigh of relief. I can honestly say that I'm glad 2010 is over - it was a hard year for us. I haven't shared most of these things here, but some of the things we've been dealing with are:

• My husband has been laid off from two different jobs in the past year. He has been unemployed for a total of 6 months, with no end in sight.
• We are facing foreclosure on our house. The mortgage company is unwilling to actually, truly try to help us.
• We lost our fourth baby in September, at 16 weeks gestation.
  
• My 24 year old brother was diagnosed with testicular cancer this fall.

Through it all, though, I can say that my God has been near. He has provided for us in ways I would have never imagined. It has been a blessing to have my husband home with us and to have the time together as a family that we would not have otherwise had. The loss of our tiny son, whom we named Morgan Daniel, while heartbreaking, has actually brought my husband and I closer together, and ignited a spiritual renewal in both of us. While it stinks that my brother has cancer, it is a type that is 90% curable. I can even say that should he not be in that 90%, he is a Christian, and I know where he will go, should he lose this fight. We will lose our home, but have two sets of parents that are more than willing to allow us to live with them as long as we need. Things could be so much worse. We are healthy and happy, even though we may be struggling financially. We have a roof over our heads and food to eat. We are together. We have Christ, and no one can take Him away from us.

Christmas Party

Last night was the Christmas party for Mr. Man's employer. It was in Chicago, across the street from Wrigley Field. It was interesting, driving up there. We lived in that neighborhood 10 years ago, and I always like to see if my favorite places have changed. I would really like to spend a day walking around there some time. The last time I was there was a year ago, and it was February - we didn't do much walking around.

Anyhow, the party was nice. It's a small office, so it wasn't really crowded. I still think I only met a handful of the people that were there. My brother stayed with us last night, so that he could watch the kids for us. That way they were able to go to sleep in their own beds, and he's also comfortable with our dog. Plus, he did it for free.

Today, being New Years Eve, I am planning to do an appetizer dinner like we did when I was growing up. We always had a plethora of deep fried stuff, like chicken nuggets and mushrooms. We also had spinach dip and little things my mom would make. We'd load up the table and snack all night long. I don't know if any of us will actually make it to midnight this year, but I'll do what I can with the snacks.