Day 421: "It was the best of times...."

The New Year has officially begun---Welcome 1/1/11! There are many unknowns in store for me this year, that's for sure. For one, I have no idea where I will be when the 2011-2012 school year begins. TOSA? Admin? Classroom? District Office? Site? Middle School? Elementary? Much remains to be determined....I am quite curious to see it play out.

And then there's my book. I will actually hold in my hand a published copy of my book. I cannot imagine how cool that is going to be. Definitely will be on my top ten of all time.

Another coming attraction for 2011 is that Taylor will leave for his mission. I am excited for him, naturally, but I am going to go through some major withdrawls when he leaves. I will miss him a lot more than anyone realizes.
Taylor leaves on 1-11-11..... How cool is that?

Enough of the previews for 2011, let's move on to the moments that topped my best and worst lists in 2010-----They are not in any particular order.

Top 10:
1) April 13th, I received the news that my book would be published! Yipppeeeee!
2) April --- I attended Raechel's graduation from BYU! That was amazing in and of itself... but what really blew me away was when she honored me with the gratitude sash. That was a moment I will treasure forever.
3) June 4th, I began a new chapter in my career. I left the classroom and became a Special Education TOSA. (This event makes both my lists....truly it has proven to be the both the best and worst of times!)
4) July 19th, I finally got to go on my dream vacation to Hawaii! Maui! Wow! That was the most incredible vacation of my life.

5) July --- I snorkeled for the first time.... and I SNUBA'd for the first time. Yes, I realize this is sort of cheating because I already counted the Hawaii trip.... but these two events were such personal triumphs for me, that they deserve their own spot on my year's best moments.
6) September 22, Andrew came home from his mission. Embracing him at the airport was a moment of the most exquisite joy I could ever have imagined. It gave me a glimpse of the joy to be experienced in Heaven.

7) September, Taylor received his call to the Tucson, AZ-Spanish mission.

8) November, All my family was together for Thanksgiving. I loved having the chickens back in the nest, even if just for a brief moment.

9) December 19, I led our Ward Choir in a Christmas Cantata. This, by itself, might not have made the list of my favorite moments....but my family was in the choir. Ron included. The choir performed so beautifully that it brought tears to my eyes.
10) Christmas. Ronnie, Kelly, & their kids....Ryan, Jen, Jane....Raechel, Andrew, Taylor, Ellen....all together ... and then Christmas day with my parents and Wes & his family. My mom and dad looked young again on Christmas day....and that was a beautiful gift.

Honorable mentions----buying my new car, having friends take me out to lunch on my birthday, traveling to St. George with Ron, Disneyland with Joyce, Charlene, and Judi, Women's Conference with Raechel... (That is always one of my favorite times of the year,) finishing my blog-a-day for a year, and being released as RS President (that one also makes both lists.)

Now for the "Not-so-wonderful" moments:

1) I was released as RS President. Yes, it was a blessing....but it came with a price. The spiritual let down was drastic....and I still have not fully recovered from it. I experienced a spiritual void like nothing I had ever known before.
2) Jane's surgery. Again... it was a blessing. She came through it with flying colors. But seeing her with a surgical scar across the entire width and length of her tiny little chest was heart breaking.
3) Taylor broke his leg and ended up having to postpone leaving on his mission for 6 weeks. Yep, you got it... this was a hidden blessing too....because I got to have all my family together for Christmas, and Christmas definitely made my top 10 wonderful moments.
4) I left the classroom. Blessing, yes. Curse, absolutely. I miss the classroom...I miss being at a site...I miss kids. I miss my gig at GMS. True, I am learning much and growing as a professional. This is a good thing. But growth is often painful.
5) Getting the letter that ripped me to pieces just before Thanksgiving break. No need to remind me that this turned out to be a great opportunity for personal revelation, not to mention a faith-building experience, but again, the growth was painful.

Well, I suppose I should stop there. It is abundantly clear that most of my "not-so-favorite" moments turned out to be powerful learning experiences that were very positive, so I really cannot complain. Clearly, God's hand has been in my path throughout the entire year. That's cool.

Okay... I've got a sleeping baby that will wake up in about 4 hours.....and if I don't get some sleep, I will be insanely grouchy tomorrow.... Time to shut it down for the night.... and for the year (2010, that is.) Tomorrow I will tell you my pics for best and worst movies of 2010. Now c'mon, isn't that worth a trip back?

Happy 1/1/11 Everyone!