2022 in Review

2022.  It was definitely a year.  It was a rollercoaster.

I couldn't wait to see what was around the next bin.

I couldn't wait to get off the ride.

I felt like I was on top of the world.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

And, occasionally, the whole thing reversed course and I didn't know where I was going.

And, with that in mind, here's 2-0-2-2 in review!

January

My second son turned 16 at the beginning of the month!  It's hard to believe that he's almost an adult, but here we are.  I can still remember rocking him to sleep and now, he's big enough to rock me to sleep.  But then, a few days later, my beloved grandfather passed away.  We knew it was coming.  He had been battling cancer for several years and was on hospice care at the time, but it still hurt in so many ways.  Due to COVID, my planned trip to see them in late 2020 didn't happen (they didn't even know I was planning one) and so I hadn't seen him in several years.  It was a very difficult way to start the year.  You can read the post I wrote about him here.

February

My oldest turned 21 and, man, oh, man did I have big feelings about that.  I remember bringing him home from the hospital and looking at this tiny bundle and wondering how they just let me leave the hospital with a whole person.  That's the thing about parenting, you won't ever really feel like you're prepared for it and by the time you figure it out, they're already on to the next stage.  But then, the lessons you learned don't work for the next kid, so you just keep going in a circle.  This month, my husband started selling his 3D prints, which has been a fun little hobby for him.  He's made things from these light boxes to an entire Ghostbuster's firehouse.  

March

Gas and grocery prices went through the roof this month, owing to the escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War and COVID.  Even with that, I thought we were going to have a quiet month in this household.  And, oh, how wrong I was.  My mother experienced what we thought was a minor medical emergency, but she actually nearly died.  You can read all about that here.  It was a very stressful and scary time. In that post, I talk about being a part of "The Oreo Generation", so if you need a laugh, check out this video by Jeff Foxworthy. 

April

Because of my mom's restrictions and my sister's school schedule, I became the designated pick up person for my nephews and sweet 8 pound 7 ounce Baby Jesus, if we could not do that again, it would be great.  But then, I traveled to Mobile, AL for a conference for the non-profit I volunteer with and had a great time.  If you ever find yourself needing to stay near downtown, I can't recommend the Renaissance Riverview highly enough. 

May

May was a weird one.  April 30 marked 10 years since my sister Danielle was killed by a drunk driver.  I got the news in the very early morning hours of May 1, and my brain associates that day with it the most.  I went radio silent from everyone who didn't live in this house.  10 years is one of those milestones that hits different, I guess.  You can read more about Danielle here.  For the second time, I took over as President for the non-profit I volunteer with. And two of my friends graduated from college!  One hadn't been in school in almost 25 years! 

June

In June, my husband flew to Alaska to help out at another location for a few weeks.  This is important later.  It was a super busy month because it was dance recital month!  We had dress rehearsal, stage rehearsal, and the show.  I gave up on growing out my hair and chopped it all off again.  C'est la vie!  Our friend group hosted a suprise 50th anniversary party for the parents of one of our friends. And we finally watched Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 so that it was fresh for...

July

Season 4 Volume 2 of Stranger Things released and we were all captivated again.  My baby girl celebrated her 11th birthday.  And the sister of my mom's best friend passed away suddenly.  I adored her.  She was the person to give my oldest his first haircut.  It was very jarring because we hadn't expected.  She'd lost her husband to complications from COVID just months prior, so their kids had to pick up the pieces from both deaths.  

August

I celebrated my birthday!  Our kids went back to dance after the summer break.  #2 started his 10th year, #3 and #4 started their 9th years.  #2 added a new class this year which has challenged him.  He's the only one in the class who isn't on competition team, but he keeps up.  And he's been doing lifts, which has been a new experience for him too.  #4 moved up to Senior Ballet, which is new and a bit harder but she loves it and I think she's getting the hang of it.  At the end of the month, my nephew T experienced a scary medical situation.  It essentially resolved but there were some words that were thrown around that would give WedMD a run for its money.  And my dad finally retired after working since he was 15.

September

I started blogging again!  And real posts, not just posterity posts of things I posted on social media.  I made a trajectory change in my life (more on that in a later post).  Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away and it was like the world just stopped.  My sister and her long-time boyfriend got engaged.  My baby girl learned some tough lessons about friendship.  You can read that post here.

October

My husband and I made it to 25 years of marriage.  That's a mileston a lot of people don't get and we were grateful to have done so.  My sister and her fiance decided to elope and had a sweet little wedding at a scenic park near here.  It was just their kids (5 combined), me and out parents in attendance.  We celebrated Halloween and Aidan's dinosaur costume was a hit with the preschool crowd at the Trunk or Treat we attended.

November

#3 turned 14 this month.  And after traveling to Alaska three different times to fill in, my husband was asked to take on a position there.  It was a promotion and he accepted.  So now instead of flying out to the Gulf of Mexico for work, he flies commercially to the Northern Slope of Alaska.  I made the wedding cake for a friend who found her soulmate (it was another really sweet wedding).  I made the most amazing homemade mac and cheese and cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving.  And, I buzzed all my hair off again and dyed it burgundy.

December

I kicked off the month with my own ER visit.  We just couldn't get enough this year, because a few days later, my brother had to go.  And we are not ER people, so the fact that 4 of us went this year is unsettling.  My non-profit hosted a party for low-income senior citizens and #2 helped me this year.  We postponed Christmas until my husband comes home from work, but we still did a little something that day.  I buzzed my hair again and dyed it blue black and I'm infatuated with it!  And we ended the year with our annual New Year's Rocking Eve Party in Your PJs Spectacular.  

So, whew, what a ride.  It was ups and downs.  Highs and lows, Twists and turns. Loving and living and feeling all the emotions.  That's what life is all about though, right?  It's what makes us human.

But now 2023 can come in and sit down and keep its hands to itself because, y'all, I need a breather.