Regrets or Dreams?

It’s taken me 4, almost 5 days to get this post written and published.  I started with just a few lines to remind me what it was I wanted to write about but as is my custom, I kept getting sidetracked.  I think I should be crowned the “Queen of multi-tasking!”  Better yet…another person on the planet floundering around with undiagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder!  The problem I have is that I have so many things going on at one time that I forget what’s “waiting” to be finished or worked on, unless I make a written list that I can take with me everywhere I go.  I surely put my browser to the test with open tabs and my Vista OS with open files on the computer.

Anyway, since I left off last with a summary of our last year (2010), I was considering looking back and writing about something that I didn’t do, that I wished I had or what I did that maybe I shouldn’t have  or something of that nature.  Maybe a kind of a push to “do better” this year.  As I was contemplating this past year, it dawned on me that I was looking in the wrong direction.

Did I want to sit and focus my mind and my energy on the regrets of the past year?  Well, yes, I could probably sit here and put together an impressive list of mistakes & failures that would put Santa’s list of naughty and nice boys and girls to shame.  But, why would I want to do that? Don’t I beat myself up enough on a day to day basis?  Do I really need to look back over the entire year and do it once again??  In bulk, no less!

I decided instead to not look back but to look ahead.  What I found was an incredibly, uncontrollable anxious anticipation & hope in abundance.  What’s done (or not done) is what’s done.  I am pressing forward into 2011 with a new level of excitement.  I am trusting that things will work out as they should and when they should.  Yes, I learn from my mistakes & failures.  We all know that the last several years, maybe the last decade, has been the reality of “rock bottom” for many people.  Many became homeless due to corporate cutbacks, others lost their jobs and are on the verge.  I hate to think of all the broken marriages and families, those fighting addictions, and the list goes on & on.  I am thankful that I am not part of these people groups and hope that I can escape it.  I have had my share of pain and heartache and feel that maybe someday I will venture to bare all.  Even still, I pray for those that are currently living in it.  Life can bring blows of many kinds and in all shapes and forms.  From experience I know time will heal the wounds and mend the hearts but even more importantly, I want to encourage a faith in the uncertainty of the future.

I did not make any “official” New Year’s resolutions but my motto for the new year will be…”timing is everything.”  Be still and wait.  No matter how long it takes…timing is everything.  Everything will work it’s way out in time.  It may take days, weeks, months or even years but it will happen if you give it time.

Until next time…

2010 In Review

Now that we are getting started with the new year (2011) I thought I’d fill you all in on some of the key highlights of the last year.  Now, don’t start yawning yet…it shouldn’t be all that bad.

2010 started with a bang!

• On December 30^th of 2009, Jon and I left for Florida where we visited Dad & Tiny (Jon’s dad and step-mom) for a few days and then boarded Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas for our 25^th wedding anniversary cruise.  We visited the Bahamas, St. Thomas, & St. Maartin & returned home on January 11^th 2010.
• February was rather quiet other than all the snow we got.  Actually we had snow on the ground from December through March!
• In March we sold two of our alpacas, Callaway will be shared by two alpaca breeders that live on two different farms in California and Tanner went to a farm in Maine.  Both boys are enjoying their new homes and new jobs of herdsires!  We also attended an Alpaca show here in Kansas City.
• April 14^th was shearing day for all 22 alpacas.  The next day, Jon traded in my 2003 Ford F-150 pickup truck for a 2010 model of the same truck.  We started putting in our vegetable garden and sold two more alpacas!  Maximo & Othello have moved to a farm in Oklahoma.
• In May, I helped find a good home for 17 alpacas at a farm here in MO that came all the way from a farm in Michigan!  We took in a big concert with Hank Williams Jr., Jamey Johnson, & Eric Church.  We hired a trainer to come out and work with Mickey, our little 2-year-old paint horse.  We painted most of the inside the house and took a trip up to Omaha for the weekend-a little getaway.
• In June we raised money for cancer research and walked in the Relay for Life.  The couple that were boarding their alpaca herd here decided to keep their farm in MN so we delivered their seven alpacas to their farm in MN. Summer is fun for taking in an evening at the dirt track races with our friends Jeff & LaVona & we did that a couple of times.  Later this month, we had our first cria (baby alpaca) born.  Cooper was a solid black and beautiful boy!  We also moved Justin & his girlfriend Harvest into their own apartment.
• In July, our second cria of the year was born.  We call him Cowboy.  We had several families come this summer to see the alpacas and visit the farm.  I took a beginners spinning class @ The Yarn Barn and am now practicing spinning my own yarn to sell.  We went in with our friends Bill & Rhonda and ordered Maine lobster for our 2^nd Maine “lobster feast.”  We did this last year and enjoyed it so much we decided to make it a once or twice a year occasion!  We went to another concert and saw Justin Moore and sold yet another alpaca.  This time it was Sterling.  He is enjoying his new home in central Missouri.
• August we celebrated Jon’s 49^th birthday and got a chance to see the PBR (Professional Bull Riding).  That was quite a production!  Jon took several days to meet up with an old friend and went on a fishing trip in Colorado.  A couple of weeks later, I went to California to visit my brother and his wife (J.C. & Joanne)  We celebrated her birthday by going to Las Vegas for the weekend.  It was SO good to see my brother again and spend some time with them.  In case you’re wondering, no, Jon and I have NOT started taking separate vacations!
• September, like other summer months was busy with fun stuff like the Kansas City Irish Festival.  We also sold two of the three horses, Lil & the two-year-old, Mickey.
• In October, we took a trip to Annapolis, Maryland and spent 3 days at a huge boat show where we also met up with my niece Jaycie and her family.  It was great to see them & all the big boats!  October also brought more alpaca sales…this time it was Summer, Taylor & Taylor’s cria, little Cooper.  The three of them went to the same farm in Bonner Springs, Kansas.
• November was a month to remember with a great trip to Florida for Thanksgiving.  We surprised Dad & Tiny.  It was great!  We also were able to get re-acquainted with other family members that were there, which was a real treat.
• December brought Christmas parties, another Maine Lobster Feast with the Butlers, and we had a special Christmas celebration with Justin & Harvest with dinner & carriage ride on the plaza with all the lights and decorations.  It was wonderful.  New Year’s Eve, Jon and I went to the Hyatt Regency’s big New Year’s Eve party.  We had never done anything like that before so that was a big treat!

And an added note:

This is Justin and his girlfriend Harvest.  Harvest is a very sweet girl that we have grown to adore.  She has brought a lot of light and laughter to Justin’s life and for that, we are very grateful.  They have been together for almost two years now and share their home in Kansas City with their dog Kane.  Justin is working as an independent contractor for AT&T as a sales rep for cellular, cable, internet, U-Verse etc. & Harvest works as a Licensed Massage Therapist & speaking from personal experience…does an excellent job!

Tomorrow will be a crazy day at work so I’m not 100% sure I’ll have the energy to apply my mush brain to my blog but if I do, I’ll be back tomorrow.  If not…well…

Until next time…