Janus

New Year is that time when we look back in retrospection and evaluation of where we have been and forward in hope and anticipation of where we may be going. This two-fold vision is reflected in the name of the new month, January, for Janus was a two-faced god, the god of portals and thresholds, of coming in and going out, of past and future held simultaneously in a single, encompassing perspective.

This past year, I watched my babies roll over, crawl and take their first steps, listened as they spoke their first words and celebrated on the first anniversary of their birth. I look forward to each new discovery and milestone as I take such pleasure in raising Lauren and Alivia.



I continue to be blessed to be able to take graduate classes and look forward to graduation in May! I will have my Master's in Social Work, though what I will do with that degree remains to be seen! Thank you, Keith and Francie, for believing in me and pushing me to go back to school...I am so glad I did.



In May, Chris and I were able to take the family on vacation to California, a first visit for me. This trip was very special and gave us the opportunity to spend some real quality time with Chris' sisters and Dan.



We are excited at the idea of more trips in the coming year, this time out of the country! We've been blessed by Tom and Sharrie to be able to go on a family vacation to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas in January.



Chris and I began visiting with Elizabeth at the beginning of this year and were so joyful when she finally moved in this last month. We are so excited to watch her become a teenager in 2011 and settle into a home where we plan she'll stay until she becomes an adult.



In April, I left my position at San Mar Children's Home. I had been there since August of 2004; my first real job after college. This was not an easy decision and one I did not take lightly. I really loved my job as well as many of the people I worked with, but it was definitely time to move on. There were quite a few "good-byes" that were hard and people left behind that I miss terribly. Though there are days when I think of San Mar (and often they are fond thoughts), I know the right decision was made for me. I am now working with the Aged and Disabled in West Virginia and really love the change of pace. I look forward to the next year and all that will come once I've received my Master's Degree. Onward and Upwards!



I cannot describe my joy at discovering that my two very best friends are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their first children in 2011. I am so anxious to meet these babies; they are already so loved and wanted. I am particularly anxious since both mommies-to-be have kept the sex of the babies a secret!





2010 has been a great year and 2011 is one that I look forward to. God is good; I am such a blessed person indeed. I have family and friends that are too good to me and children that I absolutely adore. I have the most wonderful husband with whom I am still madly in love with and am terribly excited to grow old next to.