Happy New Year!

Imagine that! Two posts in two days! Don't get used to it, though. This is anomaly... Well, Happy New Year to one and all! Terry and I are settled in to our customary New Year's Eve positions--him in his chair, and I in mine. We have never been big partiers, and that's fine. When I was a kid, my parents usually stayed in on New Year's Eve, and we had our own party. My mother made her homemade cheese dip and Chef Boy-ar-Dee pizza, and we had a big time staying up until midnight. We even got an extra pop. At midnight, we hollered out the door and rang bells and used noisemakers. When I was in high school, I went to parties with friends sometimes, but when I was home from college, it was back to the family nights. For the first few years of our marriage, Terry and I continued the tradition and went to Mom and Dad's house for the evening. My sister and her husband did, as well. After a while, though, Terry decided he didn't want to drive on New Year's Eve, especially once the kids came along, so we started staying home. My sister and her family continued going in to my parents' house and still do. We started our own party night at home. I made special snacks, and the kids could stay up until midnight and had extra pop. Sound familiar? We added renting movies to the routine. We didn't rent movies much, so this was a big deal. At midnight, we would go outside and holler, "Happy New Year!" to no one in particular. Terry and the kids took turns shooting the shotgun in the air (there was no one around to hit), and I rang bells. It was usually pretty festive. I do remember one year when he was working, and I tried to make the evening fun for the kids. We made party hats and played games. Alissa and Chip had a good time, but it seems Doug didn't enjoy himself so much--at least that's what it looks like in the pictures! Of course, he was only 3, and midnight was pretty late for him. As the kids grew older, they started bringing friends home for the movies and snacks. We were glad to have them home and off the streets on the biggest party night of the year. Now they are all out on their own, doing their own thing, and we are back to just the two of us. We no longer have the special snacks and the movies, as we try to eat healthy, and Terry says movies aren't his thing. New Year's Eve is just another evening for us, watching reruns of shows that weren't that good to begin with. We do watch the ball drop at midnight. We are real party animals! However, we can look forward to a good pork roast meal at Dad's tomorrow and to the fellowship of the family, most of whom will gather there. Oh, yeah--resolutions? I don't really believe in them, as most people don't keep them anyway. I just want to try to live in good health and let others live as they choose to. And I want to strive for contentment and compassion. That would be good. Best wishes to everyone!