Happy New Year! 2

Here we are at another new year. 2007 is in the record books, as they say, and I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. After Terry's numerous health problems that took up over half the year, the rest of it was pretty good, especially Chip and Shira's marriage, but now I'm ready to move forward into 2008.

This year promises to be a year of changes for our family. Dad is not going back to Florida for the remainder of the winter as he usually does, due to an unexpected health problem and looming heart surgery. I'm sorry he won't have the opportunity to go back and enjoy what has turned out to be a really mild winter there and the opportunity to swim every day, but I'm sure he has his reservations already for next year, so he can look forward to that. Doug also is facing surgery-his to replace his ACL in the knee. Once he gets it repaired and rehabbed, I know he will go back to pursuing his ambition to be a firefighter.

It seems that Terry's health problems are behind him for the time being, so we can focus on preparing for our big move from our home for the last 29 years. This is a huge deal for us, and one I hadn't anticipated for a few more years. Terry loves his farm and his tractors and all that. However, after last year, he decided he was ready for a simpler lifestyle. Our small farm entails a lot of work, and the house could use some serious updating. We have decided to leave that to Doug and Kellie, who seem eager to get started on a life in the country, and we are going to move to a patio home in the spring. It's a little closer to town, but still in a rural area. We are excited at the prospect of choosing all the interior appointments for our new home, and we are also looking to get some new furniture. However, before we move, we face the daunting task of going through 38 years of accumulated stuff and deciding what to keep and what to toss or give away. This is not going to be easy, but I feel it will be easier now than if we stayed here another 10 or 20 years and then had to do it. We are excited to be moving this spring and beginning a new phase of our lives in a brand new house.

I know that 2008 will hold other changes and events, too, but those haven't yet been revealed to us. We will just have to enjoy life and hope the coming surprises of the year are good ones. Meanwhile, today,life is good...