11:50 PM on New Years Eve 2010

One year.  As a kid I remember thinking that one year represented an enormous amount of time, but as an adult it seems to zip by.
I have been thinking this week a lot.  This year there have been so many changes in our household, small changes and big changes.  Some of them were expected but most of them were not.  Some were good and some were not.  Some of the changes have stuck around and some of them have dwindled.  Here are my top four changes that stand out in my mind, either cause they were great or they were really hard.  Either way I believe that lessons were learned and hopefully we have all grown together as a family from them.

1.  A New Business.  A Cosmetology school, who'd a thunk it?  If I could have guessed that at the age of 29 I would be doing this...well there is no time in my life that I would every have believed myself.  It is a lot of work, a LOT of work.  I am learning a lot, mainly how to juggle and balance and that sort of thing.  Mostly I am excited about what the future holds for us! Plus I'm a little scared, but mostly excited.

2. New friends.  There have been several families move into my neighborhood this year that have grown to be great friends.  THese people have changed the dynamic of our little street.  People are friendlier, people talk outside, people want to get to know each other.  It wasn't always like this here, or maybe I wasn't always like this?  Who knows, either way I blame these new friends and thank heaven that they were sent here!

3. Money.  This really isn't a change per say, we've always had a budget in our household.  This year was just hard though.  We have a lot of debt to work through and it sucks.  I hate admiting that, it's kind of our dirtly little secret,  but there it is.  We are hopeful that #1 will help us in 2011 to eliminate some of our money woes.

4. 10 years of marriage.  I love my Nick.  He is good to me and treats me as a queen.  I am the luckiest Emily in the world to have four wonderful men in my life!

It's 12:00 AM, so Happy New Year!  Here's to many more wonderful changes and maybe some familiar things too.

Fashion recycling

You might think I took this photo from the page of a 1992 clothing catalogue.
Guess again.  It's a current advertisement that I found here.

Reminds me of Demi Moore back in the movie Ghost.  Remember how everybody cut their hair like that? 

You know I could say that I don't like this style, but then I would be opening myself up for a lot of criticism because I am currently sporting a haircut that looks a bit like this fellow.

There are really no rules when it comes to fashion these days are there?

Things that I am not ready to deal with but have to anyway...

1. Family moving far away and only visiting once a year or less.
2. Saying goodbye to family when they go back to the distant lands in which they reside.
3. My kids growing up WAY too fast.  This is bittersweet because I love all the stuff that we can do together as they get older but still, too fast! 
4. Simon saying to me, "I'm not a baby anymore".  Yes you are Simon, you are MY baby and you always will be so THERE!
5. Gray Hairs and saggy skin
6. Going Grocery shopping

On the bright side, as I made this list I realized how blessed I am to have a loving family that I can wish would never grow up and miss when they are gone. 

(Gray Hair, saggy skin, and grocery shopping are still on my "naughty" list )