Happy New Year!

As usual, I am a couple days behind the times, but ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2018.

I can't believe how far into this millennium we already are. I remember calculating that I would be 27 in the year 2000. It seemed so old when my elementary school friends and I were first working the math. Now it seems so young...

I have been thinking about posting New Year's Resolutions and a year in review of books, but it is already late tonight. I just wanted to add an update and to work on one resolution, which is to post more frequently.  I found myself searching my own blog a few times over the past year in order to look up when things happened or information about a book I read. My memory is failing! Or, as I prefer to think, so much information is being inputted into my brain that a lot of things have to be outputted. At any rate, I am thankful to have this repository of memories upon which to rely for a somewhat reliable accounting of our lives.

So one of my resolutions is to do a better job of posting at least weekly. These posts may be shorter and less thoughtful, but if I don't worry about writing something thoughtful, maybe I'll at least write something.

Another resolution is to put down the phone more. This should also help with reading and writing more. And listening more to the kids. And remembering more.  I have cut back on media time this year, partly out of necessity, but I still could shrink that time and not miss it. I realized when I was doing Christmas cards that I get a lot of Facebook updates from people I am not really close to- people I didn't send a Christmas card. Some of them are wonderful people with interesting or uplifting things to say, but there is only so much time in the world. And on the other hand, I have some dear friends who aren't on Facebook whom I wish I heard more from - and would, if I took a few minutes to write a letter or even an email - or call on the phone.  So I want to hand write some letters more often - and trim some acquaintances from my Facebook list.

I also need to write some thank you notes. We just returned from our holiday trek through the southwest to Oklahoma City and Dallas, and we have many people to thank for a wonderful visit and generous gifts. The travel required 40+ hours of driving, but it was good for reading, and worth the time to visit with family we haven't seen in a long time. Pictures to come.

We've spent the last few days since we've been home cleaning house and organizing. We had a small party for New Year's Eve the day after we got home - just three families. I was tempted to invite other friends I enjoy spending time with, but we decided to keep the group small so we could visit better with these friends who are longtime friends from previous duty stations who all know each other. And the conversation didn't falter, even though they stayed for 7 hours.

Tomorrow the middle kids go back to school. I will miss having them around. This break seemed short, since they were out before Christmas longer than after Christmas, and we were gone a week. The two college boys are home another week, but one is spending this week with his girlfriend, so his home stay will be even shorter.  This year my husband and I really hesitated to travel. We worry that the kids won't want to come back to our house as they get older because they won't have memories of our own family Christmas - just Christmas with lots of cousins. But they really do enjoy being a part of the big mass of family. All people who know them and love them and really care about what happens to them. With the instability of our rootedness to place, the long drive is worthwhile if it gives the kids a sense of rootedness to their people. I just finished reading a book about how to love the place where you live, and while it didn't really teach me anything new (Why didn't I think about writing a similar book? - aside from the fact I don't do research.) it did make me think more about where we might want to go when my husband retires from the military and confirmed some things that I already believed. That confirmation helps me prioritize activities and make decisions when there are so many activities competing for our time and I am so bad at decision-making.

I want to write more about that book and place, but now it's time to retire for the evening. I pray that 2018 is a year of blessings and adventures for all.