Just Beachy

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

God is good. Always.

Anybody else have a challenging 2009?

Come on. Show of hands.

Anyone?

Well, it was hard for us.

In so many, many, many, many ways. I mean, don't get me wrong, lots of really wonderful, beautiful, fantastic, miraculous things happened, too. We celebrated 10 years of homeschooling by... well, nothing really except saying "Hooray!" After Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in February, we had the JOY of her being completely cancer-free in 2009! We celebrated Valentines with some beautiful people! We got outta Dodge for a romantic weekend in Pasadena. Evangeline became an Evangelist. Michael and I vacationed in Cancún for his 40th, which was amazing even though I'm still smarting over el stupido waiter's comment. Our beautiful niece, Penelope Rose ,was born! I got a fabulous weekend away all by myself at the beach for Mother's Day! Woot woot! Jackie got a huge surprise during field trip week in San Diego - He got to meet the Veep. Now that I'm looking back over my blog, there were a few pretty funny moments. We got to go to the Ethiopian Mehaber in Minnesota, which was such an incredible, and moving, and fun experience and a major highlight of the year, and we field tripped a ton and had a reunion with brother Jon and his family. Jackie, our future Marine, got into an awesome school. Poppy's open-heart surgery was a success, praise the Lord! Our older two kids went on a few mission trips including traveling to Canada with their church group. They also, like last summer, spent two amazing weeks at JH Ranch in Northern California! We finally finished our house remodel. And, that's about when my computer died, so the blog got very, very ghostly quiet. Anyway, trust me when I say that we also had a great vacation to Santa Barbara. AND, we got to take a trip on a private plane (Air Thorne, or as we like to call it "PamAm") with with wonderful friends, the Thornes and the Plotkins to visit the Alexanders in Dallas and see U2 in concert. Yeah, I must admit, that rocked. And, we moved to a lovely new home down by the beach with a view to kill for.

But, mostly 2009 was hard. It blew, really. Well, looking back at that last paragraph, it doesn't really sound like it did. But, it did.

Hmmm. Thinking about it, 1999 was an absolutely torturous year for us and frankly I'm disturbed by the pattern. 1999. 2009. So, in 2019 I'm putting myself into an elective coma. Just in case.

Which would be a very convenient time to have plastic surgery. New girls. Liposuction. Maybe permanent eye-liner. Not so much so you'd notice. Just a little "freshening up".

The only thing that worries me is... Well, did you know that the way they do permanent eye-liner is by tattooing it on? That gives a whole new meaning to "stick a needle in your eye"! I'd be so worried that they'd stab my eye on accident. What happens when you get a needle in your eye anyway? Does it pop like a balloon? Like a water balloon? Does it get a slow leak, pssssssss... until it's all creepy and deflated like a very icky raisin? OK, no can do. I'm out.

Alright, alright, no liposuction either.

What?! Don't look at me like that. OK already! No new girls. Gosh, you're no fun!

Anyway, elective coma for 2019. I'm not joking. Wait and see. I'm going to have one of those glass boxes made like they had for Snow White and be laid out on the dining table. My kids can visit me then. And put a little Windex shine on it while they say their hellos. It's gonna work. You'll see.

So long, 2009! Sayonara! Auf Wiedersehen! Ciao! Hejdå! Adios! Au Revoir! Shalom! Farewell! See ya! Tata! Cheerio! Aloha! Do svidan’ya! Hasta La Vista, baby! Don't let the door hit you in the bootie on the way out!

(I still have the deflated eye scenario in my head creeping me out, but I'm gonna get serious here anyway...)

God is good. Always. Always, always, always, always, always. He is. He is good.

I thank God for 2009 because in between all that rocked and all that sucked, GOD was there. He is God and He will have His way. Whether I like it or not. Whether I submit and am changed and shaped or whether I fight Him and get bumped and bruised first. I thank God for 2009 because when I rejoice, He is there. When I suffer, He is there. When I am angry, He is there. When everything is good and beautiful, He is there. When everything turns to ashes, He is there. I thank God for 2009 because He showed me over and over that nothing that I could ever do, or be, or not do, or not be can make Him love me any less or any more. He just loves me. I thank God for 2009 because He is my God and He shall be praised!

May the Lord richly bless you this year. May His heart be impressed upon yours. May His yoke be easy. I pray these things upon myself as well and I say, "I am the Lord's servant. He may do with me as He wishes!"

Praise the Lord, it's 2010!