the year that was

I have asked my husband for three nights now to sit and review. I am that sort of person. I need to take stock every so often. It has been a tumultuous year full of joy, tragedy, growth and maturing.

There - I've gone and deleted the bad news. Easier to get on with it now, I think.

On with the good news.

1. We had a beautiful baby girl! Her name came from my teenage desire to name a girl Ada (see The Piano, wonderful dark and beautiful New Zealand film), and finding out that Ada was short for Adelaide and came from Queen Adelaide (originally from Germany), her dad liking the name Abigail or something like it, and her name evolving into Little Laidey because she is a little, elegant Lady and the spark behind her beautiful blue eyes grows each day as by the end of 2010 she has learnt to sit, eat solids, giggle at her brother and sister and generally charm the pants off us (and she has had her first real compliment from Dad's band member, which sounded like a bad pick-up line, 'her eyes are like a galaxy'); 
2. we also had the first cousin for our kids arrive two weeks early just after a wonderful Christmas reunion with the child's dad from overseas and the new little family is enriching our lives already; 
3. we had a good year at work (at his work and at work-from-home meaning general educating, feeding, growing, entertaining and enjoying the children); 
4. we made small improvements to our house including the garden; 
5. I grew my hair long again (since the Pixie cut when Hugo was a baby) and let it grow my natural colour for the first time since I was 14 (and will continue until I go grey); 
6. Georgia had her first year at Kindy and is now a fully-fledged morning kindy girl who takes a packed lunch and has friends and has learnt to write her name; 
7. I learnt to really knit and made on average a garment a week between February and May; 
8. we turned 30. Gracefully. And feel pleased with our, well everything, so far.
9. since the shocking news about my aunty we have celebrated at least four big birthdays in style and I feel like my family have grown tighter, stronger and will be able to cope with what is to come;
10. (see I have outnumbered the bad)
11. friends got engaged and had more babies and weddings are coming up and the oldies are still in good health (despite scares) and siblings have moved closer and younger siblings have done really well in their studies and our families in general have had good fortune;
12. I could, if I wished, find a hundred more good things to write about 2010 and could always find something good to counter the bad news. That in itself is good news, right?

So welcome, 2011. Twenty Eleven. It sounds strange and new. I hope and I hope. For the good things, not the bad, but we will always be strengthened by what we don't like and happily surprised with the good. I love how life is like that. 

I hope that we and you and they have a good new year. It should be filled with the unexpected, good or bad, for if we knew what lay ahead, we would not be what we are.

Peace (I have just learnt the old English for this word was grith, how hilarious!), wisdom, patience, intelligence, and good health to us, you, them. 

Love, Learn, Live.