A year in review

Because we will have people here tomorrow and I don't know what time I might be able to blog (and since many of you will probably be in party mode anyway and too busy to come and read), I'm going to do this entry today.

Wow, another year gone far too quickly.  I don't know if it is just that I'm getting older, or that our lives are busier or that time actually moves faster as the years go by, but I seem to remember that when I was a kid, it felt like forever before each year would end.  But here we are - about to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012.

I thought I would do a "year in review" post - a reflection on what happened this past year.  Please click on the links of the blog entries I did before.  So here goes:

• Some significant natural disasters with the floods in Australia way back in January and not long after the massive earthquake in Christchurch where people actually died.  Heartbreaking!

• I found volunteering at the SPCA to be one of the most rewarding experiences ever.  Especially on this day (click here) with a follow up post (click here).

• I learned that while I enjoyed planning both Caitlyn and Bianca's birthday parties (Bianca's especially because of the Harry Potter theme), 11pm is not a good time to find out your birthday cake creation has flopped (click here)

• We actually had snow! (click here)

• We had an amazing visit to the Wellington Children's hospital in October delivering craft kits and providing some entertainment (well Paul did the entertainment, I'm not so good with that...)(click here)

• My mum received her residency!!!!  And the timing was just perfect.  In time for her birthday we received the letter saying she has been accepted.  In time for Christmas I received her passport back from Immigration with the residency sticker and I managed to take a photo and sent it to my mum and in time for New Years my mum has her passport back in her hand all ready to start her big adventure.  (click here).

• It was a year of some friendships lost, but also some friendships gained. (click here).

• Bianca did amazingly well in her cheerleading competition.  She definitely wants to continue this again.  (Click here).

• Funrazor.  Definitely one of the biggest highlights of my year.  With emphasis on the word "biggest".  I have never done such a big thing.  And it wasn't meant to be this big thing, but it became this big thing the longer I thought about it and the more I planned.  I was very blessed because I had so many who helped make it a success. It was also the day Paul surprised me with an amazing song. When I wrote the words I never dreamt it could actually become a song.  Thank you again Paul. You are so talented! (Click here). (Go check out Paul's YouTube channel - he has some pretty cool songs on there). 

• Bianca reached 2 years off treatment.  While she is still not officially considered cured, it is amazing that we have reached this milestone and every year off treatment that she reaches, the less likely a relapse will be.  Bianca is doing so well.  (Click here).

• I started trying to write poems again.  I have actually created a space where I keep all of my attempts.  (Click here).

• It's been a year of trying to get fit even though progress has been incredibly slow (click here) and I suffered a rather annoying injury (click here). 

• Bianca's had an amazing year at school with an amazing teacher.  We could not have asked for better.  Sad that it's come to an end so very soon, but we feel confident we made some great decisions (with some guidance).  (Click here for my thank you post).  I would have shared the letter Bianca wrote to Paul, but she doesn't want me to put it on here.  Let me just say I thought it was an amazing letter, especially for an 8 year old!  Remember Paul, I have already booked you to be Caitlyn's teacher in 2014... ;-).

• Caitlyn has had a great year at daycare too. She's learned to write her name and spell cat.  And this was the last year she was in daycare.  Now in 2012 she only has a few more weeks of daycare before she will start big school when she turns 5 on the 22nd of February.  She cannot wait.  My little girl is growing up way too fast :-(

And that was pretty much our year in a nutshell I guess.

What was your 2011 like?

As a new year comes knocking on your door
And your dreams excitedly soar
Ready to take off, running ahead
Looking for wishes that you said

I wish for you a year of fun
Dreams aglow just like the sun
With love and hope around each bend
No need a broken heart to mend

I wish that you will dance and sing
Fly like an eagle spreading his wing
May good things happen every day
May good friends join you on your way

This year is waiting for you
To make the best that you can do
I pray that you will see
How wonderful each day can be


Wishing you all a wonderful 2012.  May the new year bring all that is good and beautiful on your way and may this year be your best ever!

Argh!

Argh.  I had this whole blog post done and pressed published and everything and... nothing. It's gone.  Okay fair enough it was not the most interesting sort of update (seems even Blogspot thought it was too boring to post). 

Yesterday was a bad sort of day for me.  Not sure what was wrong except that "everything was wrong".  I should have just gone back to bed and got up later, but I had an early physio appointment and by the time I got back kids were up and I had to sort out their breakfast and start the day.  I feel rather sorry for Terence because I wasn't very good company.

I managed to do my run / walk today and while going further than I did before, was slower than the physio would like.  And even though it started raining I still did it.  Can't say it is fun out in the rain, but at least it wasn't raining too bad.

I can't believe that after all this time (we arrived in New Zealand in 2004) they are still showing Friends every single day on TV2.

You know when we moved here lots of people said "sure...go...the grass is not always greener on the other side" but I can honestly say that the grass really were greener on this side.  Considering it rains so often I don't think there is any other way for the grass to be green ;-). 

So what's been happening in your day?  Hopefully it was a bit more interesting than our day was.

To say what you feel
Or pretend a bit more?
Put a happy smile on
And walk through the door?

Not quite sure they'll understand
The way it is today
What really is the point
To share and to say?

Take a deep breath
Remain standing tall
Even if it's hard
And you'd rather just fall

Because tomorrow comes quick
And brings along
The sun and the breeze
And cheerful bird song

Time to stop being lazy...

Earlier today I decided it was time to stop being lazy, take advantage of the nice weather and I went out for a bike ride.  

Image seen on Facebook recently

I have forgotten how very unfit I am and nearly died in the process with every part in my body complaining, but I did manage around 23km (even if it took me a very long time to do), so I'm pretty happy about that. Don't know how I will eventually manage to go faster, but for now I guess the only important thing is that I'm actually doing it.

Must say that it feels rather weird that today is another public holiday.  It keeps feeling like a Sunday when in fact it is Tuesday already.  And this week and next week is going to be strange too with Terence working from home.  I'm not quite sure how much work he thinks he will be able to actually do with the kids home at the same time (and I can see that he will probably hide out in our room for most of the time).  Although in saying that next week Caitlyn will go back to daycare so then it will just be Bianca at home for most of the week. 

For most of it so far we've had another rather quiet day today.  Terence has taken the girls to the skate park and we're just doing a few chores around the house.  I think it is best that we take advantage of the quieter days because once school starts again it will become rather busy again I think.  

But I'm rambling (can't help it if we're boring people) and so I'll stop writing now.  What did you get up to today?

A day of nothingness

After yesterday today was simply a day of nothingness.  A quiet day where we all slept in (even the kids).  Am not surprised about that because the night before certain little girls only fell asleep past midnight and was up relatively early Christmas morning and last night again they didn't fall asleep as early as they should have.  And so we all slept in, had a late breakfast and just sort of hung out until our friends left around 11am.

The only remotely exciting thing we did today was when Caitlyn and I went to see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie this afternoon (and Terence took Bianca to the skate park to try out her new roller blades) and afterwards it was time for Bianca and Terence to go see the new Tintin movie. 

Hope your day was good too!