Happy New Year 2015 - (Quick recap of 2014)

I am the forever optimist, and gratitude is a trait instilled in me from childhood that wasn't easy to grasp in my younger years, but life had  a way to show me with examples.  I am grateful for the past year!  It was full of good moments and the bad ones not big enough to recall easily.  I am truly grateful for the past months and looking forward to this new year.

Things happen for a reason, and moving back to San Antonio has had us close to loved ones during important moments.  We were able to attend my nephew's football games when living a few towns over made it difficult to share in watching him grow up.  By the way, the kid recently turned 13 and is 6 foot-plus!

Nephew is tallest kid in his team.

My concern about moving in with my mother was understandable, but thankfully things have worked out better than I could have ever imagined.  The arrangement is still "temporary", but I am happy that it has been beneficial to all in more ways than one.  I am glad we were around to support mom during a brief health scare, but thankfully all is well.

Concert t-shirt worn at 2014's Rock n Roll marathon

In 2014 we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary.  Fate managed to arrange that one of our favorite local singers, Robert Earl Keen--who we saw perform on our third date, play on our wedding anniversary. My honey planned a wonderful weekend around it.

The honey ran his 4th full marathon, shaving about 12 minutes from his time the prior year, and he got a kick out of attracting the attention of Mrs. Keen (who also ran the San Antonio Rock n Roll marathon) with the REK t-shirt he wore to the race.

Every now and then my honey manages to scare me with some minor injury that triggers a flood of emotions.

When you've experienced loss at an early age you tend to overreact a bit, but I try to make light of it on the outside and not let it out of control, This year we did a little four-wheeling over Thanksgiving and my love had a mishap that almost catapulted him over the handle bars.  Not a big deal, expect I watched it up close and in slow motion. It was nothing a few cold beers and ice couldn't cure, though the after math did leave huge bruising on his thigh and torso.  I am grateful we ended the year in one piece!

Ambidextrous.  Balancing ice on one hand while drinking beer with the other.

So the past year was a good one and I am hopeful 2015 will be even better.  May your new year be full of wonderful surprises and hopefully no injuries.