Gearing Up for the New Year......

Christmas 2011 - typical gift opening chaos!

2012 is just right around the corner - the older I get the faster the years seem to fly by.  I am not sure if it is that I am busier or if it is just that I appreciate what life has to offer more so than I did in my younger years.  Upon reflection 2011 was a pretty good year - full of both ups and downs and I think the trick to having a successful and fulfilling life is how you handle the down times.  One of my personal "downs" for 2011 was when my Grandma had a heart attack.  It really made me realize how fragile life is and to appreciate each and every day as a gift from God.  Grandma is still with us and as feisty as she can be at 85 with a heart condition.  She is still the family matriarch but I see how the individual family roles are starting to be re-defined and re-distributed.

2004 - from left to right:
My Sister, My Mom, My Grandma, Me holding my youngest
and my oldest daughter in front.

Growing up I remember always going to my Grandma & Grandpa's house on Christmas Eve and they would come to our house Christmas morning.  Then it morphed into going to my parents house on Christmas Eve with my parents coming over to my house on Christmas morning.  Now we have settled into the routine of staying at home during the Christmas season and our house has turned into the gathering point.  The roles within the family may have changed, but the one thing that is and always will be is the family being able to get together no matter whose house we may land in.

Christmas 2011, from left to right:
My Grandma, My Mom, My Dog Bella & My Dad

I love that my house has turned into the "family" gathering point and look forward to many more years of family gatherings......