2006

2006 was a year of high adventure for our family. Here's a little recap:

1. Doctors. We visited many. We paid many. We got the church to pay some, because Roger's accident happened during a church activity. Roger, as I mentioned here, got a softball in the eye and proceeded to have oculoplastic surgery. Miserable as the whole thing was, I think he's kind of proud of it. He likes to show off the pictures of his face when it was at its worst, especially to his fellow eye-care professionals.

I myself got to ride the medical merry-go-round when more than one doctor diagnosed what turned out to be mononucleosis as "anxiety disorder" and sent me home with zoloft prescriptions.

Then, since we had met our deductible--why not?--I went ahead with sinus surgery at the end of the year. Much fun was had by all.

2. Segullah. I discovered this journal in 2005 but didn't write for them until 2006. They printed my poems "Alex, 9" and "Ben, 6." What's even better is the great friendships I made through agreeing to get involved (I'm on the poetry editorial board now). We had a retreat here at the house when we couldn't get to the cabin because of snow (thanks to superhero Roger). We were in the hot tub after midnight! (What a wild and crazy group of chics.)

3. Kathy S., my dear friend, who, although she arrived in my life in conjunction with Segullah, deserves her own entry in my list. You can read some of her wisdom here.

4. My calling. Early in the new year I was called to my first primary calling ever (not counting nursery): leading the singing. It was a challenge for me, but from the beginning I felt a strong (the strongest I've ever felt) feeling that the calling was inspired and that I belonged there. I got the kids prepared for their big performance in the fall and fell in love with them in the process.

Fifteen minutes before church started on the last day of the year I was released unexpectedly. I am still in deep mourning about that.

5. Hair. I chopped mine pretty short, and then even shorter after it caught on fire.

6. Writing. I did a lot of it. I attended the BYU Writing for Children conference in June. I took a challenge from Dr. Micahel Collings and produced a poem a day for thirty days. I was published in Segullah, Popcorn Popping, and Dialogue. I sold five stories to The Friend.

7. Vacations. Besides the Segullah retreat, a bookgroup retreat to the cabin, and a "career mothers" retreat to another cabin, I went with Roger to Cedar City for the Shakespearean Festival, we took the kids camping near Cedar City and took them to a play, I took the boys to Las Vegas to see Grandpa and Grandman, and we all went camping to Bear Lake.

8. Milestones. Ben was baptized, Jon started kindergarten, and Alex began to babysit! I would say that Peter was potty-trained, but that line is still fuzzy.

9. Discoveries. I read a lot of good books (deserves another post), resumed knitting with a passion, read the Lord of the Rings series to the kids, discovered meditation and yoga, and discovered the India House restaurant.

10. Though it has been a hard year physically, I have never felt better emotionally. I am so much happier as a mom now that the kids are a little older. I'm having so much more fun with them. I have lots of plans for the future and have begun on some of them. I hope to continue yoga and meditation this year. I hope to take the Praxis II test this year or early next year. I hope to be less anxious about the future and more present in the present. I plan to pay more attention to nourishing my body; more attention on how I feel than on how I look. I have a fantastic life!