To New Beginnings...

Attention all. I have a very important announcement. I have finally overcome my writer's block. I plan to celebrate with a plethora of blog posts within the next 24 hours. So hang onto your pants, this is going to be fun!

What's is the fuel to my creative fire, you ask? 90's grunge music. Laugh if you must. I'm not kidding. What spurred all of this? A book I received as a Christmas present (Scar Tissue by Anthony Kieidis, who is one of the many musical geniuses of my generation. I've been raving about this book for weeks, I could go on and on about the insight I gained from reading this book, so much so that I read it twice in a little over a week. But that's another post for another time). The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters have been on constant rotation in both my I-Pod and my car. In fact, at the very second I write this, the song "Everlong" is blaring through my speakers, via my 90's grunge Pandora station. :)

Speaking of newfound motivation, I feel as if I have to discuss how much I love this time of year. I'm not huge on New Year's Resolutions (or any other situation in which there is all this societal pressure to set unrealistic goals that ultimately set people up for failure). However, I do love the sense of renewal that happens when one year ends and another begins.

2009 packed a punch. Y'all are fully aware of the health issues we were faced with in 2009. For this reason, 2009 tested our marriage. 2009 was full of life-changing events that were tough on our families, leaving many feeling hurt and angry (to put it mildly). Although I do believe that positive outcomes can come from just about any situation, some relationships suffered permanent damage in 2009, which may or may not be repairable. And that is hard. So I find myself looking to 2010 with great optimism for what the future holds for our little family. 2009 was the very beginning of great things, and I have unwavering faith in the fact that 2010 will be the continuation of these great things, for both us and our families and friends.

In honor of the new year, here are some pics of our New Year's Eve. We spent the evening at a rather low-key party with some close friends. This was the first year since we've been in California that we rang in the new year somewhere other than home (and actually stayed up until midnight, for that matter).

This is my best CA girlfriend, Danielle. Love her! ;)

Happy 2010!

Ahhhh, feels good to be back. :)