auld lang syne

sayonara, 2010. it's been a crazy year.
well… not crazy-crazy. but challenging.
about this time last year, our family business was in a bit of a jam. with the economy on its ear, i'd say alot of businesses were in a similar pickle. we were fortunate to find someone who was willing to partner with us and we have not only stayed afloat, but are thriving. not necessarily flourishing, but we have seen a bit of growth. not an easy thing to do considering banks have become so tight {understatement of the century} with their lending and those who have been able to purchase a franchise have found it next to impossible to open because of an inability to secure funding.
with this new partnership has come many challenges. all of which i will not go into here… {i'd love to be able to salvage the few regular readers i have left. my blogging skills have been in a steady decline over the past few months. the press of the holidays and my work responsibilities coupled with college children home have made it super challenging to take the time for my blogstalking habit. excuses, excuses!!} suffice it to say that we have been doing a dance for 25 years. we know our partners almost as well as we know ourselves, we chose the music and have the dance moves down pat. enter a new partner in early 2010. they changed the music to a beat we've struggled to get and regularly switch up the dance moves. there have been some toes stepped on, some have been left on the sidelines wondering why the dance doesn't include them, and some of us have even wanted to rip the needle off the turntable and stop the dance all together. for me, i've found the dance frustrating, overly directed and just the wrong music and moves. mostly because i was hanging on to my dance. my music. my choreography.
have you ever listened to two different songs at the same time?? this is the things of migraines, friends.
i'd be lying if i said i'm having fun at the dance. but i'm not hating it anymore. i think maybe we'd all have fun if we spiked the punch a bit… you know… change up the music to the chicken dance or something. something light-hearted that everyone knows… just for a minute or two. a little levity and laughter could certainly lighten the mood.
i've also found the work challenges sapping my zest for life outside the workplace, which is my home, btw. the hours and workload have been demanding and i find that my creative/hobby juices are so depleted that it just makes my brain hurt to be creative. i see so many awesome ideas and projects from so many talented people that inspire me… yet i'm so drained that the thought of even beginning a project overwhelms me and it makes my brain hurt.
before i spin into a whaaaa whaaaa whaaaa pity party… let me remind myself that this has been a year with many things to be thankful for and to celebrate.
we're not dealing with a catastrophic disease. {thank you, sweet Jesus!}
we still have our home.
we were able to purchase reliable used cars for the kids to get back and forth to college. likewise, we  replaced both of our almost antique status vehicles. we have mucho car paymento, but we're managing. it's a blessing, really.
i've been blessed by some of the funniest, sweetest, most caring e-friends i could ever ask for. i love sharing life with you… even if it is {for the most part} all electronic. i've even had the opportunity to meet some of my e-friends and now i can call them IRL friends!
i was able to travel back to the motherland {wisconsin} to see my sibs and extended family. celebrated a high school graduation and visited with my elderly {gah… that sounds so weird to say because she's always been the life of any gathering and impervious to age, but alas, auntie jan has alzheimers and i'm afraid at 83 she qualifies as elderly… but she's still a stitch!} aunt. while it's hard for me to go back, i know it's something in which i must invest. family = everything.
best of all… just in time for christmas… boy wonder got his front teeth.
{click on the pix to get the full effect}

 before

after

after twelve loooooonnnnnng years of waiting, surgeries, 

bone graft from wisdom teeth sites. never misses an opportunity to mug for the camera.

disappointments, braces, grafts, more surgeries…

he'd whip out his retainer in a second just for a laugh!

he never stopped smiling… even when his teeth were at their worst because of healing from surgery.

he finally was able to get rid of any kind of retainer or appliance and had his temporary front teeth screwed into his implant sites.

the last time he'll be able to go toothless on demand.

a real smile with almost-real teeth. he was ecstatic, and so were we. his permanent teeth will be ready in a few weeks. he'll still require some more cosmetic surgery, but the big stuff is behind him.

looking fantastic, boywonder! {and how bout that white christmas for the first time in 25 years!!?}

the dental bills make our car payments look like tooth fairy money… but it's okay. the price to see boywonder smile is well worth it.
2010, it's been challenging and i'm glad to say i'm better for it. God is continuing to teach me in the everyday trials. as i look to 2011, i have much anticipation that He'll be up to big stuff again. i'm so glad He's invited me in to His story. it's a good one!