Resolved to Participate in Another Year

So far all I got for 2009 is new hair...and that's just temporary. We had a busy but mostly uneventful New Year's Eve, unlike the usual not much going on. We were invited to TWO parties, plus the kids had a few friends over, so we made sure we were home before midnight to toast with them.

This hair photo commemorates yet another successful straightening. I still can't do it myself, so Former Lovely Girlfriend, who showed up and laughed a lot, was kind enough to wrestle my hair into a straighter shape using the straightening thing I got the kids but they never used. I am just not talented with hair.

We left FLG and Parker (who was here because apparently her family is even more boring than ours) entertaining the boys, and headed off to the traditional party of our church friends. It was not bad at all, and featured Austin's delicious eggnog (literally the best, most delicious, most calorie-filled and most alcoholic eggnog on earth) and a few amusing and interesting folks. But we had to leave...

...and we went to the party of our former boss at ALE, which was at her sister's house. We enjoyed looking at their home renovations and talking about home improvement with some folks who live near us and are band parents, too, but we didn't stay too long. We didn't want to be driving scary back roads with people lighting fireworks all over them. Which we ended up doing anyway.

Back at home, FLG had gone to some trendier party, no doubt, and was replaced by the Two Debate Guys. They were amusing as usual, though not to Parker and Beccano who left them to watch television upstairs. I don't know WHY watching guys play Magic isn't fascinating...but we arrived in time to toast the new year with sparkling cider and spumante (man, those kids really chugged that cider). So, it was an OK start to a new year that I hope brings more stability to our lives.

And yesterday I knitted a lot, and made the delicously traditional black-eyed peas, collards, rice and cornbread for me. For Lee there was his dad's salad and a lovely herbed roast he made. The kids at it all most heartily.

Resolutions? My hope is that my new feeling of peace and calm will last a while. I noticed that I have stopped just trying to get through the next week, month or season, and am actually enjoying the present again. Even though challenge remain, it seems like our lives have stabilized and that we enjoy each other and can move forward. Having work will always be an issue, but we are now handling that better, too. So, for 2009 I just want to resolve to hunker down and ride out the economic troubles by enjoying the time spent with my family and friends, making music, cooking, talking, knitting and laughing.

I am glad for the friends I've made this year, and for the old ones who remain (like Elisabeth, who I talked to for the longest time last night--ahhh, that was good). I wish you all good food, friends and fun.