As 2008 comes to a close, take some time to reflect on the past year. Tell us about accomplishments and triumphs, good times and bad times. What will be most memorable for you about 2008?
I would say that 2008 will go down in infamy for our family.
The year started out great. We were SO very close to being debt-free and our four long years of delivering newspapers were finally coming to a close as soon as we paid off our last debt. On February 8th, as I was delivering papers on one part of our route, Dave was delivering a few blocks away. I got a phone call from a strange number telling me that my husband was down on the ice and that an ambulance had been called. I raced there to meet the firetruck and ambulance and they took him off to the hospital. It was obvious that he had suffered a severe break which later turned out to be a fractured ankle.
Later that morning I turned into a person I had never been before. I stopped at the house where he fell on the ice and gave them a piece of my mind and I was NOT nice. They obviously thought the flying fairy delivered their paper EVERY day (ummm, no, people with real bones, do). I was a mama bear in a rage and needed to lash out at someone. I know I should regret that I did that, but I don’t.
DH needed surgery a few days later to insert screws and we promptly all came down with the influenza….”all” meaning the ENTIRE family. I think I experienced the lowest point of my life when I had to go out and deliver our papers alone, sicker than a dog, on a frigid, windy, snowy February morning. My kids were too sick to help and DH was strung out on Vicodin and obviously incapacitated physically.
It was tough. Dave’s parents were in Australia and my parents couldn’t come with all of us so sick and contagious. I was on my own. I had to leave all my sick kids home alone to attend to my DH in the hospital. I stayed up with him for several nights while he experienced tremendous pain and made many trips to the doctor’s office (which may as well been in Omaha it was so far across town), to get stronger prescriptions of Percoset. They can’t call in those type of drugs to the pharmacy.
I lumped along, caring for all “four” of my kids (three kids and one invalid DH), delivered papers, cooked, cleaned and worked my regular job until April when I snapped. I delivered my last paper mid-month. And I took the whole darn summer off! No extra job for me during summer break! It was a much needed rest.
So needless to say, this will be a year neither I, nor DH, will ever forget. We are all much better now, though DH would beg to differ…I don’t think his ankle will ever feel normal again.
My summer was wonderful and relaxing. At the last minute we decided to attend the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Conference in June in Chicago, which was the highlight of our summer. We even managed a visit to Lou Malnati’s for a big piece of heaven (Chicago style pizza…yummmmm) while we were there. The time spent with other families who have children with the same syndrome as your child is something you always, always remember. For one brief moment every couple of years we get to be somewhere where our child is “normal” and celebrated. That’s something that never happens any other time. Unfortunately, conference was a disruption in routine for Baylee and she spent much of her time washing her hands in the bathroom (a familiar routine for her), but she was none the worse for the wear after conference and LOVED every second in the hotel pool.
The last big highlight was Dave moving to his new store in October. It was a long time coming. It was an ordeal at first, but I think now we have finally gotten the hang of the new store. Dave got his first full day off since the store opened the day after Christmas! This also means our income has been slashed nearly in half and let’s just say finances are interesting right now, but with the economy I know that we could be much worse off and for that I’m grateful. We have enough. And hopefully it’s only temporary, but that all depends on the economy. We’ll hope for the best.
Some other memorable things about 2008 are that my baby started driving. He even got his own car. I’ve learned a mom never stops worrying until her kid is safely in the door at night.
I discovered Facebook and got addicted, but I’ve reconnected with lots of family and old friends through it. We got a Mac in January and I’ll never go back to PCs. I (heart) my Mac. I quit running and delivering papers, and now I need to lose weight (New Year’s Resolution maybe?).
Goodbye 2008. I won’t miss you. I envision good things for 2009.
