2012 and a Return to Blogging

New Year's Day Birthday Dinner in Idaho

2011 was probably one of the most difficult years of our lives. After our return to WA things didn't get easier (quite the opposite, actually), so I elected to stop blogging until I felt I had the time and emotional well-being to get back to it. Since my last blog, my husband lost his father to cancer; we lost 2 of our dogs (1 rather suddenly); we were essentially kicked out of our rental home on the premise of its sale (which remains in question); the hubby was sent on another 3 month work-related stint across the country; and Dec. saw the passing of my precious 3 year old nephew after a long battle with numerous health problems. With so much going on, I really couldn't bring myself to blog. I felt I needed to focus my energy elsewhere and I felt as though I would have nothing uplifting to say. Not that this entry has, thus far, been all that uplifting. However, on that note, I have to mention one big positive that has come about on the tail feathers of some of the "not-so-great" stuff previously mentioned.

Not more than a couple of weeks after finding out we would have to relocate and move out of our rental, we stumbled upon a place kinda, sorta for-sale-by-owner, but definitely not on the market. Well, we fell in love with it! It was exactly what we had been looking for! We came to an agreement with the owner and moved in until we closed on it a month later. We have a darling little salt-box house on enough land for all the horses and maybe, even a few cows. Stay tuned for more on that this spring and summer. :) Plus, we are super close to the National Forest and I spent most of the summer and fall getting to hop on the horses and ride out onto public land. It was awesome. We live within a mile in each direction of our closest friends and have an amazing view from our western-facing porch. We have a lot of work to do on the place...fencing, new corrals, tree trimming, repairs and updates on the house and lots more, but we are excited about spending our time on something that is ours. I am looking forward to what this spring and summer brings and to planning our projects and even a garden I can call my own.

We are down to one dog now, which is a little sad because it is so quiet around here now. It is also a little bit of a blessing in disguise (now don't get me wrong we ADORE and LOVE our pets like they were our children), but having one dog is less complicated. We can pretty much take Logan, our only dog, anywhere. He is well-mannered and now that his brother and sister aren't around, the pack mentally is almost non-existent. He doesn't chase things now and has become an even better guard dog. We do miss Molly and Kenai a lot and their losses were very hard to swallow. Now, Logan is spoiled rotten and gets to sleep on the bed and the couch, so I think he has adjusted well to being an only dog. :)

Some of you know the backstory on my nephew, JW, thanks to his blog www.littlejwtaylor.blogspot.com. He was born in 2008 under less than perfect circumstances and after battling pneumonia and a collapsed lung, along with everything else, his little body just couldn't do it anymore and he passed away on December 10. His life has meant so many different things to so many different people and I feel truly blessed to have been a part of his life. My heart hurts, even now, for my sister and her family as I know they are still feeling the loss of their little boy. We all miss him every day, but we are so thankful for him and we are relieved at knowing that he is no longer suffering. His life had an incredible purpose that I have seen fulfilled in so many ways and through so many people. I will continue to thank God for him every day and look forward to the time I will see him again.

A positive as of late, is that I have been hard at work on my jewelry creations and now have my own etsy.com store....turquoiseandtrinkets. However, I am about to give my business a total makeover and will soon be announcing a new business name! Look for lots of new and exciting things in 2012. Also, I did a few craft shows/fairs in 2011 and plan on doing some more this next year.

I am thrilled and, at the same time, relieved that 2012 is finally here. I hope and pray this year brings less stress, loss, and trials and just as much, if not more, blessings, happiness, and change. I hope the same for all of you. Happy 2012!