For all the "if's" in Life

There are many words I could use to describe how Chris & I "do" life. We strive for purpose, caring, conscientiousness and information. Maybe a little spontaneity (mostly Chris) and maybe a little organization (me). But if I had to pick one, I'd say we're deliberate. We talk about what we want and diligently work together toward meeting our goals. We're smart enough to know that we are not, ultimately, in control of our lives but that we have to take action in faith, lest we find ourselves decades older, wondering where life went (don't we have enough of that already due to the ever-increasing speed of the world?). If we get too serious about life though, Emerson never misses an opportunity to splash us with  Surprise  (ex. allergic reaction to bee sting, eating chocolate chip cookies, eating his way through a 40 lb. bag of dog food, getting beat up at doggy day care because of his "dominance issues," allergic reactions to nearly every plant & pollen, etc.). And in all of this, we stay well balanced! 

2009 proved to be a bit of a teeter-totter year. We spent the first 28 Fridays of the year wondering if Chris' job would be stable, we endured dual sets of wage reduction actions and finally I lost my job. Nevertheless, we were generously provided for and our marriage took a turn for the stronger. We've been trying for an addition to our family and have almost made a game out of "how much money can we save this month?" in hopes of securing a decent down payment. In many ways our diligence has paid off beautifully and in others, we feel like we're running a patience marathon.  

I personally have seen wonders come out of our lives that can't be explained by our actions, deliberate or spontaneous. Still, I have high hopes for what might appear in 2010. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to go professionally or as a potential mom. I am sure though, that we were meant to live each day fully. I need goals and things to look forward to. I need to know my priorities and be true to them. I need not fear that one activity will cut off all possibility for another (and thus create an exhausting cycle of coulda-woulda-shoulda). Therefore, I've decided to come up with one thing to do, look forward to, work toward, etc. for each month of this year. For example, there is a kickboxing class through the city of Irvine that I'd like to take during the month of February. Maybe dedication to this blog (and getting through my Julia Child books) will be something for January. In any case, there will always be "if's" in life and we will be do our best to apply positive attitudes toward whatever may come our way. While we're waiting on dreams and wading through rough patches, we will keep moving forward!