To a New Year

Each year, I like to sit down and flip through the calendar, reviewing the year, transferring birthdays into a new calendar.  It's a way to look back at the year and celebrate or reflect on the little things, as well as the bigger events such as births and deaths.  It's a process that I enjoy, something I look forward to as I move into the New Year--a little thoughtful glance back at past.

Here are just a few things I am thankful for this year:

1) Little Gabriel came into our lives.  The birth itself was an incredibly moving experience for me that taught me about the power of the human body and finding strength from above. Our beautiful son, Gabriel is hands down, the best thing I've ever done with my life.  He is so fascinating to us and we take great joy in watching his personality blossom.

2) My husband and I celebrated our seventh year of marriage this year.  We celebrated Gabriel's birth and the accomplishments of our marriage by sitting under a white canopy of lights in the front yard of our first home, trying to eat three courses through a cyclone of mosquitoes. See here. But we loved it.  And that's just us.  We love little adventures that make us look back and laugh.    

3) We relocated to Virginia to be together as a family.  See here and here. I miss my Squamish friends dearly, but as one of my newer friends, Darien, said, "You meet wonderful people wherever you go." And we do.  Doesn't mean that I don't miss them though.  But the benefits to being together as a family--you can't outdo that.

4) Many family visits.  We have such wonderful family that traveled to see us both in Squamish and in Virginia, to help out after the birth and then to visit us as we moved.  They are so loving and caring and generous. 

5) Having such good-hearted friends who have helped out after Gabriel was born, who threw me the most amazing shower afterwards, and who have stayed in contact with me all the way across the continent. And the beautiful new friends we've met wherever we go.

6) Abe's eyes.  After such a traumatic series of events with Abe's eyes, I am thankful for the many vets and opthamologists who worked together to save his eyes and put him on proper medications. We are thankful that Abe has his eyes and that he will be able to chase after the sticks Gabriel throws into the river for him. 

7) Safe travels.  This year, we were able to travel a lot.  We left Squamish for England, Scotland, New Brunswick, Maine, Prince Edward Island, Montreal, through to Virginia, Texas and Ontario.  Phew!  All of our travels went safely and Gabriel traveled well.  Hard to believe that by one year old, Gabriel will have been to 10 different places.  

8) Seeing my sister (here) and Jordan's brother (here) both find and marry two incredibly well-suited and loving partners with which to share their lives, and then witnessing their vows of love and commitment to each other.  Nothing makes us happier than seeing our siblings happy and in love.

9) Good health.  There is a lot of illness in the world and every year that we go through in good health, I am reminded how blessed we really are.

10) Visit to Toronto.  We got the opportunity to visit the Davey family there and for Gabriel to meet Great Grandpa Davey who is getting much older.  It was a very moving experience for all of us.  

Here are just a few photos from our New Years in Toronto with Grandpa Davey.  So incredibly special. 

Gabriel meets Great-Grandpa Davey for the first time.

Jordan fills Grandpa in with pictures of his project.