It's Been A Long December....

And there's reason to believe,

maybe this year will be better than the last.

I've been quietly singing this Counting Crows song to myself all month long.  Because 2010 has been hard.  Really really hard.  A year of unemployment leaving me feeling lost, bored, worthless, and stressed.  On top of that the persistent feeling of homesickness, a lack of English friends, and my uncle's unexpected death - made 2010 one of the toughest on record.  All year I've been feeling more stagnant than ever, just trying, hoping and praying for something to happen to reignite my passion for life.  

But I can't stop thinking about this picture on the right that Nick took of me and Heidi on their birthday in November.  It reminded me of the one on the left which we took the day we went to pick her out from the breeder last January, when she was only 6 weeks old.  I can't believe how much she's grown in the past year and I'm sure she doesn't realize it at all.  And I guess maybe I've grown up a lot without realizing it too.  I've become more determined, I've set more goals, I've learned how to deal with stress without becoming an emotional basket case (most the time), when to spend money and when to save it (Nick swears my year of unemployment will actually save us more money than a years salary in the long run since I've finally learned how to budget), I've learned what's really important in my life - God, family and friends.  I'm most certainly a much better wife than I was this time last year.  So as much as I hate the phrase.... I guess 2010 was a "Character Builder".... 


On Christmas Eve I got a phone call, and it might as well have been God on the other end of the line because to be honest I was losing my religion this December, but the good news came that I finally got a job!  My prayers have been answered.  I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I can visibly see the pressure being lifted off Nick.  I know this is going to make a massive difference to our life, and I am certainly looking forward to going into 2011 as a member of the workforce.  

Here's to this year being better than the last!