goodbye 2010...welcome 2011!

oh it's just been so long since i have blogged. too long, really. of course, you already know this because you can clearly see that my last post was on november 6. really? november 6?

i haven't technically been avoiding it...but i am the world's worst procrastinator when it comes to writing. and it's not really procrastinating as much as it is partial writer's block. i can usually write a lot, but it only comes in spurts. i used to have a job where i wrote a lot of letters. my boss would give me these letters to write, and he would usually only give me like 3 or 4 at a time, but for some reason i would get so overwhelmed at the thought of writing those three letters. i would sit down at my computer and have no idea what i was going to say. so after a while, i would just put the letters in a stack. and sometimes the stack got high. (i should note that it wasn't like a was just shoving the letters off and kicking back...i always had plenty of work to do, and then plenty after that). but, when i got in the writing mood, i could bang out like 15 or 20 letters in one afternoon. one of habits was to go over to the office on a weekend, turn my tv on, watch something really intellectually stimulating (like "real housewives"), and write letters. i knew i wouldn't be interrupted by a knock at the door, my office phone wouldn't ring, and i was in the mood to write.

the entire last paragraph was a really, really long way of telling you how i have to be in a writing mood to be able to write anything at all. i kind of feel like stephenie meyer. i mean, she doesn't seem to be in the mood to finish "Midnight Sun" (much to my dismay, i might add) so she just isn't doing it. but seriously she needs to finish that puppy. have you read the first part of it that is on her website? if you haven't, go now! have i mentioned i'm a twi-hard? and yes, i totally just compared myself and my writing to stephenie meyer.

so yes, 2011 is already moving way too fast. brent and i have been saying for months now, "maybe she'll be home by the end of 2011." well guess what...january is almost over and i am freaking out! we are working on our dossier right now. we mailed off our stuff to uscis, and we are awaiting their approval. hopefully it will be soon. someone told me last week that you never know with uscis. approval could come in 5 weeks or 5 months. great. we keep telling ourselves it's all God's timing, though, and that He definitely, definitely knows best.

the end of 2010 was a crazy whirlwind for us. here are a few of the highlights:

brent and i both graduated! woo hoo! we both walked across that stage and it was like a huge burden was lifted off of us. i am so glad that i am so done with papers and so so so done with proofreading someone else's papers!



aren't we cute? i actually don't like this picture at all because i hate myself in a hat. i mean really, it is sooo obvious that a man designed those things. what woman in her right mind would think hat hair was a good idea on a day you know you have to go to a party?

of course, we graduated from:

yes, our beloved alma mater, LU. this was my third lipscomb graduation. the "lipscomb bubble" jokes can commence now.


then christmas came. oh how fun christmas was! we got to spend time with these cuties:




oh my goodness couldn't you just eat them up?!? these precious angels made christmas such a joy for us...and it made us even more excited to think about christmas with our little one.

the very end of 2010 was a total situation. brent and i celebrated new years eve with him getting the flu and bronchitis. and of course i was the worst wife ever because i had to work on new years eve and day (really long story) so i could not take care of him. so his parents had to take him to some walk-in clinic and get like 4 prescriptions and he was the most pitiful thing you have ever seen. but he is so better now...thank goodness! i really don't know how much more i could have taken of that.

the end of 2010 brought with it a lot of reflection. 2010 was such a weird year. i mean, it was a wonderful year, but a crazy weird year. when 2010 began, we would have never, ever guessed we would be where we are right now. it is so amazing to think of all of the doors God opened (and also of all the doors He closed) for us. we have never been more thankful for His guidance. He continues to open (and close) doors every single day. sometimes the closing doors slam in my face, but i know that i will look back and be SO thankful for the ones He slammed shut!

2010 held a lot of laughter. a lot of tears. days of joy. long nights of sorrow. many hugs. a few cross words (probably more than a few). hundreds of "are you kidding me?"s. hundreds of "i love you"s. and thousands of "i can't wait for her to be home"s.

so, what does 2011 hold? only He knows. i sure can't wait to find out.