Made it!

This picture, taken 10 minutes before midnight, is proof that we made to the New Year(although my older daughter took a 2 hour nap, and I dozed from 9:30-10:30).  It also shows everything that matters.

They are why I do what I do. I don't like my job(saying I hate it would be too strong...the fact is, it's not hard enough to hate).  It lacks a reward other than the financial remuneration every two weeks and benefits. But, unlike my previous position(where I convinced myself the B.S. was worth it, because every so often a submarine came in broke,  and went back to sea on-time...and at least part of that was due to me being good at my job)...I get a lot more family time.  On average, the three years I have been at Hanford vs. my 8 years at PSNS, I have had....say, 650 hours more with my family.  And that is just OT I didn't work...what is that...11-12 hours more a week?  And that is just OT...it doesn't count the times I had to go off-station and didn't see them for weeks(or months) at a time.

So...I'm not saying this to guilt trip my wife(although, to my shame, I have done it more than once after a Bad Day, at which point I go to my room and get some emotions out)...but rather, to focus on them....and how much they mean to me year after year.  They are worth it...

Alright...a quick review, and then peak forward for those who haven't been paying attention for the last year. 

Back in January, we closed on, and moved into our new house.  That has been nice, and I don't know that there are more than 3 or 4 boxes we haven't gone through yet.  In March, we continued our spending spree(or debt spree) by picking up a new Mazda CX-5 to replace our 2004 Subaru Impreza(well, if not replace, demote down to my daily driver, instead of my F-150).

The big news for the spring and summer were making the new house and yard OURS.  We put in a few fruit trees(2 plums, 1 apple, 1 mystery!).  I put in a few raised garden beds, but got fairly sad production this first year...but the big change to the outdoors for the year were our chickens!

They might not be smart, but they DO know what it means when I come out with the table scraps container.  We have eggs, they have left-over spaghetti and meatballs...it seems to workout okay. 

No huge 'family' things to speak of...we didn't go on any big family adventures or vacations this year...just a nice number of day trips, that we try to shoe-horn in as 'Home Schooling Field Trips'. 

It's been good...but there are also times as I nudge closer to 40 that I feel the time slipping.  My wife made the mistake of pointing out to me on Christmas that we might only have 7 more years of all being together for Christmas...fewer years remaining of both girls in the house than we have already experienced.  We have always had a fairly standard bed-time ritual, my wife and I taking turns reading the girls goodnight...and our older daughter now asks if she can just go to bed alone about 1/3rd of the time. 

As for the future...and 'resolutions'?  I don't know yet.  I kind of need to save something for later...

Happy New Years.