2011...A Year in Review

it WAS a year! wow. SO many changes, trials, tribulations, celebrations, and praises!!

here we go...cliff notes version.

• Dec 31st, 2010 - moved to Shreveport from Bella Vista, AR (about 10 weeks pregnant - i think...i can't exactly remember!). Moved in w/my brother and sister-in-law...in their "above garage mother-in-law suite"
• Jan 2nd, 2011 - Justin and I both started new jobs (duh...)
• Feb (mid month) 2011 - We closed on our house and then went up to Arkansas to finish moving all of our stuff...just 2 days after the biggest snow storm in years and just a few days before Justin headed to Baton Rouge to take the LA bar exam.
• Feb (mid month) 2011 - Justin took LA bar exam
• Feb 22nd, 2011 - I quit my job at the nursing home...yep, walked out (after working a few days of my 2 week notice!)
• Feb 28th, 2011 - I started my new job at LSU-HSC.
• April 15th, 2011 - Moved into our new house!!!
• April 2011 - Justin found out he passed 7 out of 9 parts of the LA bar exam...must pass 7, but can only "fail" one in each "section" - the 2 he "failed" were in the same section! CRAP...redo.
• July 19, 2011 - Beckett arrived weighing 8lbs 6oz at 10:08pm!!! What a joy and blessing!!! perfect, easy delivery...just 2 weeks early, but a healthy baby boy!!
• July 25th, 2011 - Justin sits for the LA bar exam again!
• September 5th, 2011 - back to work after a 7 week maternity leave
• September 2011 - Justin found out he passed the LA bar!!
• September 16, 2011 - Ruby Belle turned 2!!!! We celebrated with both Justin and my family!!
• September 20, 2011 - Justin sworn in as an official Louisiana attorney!!!
• October 2011 - found out my grandfather had prostate cancer. He started treatment and thankfully doc said something else would get him before the cancer would.
• November (mid month...just about a week before Thanksgiving) 2011 - found out my mom had cancer.
• November (day before Thanksgiving) 2011 - Found out the cancer was Stage 2 and had not spread! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!
• November 2011 - Ty and Steph found out they were pregnant!!! CANNOT wait for this baby!!!!
• December 5th, 2011 - my mom started chemo and radiation for her cancer. All very hopeful and positive!
• December 25th, 2011 - BEST Christmas ever...well, so far! Lots of praises...healthy babies, good amount of time off work, mom was doing well w/cancer treatments, no traveling anywhere (that was NICE!), in-laws came to celebrate, then Christmas w/the Jordan's at our house. SO much fun!!
• December 31st, 2011 - celebrated the New Year w/friends.

SO SO SO many other things to be thankful for. We LOVE living here. We may not LOVE our jobs, but we love just about everything else! It has been hard transitioning to a "new" life. We don't have many "close" friends yet and that will take time. But it sure is hard to leave the old ones in Arkansas and to not miss that part. Otherwise, I LOVE LOVE LOVE being around family!! and Justin is enjoying it, too, so far. Thankfully his parents have been to visit a few times, so we have gotten to see them as well, but we do miss seeing his side of the family that we were able to see much more often when we were in NW Arkansas. Either way, we're both happy with the decision we made to move!

We have a few things coming up this next year, like a "Smith family vacation" to Florida in May for a family wedding and just vacation. A Jordan baby to arrive in August! and praying for good news from my mom's 3 month follow up post chemo and radiation treatment, which she completes next week. Truly, my mom is a fighter. she has done SO well with this!! She is such an inspiration and strong woman! I feel SO grateful to have been down here through this time, as well. I can only be there so much for her, but I can't imagine being in Arkansas while she was having chemo and radiation treatments. We both also, hope to find either happiness/contentment in our current jobs or other jobs that we like better and can blossom in. Job satisfaction has definitely been a struggle with us this year. BUT all in all, we are beautifully blessed by God with what we have and I am amazed daily with how big HE is. We pray that our relationship with Him will grow this next year and wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Blessed 2012!