It's really crazy that a whole decade in the new century has gone by. Looking back it was one of such change for our world. We will forever be changed by 2001. Our children will grow up with the word terrorism as part of their language, something we never imagined. I suppose there are a lot of bad things I could dwell on that have happened over this past decade. War, death of loved ones and other people I knew that have gone before their time. But I don't want to dwell in what was. Well, dwell on what was not good. Better I think, to dwell in what was good...the birth of my last baby who completed my family. Moving into my new house. Our good health and good fortune.

Jenn is going the Simplicity path this year. I think I will continue forward on the Grateful path. It's an easy, but powerful state of mind. Some days make me not want to be grateful. But if I can step back, take a breath there's always much to be grateful for.

Last night we had our annual New Year's Eve bash. We were missing a few friends this year but had a whole bunch of new faces to ring in the new year with. Just as Christmas Eve may not be all Silent Night around here, there's no sitting around singing Auld Lang Syne here on New Years either. There's LOTS of food and drink, all good picking stuff that everyone likes. LOUD music in a room that turns into a disco with blinking Christmas lights and this year one of our new faces who was a DJ in a past life, had his master mixing board and mixed everyone's crazy iPod playlists. Have you ever danced to "I Will Survive" in Spanish? Well now I can say I did. Grandparents, three year-olds, teenagers, moms, dads, old friends and new friends dance together. No one is too cool for this dance floor. Teenagers teach us old folks new dance moves and we old folks "wow" the younger set that we still got it with our fancy dance moves. Makes for a lot of laughs! Anyway New Year's Eve around here is a celebration of people in our lives new and old, that may come and go, but help make our house a home. One of my favorite things about New Year's Eve is that it's really about celebrating what was good about the year past or getting to be happy that the old year is on it's way out. You get a brand new slate to write on. Everything is new. You get another chance to do it right.

Today is the aftermath, but happy to say, nothing was broken, no children argued, and I got a fancy New Year's hat as a gift. Pretty good way to start the new year. Wishing everyone a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, laugh filled new year!!!!!