Recap of the last... 'eh.... year?

Lucky I remembered my password.

Well I'm going to make another go at my blog. I know it's been awhile and I've probably lost the faith of my followers, but I'm finally finding some downtime in life that needs to be filled. I never thought I would be so busy that I would not have time to enjoy my personal hobbies, but then again, until Evie, I had never been a mom.

I should probably start off with a sort of recap. Something to bridge the gap between the first day of Spring 2011 and middle January 2012.

Shortly after taking a break from the blog I applied for a promotion at my job. I have to be honest here... it was a bit against my will, not completely, but probably 90% if numbers are needed. Of course promotions offer more money. With more money I can provide a better life for my daughter, send her to college, buy her a more complete wardrobe, take vacations, finally buy a house for my child to grow up in. 10% of it was me just being stuck in a rut and needing a change and something more challenging.

Fast forward to July 10th and I'm saying goodbye to my husband, packing the little one in the car, and driving up to Baltimore for eight weeks of training for this new position. At that point, I was just bitter. My whole summer, gone. I did manage to keep Evie with me the majority of the time, however, I was forced to stop nursing her earlier than I wanted and I did have to spend a considerable amount of time away from her which was just utterly heartbreaking.

During that eight weeks, on July 15th, my little girl turned 1.  A beautiful energetic toddler who loves dogs and books and giving kisses. It's hard to elaborate on this event as so much was going on that month that I can barely remember it. Looking back, it doesn't really matter. I remember who she was, and that's all that matters. Not how smooshed her cake was, or the gifts she got, or the food we ate. I remember she started running around that time, she got a new tooth on that day, and I remember driving back home from Baltimore with her sleeping in the back seat after a quick stop at McDonald's for chicken nuggets and milk and when it turned midnight on her birthday I nudged her leg just enough to get her to open her eyes and I sang Happy Birthday to her and she smiled, then nodded back off.

Once back to the grind in Roanoke following the training, I started really learning my job and enjoying it much more. Things calmed down at home. We had moved from our apartment to the home my grandma and granddaddy built when my mom was 4. Granddaddy passed away in late March and my grandmother began living in an assistant living facility. Matt and I moved in so that Evie would have a yard and a homier place to live. We've done alot of work to the home. We've filled cracks in drywall, painted, and had tile laid in the kitchen. While the house has been good to us, we are looking forward to buying a house in the summer. At least, that's the plan.

In November, Evelyn started preschool. It's a Christian school and so far we've been very pleased. The only downside is, we need a larger fridge to hold all of the art projects!

In December, Matt was offered a new job with a large premium cigar company as a territory sales manager or something like that. He travels 5 days a week and we see him on the weekend. It's a great opportunity for him, but it is very much a challenge for Evie and I. On one hand Evie and I have become even closer... on the other hand... Evie and I have become even closer. There is not a day that goes by that I don't have a toddler screaming "mommy!" while clinging to my leg while I brush my teeth and blow dry my hair. My saving grace right now are my parents who help when they can. While she has become very wary and fearful that I will drop her and run away as fast as my legs can take me, she is very much at ease with my mom and dad and that in turn makes this whole married single mom life so much easier.

Christmas was pretty amazing this year. Evie was very much into Santa Claus. She perfected her "Ho Ho Ho" and showed off her mad un-wrapping skills on Christmas morning. She must have been a pretty good girl (or maybe Santa wasn't really watching very close) because Christmas morning took 2 hours. Too long!

New years came and went the usual way... eyes barely open, having to ask for a kiss... a high five... eye contact... pretty much whatever you can get when you own a toddler and are still awake at midnight. Evie spent it in the ideal way, snoring in her crib. I made a long list of resolutions, like I do every year, and then I lost it, like I do every year. Probably should have included "Organize and stop losing stuff!" to the list, but hey, I live for traditions!

So here we are coming up on the middle of Winter. I have a few projects going on to keep me busy and we are making plans for this year. The promotion has yet to help. Evie wears pretty much the same 7 outfits each week, we've not taken a vacation, no college savings, and we've yet to start really saving for a house. But I am more challenged at work. So we're 10% there.

New years resolution #20: Update the blog once in a blue moon. Or maybe at least every full moon.