A look back over 2014

Right before bed last night, I was trying to remember 2014 before it slipped away. For me, it was hard to get back further than our fall family crisis. The aftermath of that felt like it had sucked up so much recent oxygen. But thankfully N has a better memory than I.

I started off the year writing daily in preparation for a new paper. I did well for 2-3 months which should have established a habit, but then I got depressed in March while tapering off my winter antidepressant (for the 2nd time). That threw a wrench in a lot of things. I had also up until then been extremely consistent with my weightlifting which had moved from a gym into my garage. Both writing and lifting fell off, writing more than lifting.

About that time, I also agreed to begin leading the women's ministry at our church. That was really exciting in many ways and allowed me to exercise some of my gifts that had lay dormant for a while. In particular, I enjoyed developing a mission statement for the ministry and some thoughts on undergirding pillars to guide making choices. I also enjoyed mentoring my team that led various parts of the ministry.

In the late spring, our daughter was diagnosed with some mild developmental delays which was honestly, shocking to me. I think as a newbie parent, I never suspected a thing about our oldest. But we have a good pediatrician and a good preschool teacher. So we went off to speech and occupational therapy. That took up most of what was supposed to be a laid back summer. During the less laid back summer, our son decided to potty train himself which was a GODsend. Love it.

Despite falling off the writing wagon, I was able to pull together a conference paper and traveled with the kids to the Pacific Northwest in August to escape the late summer heat and deliver the talk. It was great! The kids also got to see their older 2nd cousins and loved it. They continue to ask to return to hangout with them.

A few weeks after our return, our oldest started kindergarten, eek! She attends a half-day afternoon session while our son attends a morning preschool a few times a week. Our minivan is getting a workout. But kindergarten has been better than we anticipated. Specifically, she loves her daily dose of PE and her main language arts/math teacher is delightful and attentive to making accommodations where L needs it and providing extra challenges too. I was generally the freaked out mom sending her first to kindergarten, but our family crisis came the second week of school and effectively squashed my brain space to fret about that. This is probably better for everyone. Now that life is slightly more stable, I'd like to meet with her teacher about 1st grade. We'll see. As a reference point, our dear L read Charlotte's Web yesterday. I can't keep up, but hopefully her teachers can.

While I don't really want to discuss our family crisis, here are a few random highlights from the fall. In September, I started attending a small women's group. I think they call it mentoring. I call it my Jesus group where we encourage one another to allow Jesus to be the center of our authentic (read messy) lives. Love that time; love those ladies. Also in September, one of N's college friends came out to visit us, and it was great to be able to reconnect with him.

Our family minivan lost its AC over the summer (bad timing), but we muddled through and looked to replace the 14-year-old van by April 2015. We were able to get a great, nay superb deal, on a 6-year-old, low-mileage van in October. I feel like the Beverly Hillbillies driving this enormous van with all its bells and whistles. The kids still don't know it has a DVD player with two screens that fold out of the ceiling.

 In November, N's project released to the public, Halo: Master Chief Collection. The project was panned soundly by critics, but the ship should right itself soon and fanbois around the world can rejoice.

In mid-December, my mom came to visit for the holidays which was great for us, although my dad is alone overseas while she's here. However, they say they are moving back to the states next year. I'll believe it when I see it.

On a more sobering note, I had my severest episode of depression to date a few weeks ago. After talking with a psychiatrist, I'm moving off an antidepressant to a mood stabilizer. The transition has not been particularly smooth, but I am generally hopeful that we'll land on something that will help me avoid another debilitating episode like that one.

At the end of 2014, I'd say I was weary but hopeful, and perhaps most of all grateful for the way God gently teaches me His sufficiency in all things.