Another year...down and dirty.

I wish I could hit 2010 on it's rear as it heads out the door. Really. Truly.

Alas, since I can't, I'm going to follow the superstition of opening my doors (specifically, the deck door and the front door) prior to midnight so that 2010 can find it's bad-ass way out of my house.

Maybe it's the fact that I didn't eat cabbage, black eyed peas, or pork last January 1. I didn't walk around the house banging pots and pans to scare away the banshees. Maybe I took out the trash and doomed us to a year of bad luck? Who knows. All I know is that this year, I'm following these: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/newyears/beliefs.asp

Over-dramatic? Absolutely! Desperate? Completely! In 2010, we were riddled with illness, unemployment, a car accident, and major appliances crapping out, which all led to a lot of undue strain on other parts of our relationships.

But, in retrospect, these were all over-shadowed by the good things (some were heavily disguised, but I did see them once I opened my eyes!).

In the end, the absolute best of 2010 came with the birth of my second son; the sneaky little crawling rugrat he is. And with his birth came visits from both sides of our family, from South Carolina, Atlanta, and Ireland. We're so blessed that, especially with this economy, everyone was able to help us celebrate Conall's arrival. And being surrounded with all of that love makes even the bad seem not-so-bad.

I hope 2011 brings much happiness, many wonderful memories, good health and complete success to all of my dear friends and family. And, as I celebrate 6 years of engagement tonight, I hope that this year is the start of deeper relationships with those who are really important in my life.

Happy New Year!