Good Riddance to 2008!!

Well I just want to say once and for all good riddance to 2008!! Why? Well it's a long story, but before I tell it I had better knock on wood that 2009 is not even worse. Plus I also have to qualify my statements in that there were good things about 2008 for me as well.

In 2008, well beginning with 2007, my husband got laid off. So we had a little bit of savings and we used that for Christmas last year and the savings lasted for a while bolstered by our tax refund and the "stimulus check" we received (grrr. stupid stimulus packages). So to get to work my husband decided to do a big job for the government. I had set our company up to be small so doing this was a stretch. All year I have been stressed out because of this job, and the non-control I have had over it. I have a Bachelors degree in Accounting so I kind of know what I am doing, but I didn't have any control over things so I felt frustrated. In April I had a really terrible experience, I ended up limping outside on Easter morning from it, but I am not going to say what happened. After that I spent my time cooking, experimenting, eating healthy and exercising and of course blogging. Then if you can believe it we had bed bugs infest all of our beds, starting with my oldest sons top bunk and I have had a nightmarish time trying to get rid of the old beds and finding new ones. We did have a really great Family Reunion in June and I had a chance to go to a family reunion in Wyoming with my mom, sister and my girls. My baby and I were sick for most of the time but I found out how great whole foods were because I ate from grocery stores along the way instead of fast food and cleaned out on the last day with cilantro and felt better by the time I got home. My sis and mom caught the bug and were sick for the next two weeks (poor girls). Of course there is also the stress from the economy, losing all of our savings and 401 (k) money. The Presidential election was a wiz bang stress festival as well. The year ended with something happening the night of my baby daughters second birthday, I heard about it the next day. This event brought fun disscusions with the state and government into my life along with court dates and trials. I found out I was pregnant then I lost the baby at 8 weeks. I then caught strep throat in time for Christmas and since I didn't have very much money all year I hadn't bought a single present for my kids until I ran into our Bishop in Wal-Mart and broke down to his wife about what had happened to the fun government job that has been stressing me out all year and has left the company bankrupt and us broke. They gave me some gift cards for Christmas and I had Christmas eve to buy everything and wrap it before Christmas. Thus ended 2008 and good riddance to it.

But what was good....?

I learned how to cook gluten free really well
I started a garden in the back yard and a compost pile. I also learned a lot about gardening.
I eliminated a lot of (almost all of) our use of plastic shopping bags
I learned how wonderful people are (My friends brought me flowers and a really nice gift when I had my M/C)
I found really great bunk beds for my son's and daughters rooms and they even got desks and I got a really beautiful bookshelf. (All found really cheaply at yard sales and on Craigslist)
I got to see my relatives in Wyoming a lot of them for the first time.
I have grown stronger
I feel more courage
I know I can live without most things and be happy
My mind has become very clear from getting rid of the gluten
I CAN RUN!!!

There really have been a lot of good things to learn from it all. Some of it is that there is a limit to what I am going to put up with and I know what it is. So here is to 2009, may I learn as much as I did last year, but hopefully it won't have to be so hard.