A New Direction

With the first six months of deployment now behind us, I feel like now is the perfect time to stop and reflect, head "A New Direction." The past six months have passed surprisingly quickly! I imagine that has everything to do with raising Annabelle and keeping busy, as opposed to having a member of our family out of the country in harm's way. I'm quite certain if Annabelle were not here, each day would feel unbearably long, and the past six months would have felt like a year! Yet another reason to be thankful for Annabelle :) She and I have had a lot of fun together: We have seen neat things together; we have been new places and old places together; we have shopped, played, ate, danced, sang, laughed, walked, prayed, and even cried together. Notice how I didn't say we've cooked together--I'm on a one-year hiatus! There's always time for that next year :) I have been getting accustomed to life as a single mom, learning simultaneously how strong and weak I am--amazed by both!
As I look back to the past six months I realize I've made some great memories, captured some great moments. When Josh returned to Afghanistan I felt down. I was sad of course, but it was more of a lull and lack of motivation, not looking forward to "getting back to normal life." Then I thought, "maybe life doesn't have to go back to 'normal' as I have known it the past six months." Perhaps it will head A New Direction. As I look ahead to the next six months I realize I'd like to make some great memories, capture some great moments, and I'd also like to slow down. Sure there are a few things I'd like to get done before Josh gets home, and of course I don't plan on stopping workouts, but most importantly I'd like to get back down to the basics. What does that mean? Well I'm still figuring it out, but I think it means more journaling, more time at home, more prayer, more books, more serving, and hopefully more growth as a woman and mother.
In other news: Annabelle turned 1! It's like the primary song says, "One year older and wiser too..." She's definitely a clever one! She loves to talk, and is progressing quite quickly with her language. She also loves to play "Fetch." She throws whatever object is nearest to her, and then crawls to it...only to throw it again. My personal favorite is when she accidentally throws it behind her and nervously looks straight up as though it's still in the air about to crash down on her. Very cute! She is currently in the 95th percentile for her height, and the 20th percentile for her weight. If any of you have been seeking evidence of Josh's DNA...there you go! :)