HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to All (who follow the Gregorian Calendar)!!!

Yesterday, Robin McKinley wrote a wonderful "Glad Game" blog for her New Year's entry and I liked it so much (well, I'm much like her in the $^)(&@#% part of not being that sickeningly cheerful about most things) that I thought I'd snitch the concept and use it for myself as a way to usher in the New Year with a bit of upbeat thinking.

I haven't really gone into detail about myself on this blog (partly as I'm just starting out this blog thing) and I'm not much of a diarist. So this entry will be one of the first to involve me, my family, my pets, etc.

Here Goes:


I'm glad that I have work to do -- considering how many people are out of work or slated to be out of work in 2009, I'm very glad that my small online book selling gig is still puttering along. (Now, there is a possibility that this gig won't last too much longer if I don't start getting any *&%*% sales soon!)

I am glad that my children are healthy, generally happy and growing like weeds (just bought two new pairs of shoes...since both boys have out-grown the shoes we got in September. That's right...only three months ago.)

I'm glad that we all had Christmas vacation & I'm going to be even more glad when it's over next Tuesday.

I'm glad that my husband is a great guy, that he's got a solid job (though we are in CA and it's very possible that by March we may be paid in I.O.U.'s) and that he is generally healthy too (kidney stones seem to have come and gone & his Crohn's is much better than it was last year, whew!)

I'm glad that I have some repeat customers who like the books that I am able to find for them (I wish I had more....).

I'm glad that I have a flexible schedule that allows me to spend time with my kids, my husband, my mom who might be driving herself around by next month, my cub scout den, and book hunting...!

I'm glad that we have pets (four cats...the newest one was added in October, though we weren't actually going to keep her when she came to us.... yeah, right)

I'm glad that we have a home to live in and food to put on the table each night.

I'm glad that my job allows me to learn & try new things each day.

I'm glad for technology, and for my computer.

I'm glad that son number 2 figured out how we can switch computers around in the house so I can watch my Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVD's while I work on my taxes!

I'm glad that my mom's surgery was a success and that her hip doesn't hurt any more.

I'm very glad that my nephew Niki is alive and doing well after being born 13 weeks early last September.

I'm glad that I have a generous mother-in-law who loves to cook and to party.

I'm glad I have a brother-in-law who is handy around the house & is able to come and help out the handy-challenged (namely me & my husband...I WANT to be handy but am a scaredy cat when it comes to pulling out plumbing, and my dude is a computer guy, but doesn't do handyman stuff at all).

I'm glad that we have some rain in CA this year...every little bit helps.

I'm glad I get to read ... and can occasionally grab the TV remote away from my kids to watch NCIS...

I'm glad for so much, it's probably ridiculous to put down in words. And for that, I'm even more grateful.

Happy New Year!

Stephanie