shouldn't we have flying cars by now?

It is freaking 2009, people! Where are the flying cars and personal jet packs? I want a refund. This sucks! When I was in second grade, they made a big deal about us being the class of 2000 and every other week we would have to do some lame art or social studies project and imagine what life would be like in the year 2000. We all made pictures of Reeboks (with the strap-- you can sing it-- low low low low low low low) with rockets and flying cars... the Two Thousands were going to be like the Jetsons. And now here we are. No flying cars, no jet packs. We should at least have robots that do dishes!

In all seriousness, happy 2009!! Like most people, I am happy to leave 2008 behind. Not because of the "economic meltdown", Lord help me if I hear that term one more time, but because I was just ready for something new. Plus, two thousand nine is easier to say than two thousand eight. Eight is not a very sexy number.

Last year brought so many challenges, none of which we need to rehash, and wasn't exactly a fun year. The past 2 months have almost made up for the previous 10 sucking, thankfully. I am so blessed to have my children finally (somewhat) healthy and a wonderful extended family who supports us so much and great friends who I can call on at anytime and don't complain about it and who don't seem to mind if my average turn around time for an email or call back is 4 days.

Most of all, I am blessed to have a fantastic husband who will do anything for our family and who has treated me like a queen even when he is dead tired and needs a break. Since he has come home I haven't really been at my finest because of colds and the flu and eczema so bad that the pads of my fingers were splitting open. So he has taken over most of the household duties, forbidden me from doing the dishes because that seems to be what tears my hands up the most and has cared for the kids in the middle of the night so I can rest. He even went Christmas shopping for me and got me the little things I would never buy for myself, like a bar stool so I can sit my fat butt down when I cook, even though I was lame and only bought him one little stupid gift. Our children are blessed to have a father who will do nothing but read to them and play with them from the second he gets home to the time he gives them a bath and puts them in bed. They are also blessed to have a father that is much more patient than their mother is.

So thank you, honey, for doing what you do and working so hard. Who would have thought that after 54 months of marriage and about 38 months apart that we would be where we are today, and doing just fine. And thank you to those of you who have stuck with me for the past few years. I couldn't have made it through 2008 without you. I hope you will stick around for 2009 too. I can pretty much guarantee that it is going to be one heck of a year.