Out With the Old, in with the New - Sort Of

As I get older and am  blessed enough to be able to ring in another new year, I have not made any new year resolutions yet for 2015.  

I am just thinking day to day and feel lucky enough that I had the energy to decorate my house for Christmas - 


and then this happened....

Yeah, that's me taking down Christmas - I normally find myself standing in the midst of the biggest part of the mess saying to myself, "why do I go Christmas decoration crazy every year?  Ugh!"  

But I didn't do that this year.  For some reason I found myself counting my blessings over and over again.  (well, my feet did hurt a little after say...5 hours)  but...

-the house was warm and cozy through the season
-my kids came home and loved the decorations
-my husband didn't complain and I think he secretly loved them too
-I didn't pressure myself this time with "getting it done".  I just took my time and was constantly reminded about "the reason for the season"

I know, it sounds corny - but it was really something unfamiliar to me during the holiday season.  I'm usually stressed about so many things, but not this year.  

So now the house is all back to normal and cleared out. See?

We had some great friends over on New Year' Eve - you can see by the picture that the children were having a great time while the adults were in the dining room eating and reminiscing and eating some more...

my friend Dalton pretending to enjoy himself

my other friend Rylan - having a New Year's Eve blast...

This was actually the first time in around 5 years that Ronnie and I were able to stay up to watch the ball drop!  (even though all we talked about was how uncomfortable all those people must have been in those metal pens in Times Square...and gee- how did they go to the bathroom, and what a mess to clean up in the morning!  Haha - good times)  

So although I have no actual resolution, I'm simply saying "I'm done with 2014 - I'm glad I was able to be here for the whole thing good and bad.  Thank you God for 2015 - let's see what it brings". And as Peter Frampton penned in his song donning the same title back in the day - "I want You to show me the way, I want You day after day".  

That made all the difference at the end of 2014, so I'm sticking with that.  

Then.......on the 2nd day of the New Year this happened...

I could cry (I might have a little), or I could swear (but that wouldn't help anything), or I could reach into the toilet really quickly, dry my iPhone 6 off and pretend it didn't happen (which is what I did) but then....the dreaded red screen and then...dead.  Arghhhhh!  #stupednewyearmoves

  OR...

I could just make a trip to the Apple Store in Syracuse, chock it all up to my first New Year adventure, get a new phone (Thank God I purchased the Apple Care Plus! whew!), when I titled this blog "Out with the old in with the new", I had no idea it would be so literal!  ...the girls had fun anyway! 

Happy New Year everyone!