Looking forward to 2009

This coming year I have decided to make the one and only New Year's Resolution that I know I can follow through on and keep.

This coming year I resolve to make NO resolutions!

Yay, I'm already done!

Seriously, have you ever been able to keep a single resolution? Can you even remember what they were going to be last year? So instead of setting myself up for some hard work (well okay, some hard thinking) this year I think I will make a list of things I would like to see happen.

*As with every year, I hope that this is the year we become parents. And since that is really out of our hands I really can't make that a goal anyways. We have been approved to adopt for almost a year now and we started the process back in 2007, so it is high time that someone took notice of us and saw what wonderful parents we would make.

*While we are handing out babies to awesome parents, there is some relatives and friends of mine who I also believe would make great parents and I hope that this next year they will finally be blessed with the children they are yearning for. I don't view these people as competition; rather we are all traveling the same long journey and I have come to love them so much that if a birthmom said it was between me and them I would tell the birthmom to choose them because I think they have fought a harder battle and deserve to be parents before myself. Note - that does not included the entire world (my mom is probably freaking out thinking I am trying to give up her grandchildren). What I simply mean is that I have met some awesome people who ache to hold a baby and I want that as badly for them as I do for myself.

*I also think it is time for another niece or nephew, so I hope that this year Josh's sister has another baby. Wouldn't that be great if she had a baby and we were placed with a baby right around the same time? Our babies would have so much fun together! And even if she has a baby and we still aren't placed with one, I know I will have a great time being an aunt. I'm also hoping that I will get some chances to babysit my nephew this year (was that hint subtle enough?).

*Josh's brother will be coming home from him mission in October (he won't extend because that is hunting season!). I am so excited to see him again. I never realized just how truly hard it was to have a family member serve a mission. I always thought it was a sacrifice on the young man's part, but I didn't realize how much we would have to sacrifice to have him go away for so long. I also hope that Misty will still be a part of the family and while I don't exactly expect an engagement before the end of the year next year, I do hope that she will someday join our family permanently.

*I know we aren't to the point where we can be excited about Josh finishing school, but I am hoping that he will make some good progress this year.

*I can't wait to really figure my camera out and I hope that I can use it on several occasions, maybe even do some semi-professional work for friends and family.

*Josh says that he hopes to kill a big elk & deer this year and that he also hopes someone in the family finally draws a Book Cliffs tag.