Josh took the vacuum apart and discovered the problem, then took it in to our neighbor's vacuum repair shop yesterday. Our good, good neighbor fixed it up for us and gave it a second birth. I just finished vacuuming my living room and I feel absolutely enthralled. The carpets are so ... so ... clean! No more bits of snacktime or green shreds of faux Christmas tree. I can breathe a huge sigh of relief, because I no longer have to apologize and explain whenever somebody walks into my house. (It was really, really, really bad!)
The simple things in life, like vacuum cleaners, are such a blessing. Here are some of the other things that were fabulous in 2008:
* I got to take a trip out to LA to visit my sister and watch the American Idol finale live. SO much fun!
* A couple short weeks later, I had a trip planned to go with that same sister to northern California to see a charity prerelease screening of Wall-E. It was so much fun and I got to chaperone my nephew, Sam, for the trip.
* Sam and I are becoming real buddies. He just turned 15 yesterday and he is so much fun. I'm grateful for my deepening relationships with my (many) nephews now that they're all living in my city.
* Josh and I took our kids on a quick overnighter to southern Utah, to see how they'd do in a hotel room. It was interesting.
* Despite the previous item, we planned a full-scale family trip to southern Utah this autumn and had a blast. The weather was chilly and the leaves had, for the most part, fallen, but we had a great time anyway.
* I finally got of the hairstyle I've had since a teenager: long, straight, all the same length. I am loving the fact that I'm getting more bold with my hair, even if it's not exactly ground-breaking to other people. I'm taking baby steps, folks. Baby steps.
* Josh attended his university commencement and we finally put the long, arduous Bachelor's Degree chapter behind us.
* Josh took Joseph on a trip to Alabama to visit his parents, who were serving a mission there. I got to enjoy a peaceful week with only three people in the house, instead of five. Ahhhhh, quiet.
* The twins started preschool and I have a life again!
* My mom's seventh grandson (still no granddaughers) was born. Dylan is my fourth nephew and I adooooore him.
* Joseph's reading got much better. And so did Tommy's. (He is frightfully precocious. I'm a little scared of him, I think.) ;)
* Two of my best friends are in town right now visiting from Minnesota. We've been staying up until waaaaaaaaaaaay too late playing Pandemic and Modern Art and I am so happy to get to see "Uncle Craig" and "Aunt Jaclyn" (or "Uncle Jaclyn" as my young children sometimes call her.)
* We invested in a piano and I am so happy to be able to hear music in my home.
* We "adopted" a foster daughter in Cambodia. (It's not a legal "adoption" ... it just means we are supporting her and writing to her.) Her name is Sovann and I can't wait to get to know her better. Maybe in a few years, we can save up for a trip to visit her at the orphanage.
* Josh and Joseph hiked "The Y" and even enjoyed it. I think that hike is miserably dull and hot.
* The boys particularly enjoyed one of our family nights when we went up the canyon and collected leaves. They still talk about it sometimes.
* Many more blessings and experiences and moments too numerous to blog about. Happy New Year, everyone!
2008 was a real mix of the temporally horrendous and the spiritually sublime for me. I would rather have that mix than the other one! Glad you had such a great year!
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