Happy New Year - 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


That translates from Webdings font to HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It rather reminds me of the tween years when we devised our own codes so our parents would not know what we were writing. Actually, we weren't writing anything earthshaking, it was just nice to know we were in control of something.

I am finally beginning to relax after Christmas "vacation" and two days of driving to get home. There was a ton of mail (figuratively speaking) waiting at the PO and it was (mostly) a joy to go through. I LOVE the Christmas letters people send with their cards. I understand they get mixed reviews from recipients, but I love catching up with what has been going on in my friends' lives.

Our family dynamics have changed drastically over the past couple of years, but we still work to keep family at the forefront. It does take work! Gone are the days when almost everyone lives within a short driving distance of one another. I could always count on seeing my grandparents and great aunts during the holidays when I was growing up, but as our own families expand and move about, it requires a concentrated effort to maintain family ties.

Gunner's brother is a prime example, having made a one-day trip across the country to see his daughter, as reported by the "El Paso Times," 12/17/07 :


Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Steinbring fought back tears Sunday as he held his daughter, Sgt. Nicole Steinbring, 21, after she returned from Iraq on Sunday at Fort Bliss. Thomas Steinbring, who is stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., flew in for the day to see his daughter. (Photo by Vanessa Monsisvais / El Paso Times)

I am off to lunch at DD #2's home - ham, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and collard greens. I won't eat the collard greens, they are not good luck in my book. I will eat plenty of black-eyed peas and cornbread. Gunner will be leaving for a 3rd tour in Iraq in a few months, so we will make sure he eats plenty too.