We are just 4 days from the beginning of a New Year. This is a time of year for reflection, looking ahead to what the new year will bring, and looking back on what the past year has meant. Each year, we get Christmas cards from a few friends that choose to send an update letter with their card. I always enjoy reading about what their family has been up to in the past year. Now days, social media makes it possible to know more about your friends and their families before ever receiving their Christmas letter. I've never taken the time to write such a letter to send with our card, although I remember in the early years of our marriage, Tommy talked about sending one. We just never took the time to sit down and write one. So this post is sort of my Christmas letter.
When I look back on 2015, one common theme comes to mind, Health! It truly has been a year of health for all of us.
Tommy began his journey to being healthier sometime around the beginning of the year. He didn't follow any particular program. He just decided he would exercise more and control his portion sizes, while also making healthier food choices. His preferred method of exercise is running. He started out by going for walks. Gradually he has worked his way up to running more than walking. His current distance is a little more than 4 miles. Not only has he lost a significant amount of weight, but he now has his blood pressure and cholesterol under control.
It took me until a little later in the year to make the decision to take control of my health. Sometime in June, I stepped on the scale and saw a number I didn't like. So I made a change. I started making smarter food choices. I was able to lose about 9 lbs with relatively no exercise. Then July hit and our trip to Austin came and it was harder to make healthier choices while eating out virtually every meal. So I gained 3 lbs back during that month. But on August 17, I renewed my commitment to being healthy and this time I used exercise along with diet to make changes. To date, I have lost 25 lbs since June and have even been able to reduce one of the medications that I take for my heart.
And the biggest story of 2015 is the health of our son. The trach came out in April and the hole was closed at the end of July and then again in August. He has done AMAZINGLY without the trach, and I must admit there is nothing about the trach that we miss. We even have more storage space now that we have gotten rid of all of the supplies that came with having a trach. He sleeps great and is happy all day every day and life has rolled right along. And maybe the most amazing thing of it all is that he has not been sick for even a day since the trach came out. Normally we deal with multiple bouts of congestion and sinus issues and even a stomach bug or two and the occasional fever. He has not had any of those things at least since April. (Knock on wood) We are so happy with how well he has done health wise.
Other notable things that happened in 2015 include:
*John started 5th grade, his last year before Junior High
*Tommy and I took in 3 concerts, including Garth Brooks (on my bucket list) and 2 ZacBrown shows
*Tommy and I took a trip to Denver over July 4th weekend to see Zac Brown at Coors Field
*We began weekly date nights back in April and have managed to continue them all year
*I made my annual trek to Ohio in Novemeber and received a good report from my doctor
*John began another year of horse therapy and continues to improve in his balance and strength
*John completed his 3rd straight summer of Therasuit Therapy in Austin
2015 proved to us once again that we are extremely blessed. We are so thankful for all of the things our God has provided for us and are especially blessed by friends and family who continue to support us through every life change. From our family to yours, may your 2016 be happy and blessed!
