I'm B-AAA-AAACK!

Did you miss me?

To be honest, I've missed you.  Blogging has really taken a back-seat lately, in case you hadn't noticed, and I have been anxious to get back to it.  The problem is knowing where to start.

I could tell you about the horrors of moving 800 miles through a blizzard two days after Christmas, but I've moaned about that here in Blog Land enough already.  And besides, the outcome was that we arrived and no one died.

Then I could tell you about how I caught fire at the fancy-schmancy VIP night during the grand opening of my husband's store, but that's really all there is to that story.  I caught fire.  My husband dragged me out of his showroom for fear I'd set off the sprinkler system and all those highfalutin interior designers in there sipping on their cocktails would get soaked.  It was embarrassing.  My favorite jacket was ruined.  The end. 

Then I could tell you how the hubs and I are being audited by the IRS, but that's a rather personal story that just makes us look bad, so I'll skip it except to tell you that the pit-stop we made at his mom's house is turning into a much longer stay than we'd anticipated...

And finally, I could regale you with the story of how I had a stroke at the ripe old age of thirty and landed in the hospital for three days.  Turns out I have a hole in my heart, just like my dear father, who felt the need to share with me his less than desirable DNA.  The good news is that this story is on-going and you'll certainly be kept up to date.  Also, I'm not drooling uncontrollably or anything - the stroke was a mini-stroke which doesn't leave lasting effects.  But I do have some hilarious pictures to show you at a later date. 

The best way to summarize the month of January is to say that it has been crap from start to finish.

HOWEVER!

I've learned a lot along the way:  don't move in the winter, don't stand near open flame, if you know you made a mistake on your taxes you should fix it instead of brushing it off, and sometimes life is just insane and there's not much you can do but ride it out.

I've also learned that in the midst of every trouble there are blessings, and those blessings usually trump the bad stuff - if you focus on them.

I believe in God, (I hope that's not shocking to all of you), and I also believe that He does not send us trials that are beyond our capability to handle.  And I believe that those trials are meant to refine us and strengthen us, not trample us into despair. 

I feel stronger.  I feel awakened to how much good is in the world, and in the people around me.  I feel joy in the smallest blessings in life, and it's become easier for me to spot them.  They are everywhere.  I am glad for this horrible month in the sense that it has changed me for the better - if only just a little bit.