As 2006 ended with a flash, and far too quickly for my taste, I sit here and reflect on all the things that have happened, good or bad, this year.

I found a temp-to-hire job at the beginning of February, which ended abruptly toward the end of April.  They had decided to bring in an employee who had worked for the company previously, and let me go.  I got a call after 6pm on a Friday, from the temp agency, telling me that I couldn't get my things from the office, either.

If I hadn't lost that job, I wouldn't have been able to be a stay-at-home Mom for 7 glorious months!  My son is thriving, and he is so cute when he talks.  He turns 3 this month, and talks like he's a year older, at least.  Now, if I could just find the "Off" switch for the violent behavior and destructiveness, I'd be even more happy.

My husband had found a MUCH better job in July and gave his ass-boss his notice, but left the job before that two weeks was up.  His new boss was a dream come true, helping us to get back on our feet, from bills piling up.  The job was going great!!!

I was able to make it to Las Vegas in September, to see my brother have a committment ceremony with his life-partner.  It was a beautiful ceremony, and I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law.  It was a wonderful visit, seeing some of the sights of Las Vegas, and my son getting to see his uncles.  My brother, Chris, was even able to make it from Chicago, and it's the first time that our entire family had been together since my wedding 4 and a half years ago.

My brother, Chris, left the big city life in New York City, to move to Chicago.  He's doing all right, though things could be a little better for him.  He finally got a twin-sized bed to sleep on, instead of the couch or floor, and his roommates were ecstatic about it!  The simple things in life ...

Halloween was fun for Bobby.  He wanted to dress as a pirate, so we bought the costume and he had a blast trick-or-treating.  It would've been better if he had taken a nap during the day, and hadn't been so tired by the time we were done, but it was cute to see him at every door.

Thanksgiving was just terrific!  We went up to see Greg's sister and her family, in Oklahoma.  We had a good visit, and look forward to being able to see them again soon.

On the 22nd of December, Greg was fired from work.  What a time to lose a job ... so Christmas was interesting, to say the least.  We had already bought all of our gifts, for friends and family, so there was no way to take them back.  We visited with Debby, Bob and Dan, opening gifts at their house on Christmas Day.  Bobby had the motherlode, this year, in gifts.  My best friend, Vada, even sent him 5 gifts from Washington State, even though she's never even met him.  It was wonderful to see the joy on his face when he opened all his gifts.

Greg's been looking for work and has had a couple of interviews already.  He's got a few more scheduled over the next few days, and we're really hoping he can get himself a job again.  We decided that it would still be best for me to be able to stay at home, so I haven't been steadily looking for work.  We're sure that something good will come out of this.  We're hoping he can find a job for a little bit more money, and with benefits, considering his arthritis and medical expenses.  Two of his medications are over $50 a month, and we really need a co-pay on those!!!  LOL

We found out, yesterday, that the reason he got let go, was because his boss is closing his print shop, completely.  The other girl who works there, is not being warned, so she will up a creek without a paddle in a few months.  The only problem had been that we had found an absolutely gorgeous apartment, finally!  It had a garden bathtub in the master bath, a private alarm, sprinkler system and full-size washer/dryer connections.  The rent was significantly higher, so we weren't able to sign the lease, due to no income at the present time.

So, 2006 ended with a BANG, almost literally.  However, things are beginning to look bright already for 2007, or at least, we can hope so!