Year in Review

Good Friday morning and Happy New Year's Eve!

As promised, the Gallery Pics are from yesterday's paintball battle. I have "wound" pictures in the mix, so if you have a weak stomach look away.

Because of the length of today's post, I'll be skipping Weekend Happenings. (Just call me if you want to know what we're going to be doing!)

Faulkner Five Year in Review 2010

As promised, I will now give you, the reader, a brief, honest review of our 2010. I've tried and tried to come up with the best way to do this. Top Ten List? Go through the year month by month? Hit the highs and skip the lows? Just list our favorite movies of the year and be done with it? It's a difficult decision, I tell you.

After much consideration, I have decided to review 2010 Faulkner by Faulkner...

Mikie - I've said it before, and I will probably say it again... Mikie is our constant. He changes little from year to year. If he got rid of the gray in his hair, he would probably look exactly as he did 20 years ago. (But I love his gray hair, and I would kill him if he changed anything... and not just because it would make him look even younger than he does now!)

He still enjoys his work. Thankfully, he still likes to come home at the end of the day. He seems no closer to a mid-life crises at 49 than he did at 39. He has always looked forward to the time when he can get the Senior discount for coffee at McDonald's... and he can now see the light at the end of THAT tunnel!

He is the first person I run to when I need help being a "mom of teenagers" because that role doesn't come naturally to me... and he is SO much better at keeping things in perspective than I have ever been.

What can I say? I love Mikie!

Austin - This has been a year of "open doors" for Austin. He's a sophomore at JSU, and continues to march with the Southerners... and continues to love it!

He finished his last segment/interview for the nationally-syndicated radio talk show he was asked to join this fall (as a college football game predictor) this morning at 1:45. (The show is based in Los Angeles, so his interview times have always been in the wee hours. His voice is very low at 1:45 a.m., so he sounds more knowledgeable and wise.)

As that door closes, he will begin hosting his own sports radio talk show at JSU in two weeks. He named his new show "The Red Zone." I know nothing about radio, but I thought it sounded pretty cool. (I should have gotten him to name my blog two years ago, but who knew he had a gift!)

He still faces the temptations all college kids face, but this past year he was blessed with a handful of friends of like mind and faith. Time continues to pass more and more quickly, and he will soon be 20. Unbelievable.

Fun fact for you... He, too, is looking forward to the time he gets his Senior discount on McDonald's coffee. Like father, like son.

Josh - We recently reached the five-year mark of Josh's diagnosis. The OCD shows itself in totally different ways today than it did when Josh was 12. However, if this illness has taught our family anything, it is to take one day at a time. It is a part of Josh, but it does not define him. It makes his life's journey more difficult, but not impossible.

Josh continued the lawn care business this past year (five lawns), but looked for a "real" job for several months. He found a seasonal job at a Christmas tree farm, and thoroughly enjoyed the work. He has begun looking for another "real" job over the holidays, and hopefully something will open up soon.

He is a Junior this year, which is so hard for me to grasp. He is extremely independent and determined. His 2010 wasn't easy, but he made it through... one day at a time.

I greatly admire his tenacity.

Roxie - Roxie is now 14 years-old. The past year has been a mixture of sports, friends, church, school, friends at school, friends at church and family. Volleyball and basketball continue to be her sports of choice.

She has grown physically taller in 2010, and she has grown inside, too. This year will be remembered as the year she decided she didn't like small talk, she picked out her car, she picked the destination for her senior trip, she picked her college of choice and she decided on a major. As you can see, Roxie doesn't live one day at a time. She's all over the place!

Roxie has had a good year, and she's learned many life lessons... but there are still so many to learn.

She's a fun chick, and she keeps us on our toes. This past year would have been very boring had it not been for Roxie and her "interesting" outlook on life.

The Enchanting Belinda - This has been my fourth year dealing with panic attacks... and my worse. A new doctor hasn't seemed to have helped yet, but I'm still praying and hoping 2011 will be a better year.

I continue to struggle with my ever-changing role as "mother of kids who are determined to grow up." I'm afraid I will never be very good in that role, but I hope I can at least fool the kids.

I still like simple things... dinner with the Faulkner Five, road trips, date nights with Mikie. The year 2010 had as many of those simple things included in it as I could squeeze in working around everyone's school, work, sports and "just life" schedules.

I don't think I've changed very much this past year, except maybe to become a little more aware of some things I need to work on in my life. I don't know if that is considered wisdom because I'm almost 50, or stupidity because it took me almost 50 years to decide I needed to work on those things. (You can decide, and let me know later.)

All in all, 2010 was a pretty good year. There wasn't a single defining moment, but I think that's okay. We've had good times and bad times. We've all made mistakes (some of us more than others). But good or bad, mistakes and all, we have been beyond blessed this year. God continues to be there for the Faulkner Five, and we continue to be thankful for His daily presence in our lives.

For all my blog-reading friends out there, I wish you a very Happy New Year.

Take care, and I'll talk to you Monday.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda