The Holiday and The Year that Was

Yesterday we returned from our wonderful New Zealand break.  We tried to spend as much time with family and to rest as possible, but fit in some kiwi-ness at the same time.

The weather treated us to everything from days with clear skies and teal-coloured seas, to wild wind and horizontal rain.

We visited fabulous museums and galleries and even a bookshop dedicated to textile arts.  The Brian Brake photographic exhibition had me wondering "what if..." with photojournalism being the career I had planned long ago.

We went to the Weta Caves, where magical stories are woven.

Christmas lunch with family and friends was so delicious that some of us needed a good lie down afterwards...

We went to Kaitoke Regional park, where the elves of Rivendell once lived...

There was even a Gypsy market by the seaside to visit.  I had visions of a decorated caravan of my own to drive up, all prepared, to markets with.

 On fine days we met the local birds and played games of hide and seek...

...and had some short walks in the forests.

It was a great break, lovely time with our little family of three and my parents, a time to refresh, a time to take in new sights and sounds.

And now, all too quickly, the new year is upon us.  2010 wasn't the best one for us, much of it filled with treatments and a (stem-cell) transplant, with doctors, diagnoses, drugs and new diets.  But I prefer to look at it as being the year we needed to start getting our family healthy again.  It was a year filled with kind words, kind gestures, love, compassion and generosity.

There were some big moments in the year.  In March The Man was declared to be in remission.  That month I also shaved off most of my hair to raise $5200 for the Leukaemia Foundation thanks to the generosity of people around the globe.  

In April, the little one, at eight and a half months took her first steps.  From that moment on, nothing was safe.

In July we celebrated the little one's first birthday.  All through the year we delighted in watching her grow, watching her blossom into a little girl.  A girl that knows her own mind and is sure about the way things should be.  A girl that just loves giving people cuddles to random people and to blow kisses.  A child that delights in exploring and figuring out how things work.  

In August I participated in my first trade fair.  It was a huge learning curve and a great experience.  Since then it's been another child for me to nurture whilst it grows and blossoms.

In October, The Man's treatment was declared successful and completed.  He had another checkup just before Christmas and all is still well.  As the particular cancer he had (Burkitt's Lymphoma) was so aggressive, it means that once gone, if it hasn't returned within a year, he is considered to be cured.

New Year's Eve once again found me in bed before midnight but this time it was due to my body still thinking it was in the New Zealand timezone. 

And now here we are, at the beginning of a new year.  I have lots of creative plans, plans to travel to Sydney and hopefully Japan and plans to get back into top physical health and some resemblance of fitness.  I'm eager to continue to develop my business, to be more social and to have more dedicated family time.  I can feel that 2011 is going to be big.

And to everyone, I wish you the same.  I wish you a truly amazing 2011 filled with dreams and their fulfillment.  

"Wishing you always...

Walls for the wind,

A roof for the rain

And tea beside the fire.

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all that your heart may desire"

                            An Irish Blessing

The Year that Was

Word cloud by Wordle

I remember the moment the year turned into 2009. I was snuggled up in bed having crashed at about an hour before midnight. Morning sickness and first trimester exhaustion were a serious party killer. I woke at the moment of the new year as the first of 108 bell rings at the local temple was tolled. I rolled over and wish DH a happy new year and then we both went back to sleep.

And so the year began, with our little family of two living in Japan and announcing that we were soon to become a family of three.

By March, I was celebrating my birthday during a final trip to Tokyo to see Cirque Du Soleil, finishing my teaching job, saying tearful goodbyes to dear friends and students, leaving my home in Japan and reconnecting with other dear friends and moving into my new home in Australia.

April found me meeting new friends, a number whom I already "knew" from blogging as I joined the Brisbane chapter of Brown Owls and finding out we were having a little girl.

In May, I started getting domestic (early nesting anyone?) with crocheting for the baby-to-come, failed attempts at cooking and going into excited baby clothes washing sessions.

By June, it was all about the unpacking as our boxes arrived from Japan.

In the first half of July, I was impatiently waiting for our little one to arrive, and then by the end of the month I was enjoying all the mummy cuddles I could fit in.

August and September are a bit of a blur as I was finding my feet in my new role as mummy and also returning to work, madly preparing for market life.

October, in Blogtoberfest, I found new motivation to write a post a day. I was inspired.

That then brings us to November when on the day we were supposed to attend an old friend's wedding, I took DH up to the emergency department at the hospital, frustrated that despite having been sick for weeks, having lost 15 kg in two weeks and being no longer able to even keep down water, his GP continued to drag his feet. DH was in surgery by the afternoon and we had the cancer diagnosis a few days later. Chemo treatments started very soon after that.

The remainder of the year I have found myself challenged, juggling life with the little one, daily trips to the hospital and trying to earn the family's income. Things have fallen by the wayside for the while, my blog has been neglected, emails unanswered and Christmas cards unsent. I haven't been as present in the lives of my friends as I'd like. There are good days and bad, but I'm happy to say, while totally exhausting, most have been good.

In between all that I have met some wonderful people, been inspired by so many more and watched the little one grow into an even more amazing creature every day.

But mostly, and mostly importantly, for me, for us, 2009 has been about how lucky we are to be surrounded by so much love, generosity and kindness.

Once again, it is New Year's Eve, and once again, I find myself going off to bed before the stroke of twelve. The little one is sound asleep in her cot in our room and DH is also home from the hospital for a while, tonight connected to a pump that will fill his veins with chemo as he slumbers. There won't be temple bells ringing to wake us tonight, but I'm sure there will be cheers from neighbours so that I can roll over to kiss my husband for the first time in the new year.

So now, a new year and one that I wish for everyone to be filled with love, laughter, health, happiness, peace and prosperity.

Happy 2010!