G and I get a kick out of the voiceover guy for shows like ER and Lost. It's always {in a deep false caring voice} "...and no one suspects the trouble in store" or "just when you thought it was safe to go back to the ER" or "who will Jack turn to now?"

So, with that in mind, this is {cue voiceover guy} "Say Goodbye to an Old Friend" edition of the blog. And by "old friend" I mean the year 2007. Originally I wrote out our whole year, month by month but upon rereading I realized even our relatives wouldn't want to hear such a detailed retelling of our life. So here's a nutshell recap in the form of subtitles (you can read it in voiceover guy tone if you want):

The Year We Tried to Buy 3 Houses and Finally Snagged One
Yes, we bid on three different houses and it fell through twice. The first half of our year was occupied with selling our house and all the appointments involved in bidding-buying-inspecting times three. But it was worth it...we're very happy where we ended up after all.

The Year We Let our Teenage Daughter Fly Alone on an International Flight
Lauren went to Ireland and had the time of her life with Aunt Sue. {p.s. it was a direct flight so we weren't too crazy in sending a 14 year old overseas.}

The Year We Took Separate Summer Vacations
Lauren to Girl's Camp & Ireland, Maddy and me to Guatemala to try to learn Spanish, Greg and Sam to Acadia National Park. We all loved our adventures and were glad to reunite.

The Year Sam Learned to Ride A Bike. And Finally Lost Teeth.
This was a huge accomplishment for him, the bike riding that is. The teeth are now practically jumping out of his mouth.

The Year I Blogged for Real
I joined blogger in 2005, when I started a blog for my extended family (which eventually fizzled out). Last year with a little nudging from Christie, I started writing this one. It's brought me a lot of satisfaction, connections with old friends, introductions to new ones, and more ease with my own writing. But wait, there's more! As a bonus, I was contacted by an author I love and several long-lost friends and family members. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Happy New Year! I love the fresh start and resolution making. Prime list-making season, which is one thing I'm very good at (or, if you're an English major and that sentence bothered you "one thing at which I'm very good").