Despite the past couple of days, this has been the best year of my life. We’ll start with the obvious – I got to marry my best friend! I look back at those days of planning a wedding, and all the hair pulling I did over that one day, and I want to laugh. Some of the things I stressed over were not worthy of that much thought. And kind friends tried to tell me that very thing. But I didn’t understand until my own wedding just what they meant. When it’s all said and done, I am now married to the man of my dreams, and that’s the only detail I really care about.
But still, it really was a beautiful wedding.
And a beautiful honeymoon!
But first things first, let’s do the obligatory recap of a year well lived through some of my favorite posts I wrote in the last 12 months.
January – The wicked stepmother: It’s amazing how time changes things. In January I was having issues being a step-parent. I felt like me and Frizz were never going to see eye-to-eye. He was so distant and contrary to the rest of the family, I didn’t know how to relate, we mostly just moved around each other. It’s so different now! But reading back at this post, I want to wince at how uncomfortable those days were!
February – Don’t FREAK Out: Oh, my little daughter. DQ told me about a year ago that there was no way she would ever turn into a sullen teenager. The very next day, she turned into one. That girl is both my sunshine and my stormy days. I love her so fiercely, but man she is such a pain in the ass! At this time, she was hanging out with this boy who was so NOT good news, and who totally freaked me out. It reminded me of a time when I did the same thing. My parents reaction was to, naturally, freak out. My reaction? To get pregnant. So when DQ fell into the arms of some bad news boy, my mantra became DON’T FREAK OUT.
March – Defending my no good EX: It isn’t often that I write about the Ex. Partly because it’s bad form to slam someone in a place on the internet where they can read it. Partly because he is my kids’ father, and I wouldn’t want them to read something bad that I had said to all my closest strangers. But mainly because I no longer have anger or animosity about him regarding the past, and I try to have understanding about his shortcomings in the present. Plus, in the times when I am angry, I want the freedom to say things I wouldn’t regret pasting on the internet. But in March, the Ex was arrested. And admittedly, I was pissed. But I managed to get over it for his mother’s sake in a phone conversation we had way back then in the spring.
April – A full month of blogging: This month was full of blog posts that hold a lot of meaning for me. First, it was when the son of a friend of ours was murdered by his mother. This was a shocking turn of events, something we never would have seen coming. It’s hard to believe that little children can die in such a way, by the hands of the very person they trust the most. Second, my son became the homerun king at baseball! The kid hit his very first homerun, and then he was drafted up from the Minors to the Majors. I couldn’t have been more proud. Third, we tried out family meetings for the first time, and could claim success. In fact, I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the turning point for me and Frizz’s difficult relationship. While we have only held a handful of meetings since then, and none as orderly as this one, it was this specific meeting that began to help us blend as a family, and understand each other a little more – something that is so vital when trying to solve relational problems!
May – Up, Up, and Away!: My job sent me on assignment to fly in a hot air balloon over Sonoma County. That’s right. I was paid to ride up in a balloon over the wine country, and was treated to champagne and brunch afterwards. How cool is my job? Plus, I got some pretty awesome photography from way up there in the sky.
June – Wasting Time: Just a little food for thought about the reality of paid writing vs. the every day job. I especially love this post as we head into the new year, and I have aspirations about where my writing is going to take me. 😀
July – Beautiful nightmares make the best novels: You guys, this is where my novel was born! This post is a bit cryptic, and doesn’t give away the plot at all. But it’s where I first dreamed up the storyline that is now my almost completely edited novel that is coming out in 2013. Eeeee! If you want more info on the novel, visit my author page at CrissiLangwell.com.
August – Showering the bride: My sister gave me the most beautiful bridal shower ever. This is my 2nd marriage, but my very first (and last!) bridal shower. She went over and beyond in every detail, right down to the handmade drink umbrellas to sit in our watermelon margaritas. The photos were amazing, thanks to how sweet the afternoon was.
September – 10 years ago today: It was 10 years ago that I suffered a loss I never thought possible – the loss of my son just a few months before he was supposed to be born. In past years, September 23rd has been one of the most difficult days to get through. But on the 10 year anniversary of his birth to heaven, the kids and I made a day dedicated to family. It was truly special.
October – Did something happen this month?: I swear I can remember… Oh yeah. I got MARRIED! It seems like just months ago I was lamenting the fact that I was never, ever going to get married to Shawn, my Mr. W. And then, October 13, 2012 came and he put a ring on my finger and gave me his last name. The very next day, we left for a week-long honeymoon to Costa Rica, which I blogged about daily with lots of photos to your enjoyment (or total dismay). What a wonderful month this was!
November – Finishing the novel: Besides getting married, the other huge thing this year was finishing my novel! This is the third novel I have ever written, but the first one I have stuck with to get it fully edited and well on its way to being published. I’m more than a little excited about it, and I hope each and every one of you (all 3 of you) buy my book and make me a famous author.
December – Letting her go: This wasn’t exactly my choice for how I wanted the year to end – saying goodbye to my daughter when she moved to live with her father three hours away. She moved on Friday. And I was sad, still am. But the good news is that I’m not falling apart. I survived. And it’s all going to be ok. Who knows how things will turn out – if she decides she loves it and wants to stay forever, or she hates it after two weeks and wants to move home. All I can do is take it one day at a time, and understand that even though she can’t be here every day, she is still just a phone call away (or a three hour drive).
But of course, this New Year is going to be so, so, so great. I’ve already started a mental list of the things I want to accomplish – my book being #1. 🙂
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of making 2012 as wonderful as it has been – my friends, my family, YOU. 2012 is one I’ll remember as a really, really great year. And I’m so excited about the upcoming year, I can hardly stand it!
Happy New Year!
Wine Country Mom 
HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR,Crissi