Happy Blue Moon New Year!

It's been a hectic few weeks, but I'm taking some time to reflect on 2009. Not much of a year, especially compared to 2008, which included a wedding, a move and a hurricane. But, here it goes: highlights by month:

January

I'm starting off with this photo, taken early in the year and printed and posted in two prominent places: in the key holder and on my monitor. It set the tone for a new year, new family, new life.

After creating the site for Joseph's school, I held a training for the teachers and started another site called Galveston Now Open. It was a photo gallery displaying photos of signs businesses were posting around the Island to announce they had reopened after Hurricane Ike. By the time I posted 100 photos, life was almost back to normal. I said almost. Trucks continued to transport loads of sand up and down the Seawall to replenish the beaches in time for turtle nesting season.

February

Early in the month, a lady flipped her Lincoln into our nextdoor neighbor's yard. I was the first responder. We hear she's OK. There was Mardi Gras, of course. One of our favorite eateries, Sonny's, reopened. But the most life-changing event of the month was that Eddie and I got iPhones!

March

Grandpa came to visit and helped me with some improvements to the Houston house, which I've slowly updated, purged, cleaned and painted most of 2009. Grandpa also got to partake in a Friday Night Dinner (FND) and play with Joseph. Eddie celebrated the reopening of El Jardin!

April

Joseph and his 5th grade class went to Camp Kappe, and I went to CKC (my first) in Houston. The Grand Kids Festival was another sign of the Strand returning to normal. And of course, April is birthday month, so we did it fun at Schlitterbaun.

May

Rudy & Paco's finally opens! We don't go right away, but I've always thought that the reopening of Rudy & Paco's signaled the return of "normal". May wrapped up the school year with lots of end-of-school activities like May Crowning and Field Day. Also, I helped the 5th grade make cards to sell at the GCS Art Walk. Oh, and we hosted the May wine tasting. Not everyone is back in their homes.

(ok, enough for now. I'll recap the rest of the year tomorrow!)

Holiday Hybrid

This is for my fellow scrappers in Circle Journal #7 over at Paperclipping.com. We all are to do a layout of "Holiday Moments," however we interpret that. I overcomplicated this simple task by finally doing a LO that I've wanted to do for years and doing it hybrid. Well, my computer (and my skills) are not equipped to do digi, so after various programs and versions, I was able to come up with the image below. It's now at Color Inc., and when I get the prints, I'll scrap it up with a 3D surprise, mail them out, and post the final here. So CJ7, thanks for your patience, and thanks, Sandy, for coordinating.