2008 - a look back

I guess it is that time of year. To look back at the previous year and make plans for the next. Brian and I tend to live pretty boring lives, but this year was a little different. We started our store, Rock the Cradle, which involved lots of work as well as blood, sweat and tears. While we were getting that off the ground, I suffered a miscarriage. It was kind of a surprise because I thought I was incapable of getting pregnant. It was doomed from the start and ended in February, not even two months along. One of the most horrible things I've ever experienced and I never want to experience it again. I really wish Gerber and other companies, however, would quit mailing me stuff for my nonexistent child. It's really fun to get that coupon book for your four month old child that doesn't exist! :) We've moved on and continue to try and get pregnant but no such luck yet. We may have to look in the adoption direction soon, but right now, we're continuing on this path.

The store opened in April and we've been pretty successful given the economy and gotten some local press love as well as high ratings from customers on sites like Yelp. We wish the business was making more money, but we're pleased with the progress. I had to go back to work to pay our bills and get off COBRA, which was killing us. I'm hopeful that the store may be enough to support both of us sometime in the near future, but we're making due right now on my salary and keeping more in the business.

We got to travel a little bit this year. We were able to go to Las Vegas over Valentine's Day for a trade show and see the show, Love, which I highly recommend. We have always wanted to go to Austin, TX, which we did in February too. Went to Cali in September with my family and lots of trips to Phoenix to see my family, especially my nephew, Colin. Hopefully, we'll find a way to travel a little more this year. Now that I have a new nephew, Aidan, I'll be headed down to Phoenix as often as I can.

So this year has been a bit of a struggle and I'm not sorry to see it go. We've had some good things happen and some not so good things. I'm ready to go into 2009. I have a list of things I would like to do or accomplish this year. Here are a few:

1. Start our own line of children's clothing.
2. Pregnancy or headway on adoption.
3. Travel to a city we've never been before.
4. Try to enjoy life more and stress less. This will be nearly impossible, but I also don't want to have a heart attack before I'm 40 either.
5. Get our house sold and downgrade to a more reasonable mortgage now that only one of us is working.
6. Try new places, restaurants and events and really enjoy all Denver has to offer.

There are more, but I keep adding to it. I think that a list is more attainable than resolutions. A list is things you want to do and resolutions are things you want to change about yourself. I would rather experience and accomplish things than trying to make myself perfect. Because that will never happen...