2017 has been an amazing year

This morning as I was driving my teenaged daughter to school with her red velvet cupcakes to share with her friends on her last day of school in 2017, we noticed that some had tipped and all the icing had slid off them.  Already cutting it close for getting to school on time, we had to turn around and head back home to replace the cupcakes with extras we had made for ourselves (thank goodness for extras).  This situation would have been upsetting to the former “2016” me – running late is bad enough, but having to turn back home for something forgotten or to change a coffee-stained top on the way to work for example, used to really set me off for a bad start to the day in the office for sure. The “2017” me, however, smiled. I turned up the radio, backed up the car and off we headed for home to fix the situation.  It was smiles all the way back to school, with a happy girl heading into the front doors with her treats in hand (being late is really not the “be all, end all” in the BIG scheme of things after all, is it?) 😉  
 
This had me thinking on the way home of all the things I am so thankful for as 2017 draws to a close.  I am thankful most of all for my family: for a husband who supports me emotionally and financially in my somewhat fanatical, expensive fascination with bengals; for my children, who know and accept no other life but one surrounded by the love of each other and our animals in a slightly chaotic (but super fun!) home; and last, but definitely not least, for a truly amazing mother who has basically raised our children for us while we were both tied up with long work days and commutes five days a week all these years.  I am especially thankful for free choice – with the support of my family, I chose to leave the daily ritual of my 20+ year legal career earlier this year, taking a leap of faith and leaving a steady paycheque behind to be home full time with my teenagers and bengals.  It has been the best year of my life and the best gift I have ever given myself or my family.  I have loved every second of cat and kid chaos, school drop offs and pick ups, mid day vet trips, early morning figure skating practices, hands-on sick days when the kids aren’t well, leisurely grocery shopping at 11am rather than rushing through the store on the way home from work, lunch with my best friend at noon on a Thursday, just because we feel like it – and tipped cupcakes ;)
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These are just a handful of the amazing gifts that I have been given in 2017. I am so thankful for all of my friends and family, nearby and far away, and for all the new adventures that lay ahead us for 2018.