Opening Remarks

I've heard the saying before: "How you spend New Years is how you will spend the rest of the year." Or some variation of something along those lines. And "New Years" referring to the eve celebrations welcoming the new year. Well, spending an entire year in the warmth and presence of my family is definitely what how I'd like to spend the next year. It was pretty much just us this year (minus tracy, rob, and mark), plus one uncle and a small family from my dad's church. We watched the hockey game (sorry Canucks) while eating steamed lobster, beefsteak, baked potatoes, and baked salmon; played some boggle and take 2 (*cough* scored 133 in one round) and speed 2; watched Kingdom of Heaven and paused it somewhere to countdown the new year; and then recontinued the movie until its end at around 2am. Pancakes, my parents' new pup, slept in between Dale and I while we were watching the movie. As I watched her all curled up in the warmth of us, I imagined her as our baby. We even call her baby and honestly, the way we both talk to her is the way we talk to babies! Perhaps it was a foreshadow of the upcoming year...;P She's too cute. I was never really fond of dogs growing up. Perhaps because I was always allergic to them (and still am), namely to ones that shed fur. But Pancakes seems to be the exception. I love her!!! She's so playful and every time she sees me when I come into the kitchen in the morning, she stretches her small self over the cardboard boundary that keeps her in the kitchen and wags her little tail furiously in delight at my presence. *sigh* I want a baby. A baby dog that is. Heehee.

New Years eve used to be such a huge deal for me as a teenager. I always wanted to spend it with lots of family and friends together and after countdown, stay up as late as possible because who wants to sleep when a new year just rang in. Not me! Well, of course things change and now I'm happy with dinner, boardgames, and a movie (gotta have those boardgames!) with family. I'm even happier because I have Dale to spend the rest of my life's new years with. That fact makes every celebration a happy one.

2008 will be a wonderful year because I have a wonderful God. I want my faith to explode and my knowledge and love for the Lord and His Word to increase as I seek His face, His will, and His life in and for my life. I know that God will bless me because that is His promise and His desire. I know that God will walk ever more closely with me because as I abide in Him, His Word says "I will abide in you." True, I don't know what events will occur this year or where I will be 12 months from now, but I have a God who does and I'm trusting in Him and believing that He is faithful.

So, here's to a new year filled with every blessing of new life in Christ! Live by faith, not by sight!