The Moments of 2010 that Defined Us...

Looking forward to a new year always gives me hope...hope for all sorts of new and exciting things to come! It also causes me to reflect on some of the "moments" of 2010 that defined it for me.

Zip Line in Jamaica

•Turning 45 years old was a defining moment...it just sounds old. I don't really feel that old, except when my back is giving me trouble, then I am reminded that I am not 25 any longer.

•Taking the boys on a last minute spring break cruise was such a nice family trip for us. We spent three days getting to Ft. Lauderdale and spent those days seeing sites and enjoying some time together that we don't often get during the year!

OJ & Nana spring 2010

•Losing my grandfather, OJ, to his long illness was hard on our entire family. While I knew he was no longer in pain, and that he was probably hanging with my dad and my uncles, we were still challenged with this. I believe the saying goes, "expected but not accepted," and that applied to this experience for me and my family.

Kelly's funeral procession with
hockey players from all across
the Chicago land area honoring him

•Experiencing the death of Joey's hockey teammate, Kelly Ryan, was beyond challenging. We have known Kelly and his family for several years and consider them to be good friends of our entire family. Having my boys have to go through a funeral for someone their age was a bit too close for comfort. There is just not an easy way to experience this, but it defined us in so many different ways.

West Hampton Beach

•Traveling to the Hamptons and Maine in July was another wonderful road trip for our family. While flying places is clearly a more efficient use of time, these road trips have become such a nice time for all of us to be together!

•My personal experience of crossing the George Washington Bridge in NY was one I will not forget. I hate driving on bridges--but when I am not the driver, it is so much worse! I've never experienced a panic attack like that, and hope I never do again!

Tricia

•Losing one of my best friends, Tricia, was probably the most challenging thing I've had to go through this year. Her death was unexpected and untimely. This experience did remind my circle of friends that we must make the time to get together more often and not let the busy schedules of our kids get in the way all the time.

Dennis CSHS Freshman Football

•Dennis starting high school redefined me as a mom. This was a new learning process for me...learning to let go. I'm still learning how to do this...

Joe's Bantam Minor year

•Joey starting with a new hockey club--may not seem that big a deal, but with a new club comes new friends, the loss of seeing old friends, and the hope for something new and exciting to come from it.

As I look forward to 2011, I can only hope for more positive than negative experiences. That said, I do believe that surviving some of the challenges we had to endure made us stronger. Still...looking forward to more smiles than tears!!