Predictions

Last year when we packed up the stockings, I jotted down a list of predictions, stuffed the list in my stocking, and forgot about it.  Until we unpacked the stockings a month ago.  Want to read it?

January 14, 2008

I predict that at the end of 2008...

1. Greg will be finishing up his thesis...and he will not have traveled any to do it.  (Greg is indeed finishing up his thesis, but he did have to make one trip to St. Louis.)
2. We will have no idea where we'll PCS.  ("PCS" is military lingo for "move."  And I was right!  I should point out that had all gone according to plan, we should have found out several months ago where we would be moving.  But I knew better than to assume all things would go according to plan, hence my pessimistic prediction.)
3. My parents (and Greg's) will still be in Texas.  (Right again.  Thank you, economic downturn.  Would anybody retire in these conditions?)
4. Mary will still have quite a bit of hair.  (Um, yes.)
5. David will love preschool and be understandable.  (Almost right.  David likes preschool, but I wouldn't say he loves it.  I was right about his being understandable--I love that we can have real conversations now!)
6. David will be a good swimmer.  (Wrong!  He loves the water, but he can't swim.  We were sure he would learn in 2008 with year-round swimming lessons.  But we ended up taking him out for an entire year.  His skill level was too high for the parent-child class, but he wasn't ready for group lessons.  Resisting the urge to splash other children while you wait for your turn was just too much to ask.  And he doesn't take instruction too well from his parents.  But this is a new year.  And he's signed up to start again on Tuesday.)
7. Greg and I will have seen one movie in the theater.  (Wrong!  We have not seen one movie together this year.  And I thought I was being pessimistic in my prediction.)
8. Mary will be getting into stuff like crazy.  (The canned goods, the utensils, the pots, the trash, the laundry, the sock drawers, the towels . . . )

In a lot of ways 2008 was a crummy year.  The collapse of the economy and potty training in the same year.  It doesn't get much worse.  But I will miss 2008.

For one thing, I like the way it looks.  The two zeros in the middle, and then the eight at the end looks like two zeros stacked on top of each other.  Which also happens to look nice with the big O in Obama.  (It wasn't an entirely bad year.)  I don't like the way 2009 looks.  But I am prejudiced against the number 9.  

I will also miss the David & Mary of 2008.  I know there is a lot more David & Mary to come.  But this was their first full year together.  (Our first full year together.)  It was like a tsunami, a roller coaster, and a delicate truffle all at once.  Oh, those two . . . the smiles and the frustration.  Pictures to come.

By our standards, 2008 was a very stable year.  It was nice to live in the same place all year.  It was also surprisingly nice not to cross the Atlantic even once.  Also, Greg was only gone two days out of the entire year!  2009 will undoubtedly bring some big changes we didn't have deal with in 2008.  I know we will look back fondly on the past year.

By the way, if you're wondering about my predictions for the end of 2009, they are classified!