How was your 2013?

Mine was fantastic, for lack of a better word: it was one of my best years on record!!

For starters, my mom was pronounced cured by her doctors after fighting cancer for over six years (breast cancer): she went through all the treatments, surgeries, and recovery, and every year since her last surgery (five years), she faithfully went to her cancer checkups, in the hope that it didn't come back.  It never did.  And this year, right on her 45th birthday, she was pronounced "cured", which was the best possible birthday gift she (or all of us) could have ever received!

Then my dad got a promotion at his job and is now making more money than he could have ever dreamed of.  We no longer have to struggle nearly as much, and then his boss recently rewarded him with a nice bonus, and dad has informed us that in September, to celebrate, he is taking our family on a cruise to Alaska.  We leave for Alaska next year, in September (only eight months away, once January rolls around!!).

It will be our first familyu cruise, though Mom and Dad have been on several (all to Mexico, but this time, they wanted to try Alaska, and they wanted to take us, the kids, along).

Then, after all that, we got a new addition to the family: Mom and Dad had been trying to adopt internationally, for over two years, and this past June, the adoption was approved, and we got a new sister: 3 year old Jie Xie Min (now known as Ruby Grace).  She is absolutely adorable (and a handful; she is never still for a minute!!).  I also got twin cousins, two boys named Teagan and Tobin, who were born in August (they are nearly five months old and are the cutest little babies EVER!!).

I just hope that this coming year is just as good (well, it should be; we have that Alaskan cruise to look forward to in September!).  I pray and hope with all my heart that it is!!  I hope your year was just as good as mine was, and if not, I pray for a much kinder, gentler year for you all!  And I pray that the new year is fantastic!!  Lord willing, it WILL be!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!