We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2009!

Welcome to 2009 and our very new blog. Hopefully, this will give us a chance (or second chance) to communicate a little better and we can get some pictures and a few items of interest posted here on a regular basis.

First and foremost, we want to wish all of our friends and family, near and dear, a very Merry Christmas. Since we are of the catholic tradition, our Christmas season officially ends tomorrow (on the 12th day of Christmas), and Epiphany begins on Tuesday, January 6, so....my tree doesn't come down and the decorations aren't put away until the 6th, although our outdoor lights came down on New Year's Day (Scott was bored and needed a project...sigh).

Lily had her second (there's that word again) Christmas with us and this year, and rather than a blur, she was very much a part of the activities and looked forward to each and every one. After Thanksgiving, Scott and Lily signed up to be part of our church's first play, "Silent Night, Holy Night". Into the first day of rehearsal, I was drafted into a part because a castmember had to bow out. I have never, hear that - NEVER - had the first experience acting in a play. A skit for fun, once, but never a play. I had to learn lines - paragraphs of lines. I was to play an off-duty nurse on a cold Christmas Eve and I was a nervous wreck. Scott and Lily had no lines, they had it easy being part of the manger scene. Lily was an Angel in the tableau, and Scott played a wiseguy...whoops, I mean, a wise man. I think he presented the gold (and if you know Scott, that wasn't the easiest thing to do-- LOL). Anyway, it turned out great, all went fabulously well and we had a wonderful Christmas experience that was new to all of us.

A quick update on family affairs:

Ian is 22 and working as a commercial estimator for a large air conditioning contractor here in Orlando. He is currently living with his dad and liking life as a bachelor. He fishes and plays golf and builds aquariums when he isn't working. On weekends during football season, you will find him wherever he can watch the Florida Gators and the Dallas Cowboys. Everyone else can step aside.

Katy will be 20 in 4 days. She is currently a student at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy, studying to become a chef. She will graduate in December. I now know the proper way to dice vegetables, how to make stock (with a sachet), and the proper way to make mashed potatos. (We've had our squabbles in the kitchen...this little soup nazi and me!) Anyway, she is so cute in her little French chef uniform. She must wear a hat, cravat (neckerchief), chef coat, black and white checked chef pants, black shoes. No skin must show, no earrings or jewelry, no makeup, no white of her nails, etc. You KNOW I have to laugh because this is the child who spent all of her money on her nails, jewelry, and makeup. Miss Priss is now fussing over lambchops instead of her nails.

Scott is grateful for the opportunity to serve his customers with H2O Depot for the second (hey!) year. With today's economy, we only saw a loss of less than 10% from last year, compared to so many who lost a third or more of their small businesses (or lost everything). We hope that we can tweak things a bit to prepare if we have another down year. But, for now, the bills get paid on time and we thank God every month we can pay our mortgage and put food on the table.

Lily is still taking tae kwon do and hopes to test for her orange belt soon. She loves all things Hannah Montana and lives for school. She has made me count the days during this past two week break until she can return. I asked her yesterday what it is that she loves so much about school. She said she misses her friend, Taylor, and she loves the "work on the board". This child loves to learn. Can't wait until next year, SECOND grade - right, Mr.Tarbox? (Mr. Tarbox is my second grade teacher and the very best life had to offer for a teacher. He, to this day, continues to inspire!)

As for me, I was fortunate to be able to be a work-from-home mom this past year. In April, I left my part time job at the law firm after almost 24 years. Scott needed my assistance with H2O and I needed to be home more. I miss my co-workers immensely, but still love them and we e-mail each other frequently. Also, in June, our "church without walls" moved to a school. I coordinate small groups and special social events, so being able to do this all from home affords me some time for Lily in the afternoons and saves us immensely on gas and afterschool care. For the first time in 24 years, I can actually say that home is my base and I love it.

Enough rambling...

Love to you all-

Tracy