What a year it has been for our family, like many others there have been ups and downs, here is my journey from this past year.
We survived our first winter here in Texas, we had some very cold day’s but only one day of snow. The girls were a little sad that none of their “Weather Day’s” were actually used during the winter months, from what we were told by many locals it was a rather mild winter.
We got to experience our first spring here and all that came with it, grass starting to grow back, trees blooming, plants growing and WEEDS growing. We have very large flower beds located in the front of our house and we had no idea how many weeds can actually grow at a time. We did not realize that we needed to cut everything back super small and mulch at the same time so as you can imagine our flower beds were a nightmare all summer long to take care of. I always love the rain but I would cry when it rained as I would see the weeds growing from the ground right in front of my eyes and I swear they would be laughing at me cause I knew how much work I had ahead of me. I did enjoy helping Rich with riding the lawn mower and cutting the grass, I found it was very therapeutic after awhile. I learned quickly that the mornings were best before it got too hot but thank goodness for our pool as we spent most of the summer using that.
April is when the fun really began for us as I flew out to Las Vegas to visit and support my mom who went in for her diverticulitis surgery, I’m still very thankful to my husband and my family for allowing me to be gone for 8 day’s to be with my mom during this rough time. During this trip I also received the news of my grandmother passing who I was extremely close too, although we knew she had dementia her passing was still unexpected and the worst part is that I was unable to leave and travel to the funeral. I needed to be with my mom during this time and I was at peace with that, I received a lot of support from my parents and many family and friends during this time which helped. I also celebrated my birthday in Las Vegas with my brother and step-dad while Mom was recovering in the hospital. I did get to see some old friends too during this visit, so I had some sad moments but also happy memorable moments from this trip.
As summer approached the girls ended their school year Lindsey had graduated 3rd Grade on Honors Roll and Kaitlyn completed her last year of Pre-Kindergarten. The girls had completed their first full school year in Texas and what a difference it was in school work load. We knew it would be an adjustment for the both of them but they both excelled and blew our expectations out of the water. We were so proud how well they adapted and how much they loved both of their schools. The best part is that they would be going to the same school and on the same schedule starting in the fall, that meant I would be ALL BY MY SELF during the day’s...that hasn’t happen in ....oh wait before the girls were born..hahaha. Can you tell I was looking forward to some freedom.
Summer arrived and so did the hot and sticky weather, as I mentioned before we really enjoyed using our pool. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did, now I knew why it was so important for us to have a pool when buying a house out here. This was our first full summer in this crazy Texas heat and I forgot what humidity was like and I was not a fan to be honest. I felt like I was sweating 24/7 even when I was in the pool or taking a shower and forget using a hair dryer or curling iron I was sweating so bad I just kept my hair in a towel or pony tail most day’s. We did decided to break up our summer a bit by first visit family and friends in Arizona during the week of July 4th. It was nice to go back to some dry heat for a week, we got to see some friends during our weekly visit and spent as much time as we could with family, like any vacation the week flew by pretty fast. Then the girls and I decided to take a trip to Las Vegas to visit some more family and friends. It was a very nice and relaxing week for us but I have to say it was a little strange to be back on our old stomping grounds that’s for sure. Kaitlyn also took swimming lessons for a few weeks when we were in town, which really helped her with our pool. Lindsey was rather busy with her soccer team as she officially joined the Liverpool Club Soccer team in July, as part of this club team she attended a 3 day overnight camp with her team which was something new for all of us. It was a long 3 day’s for both of us but she made it and it was a real bonding experience for her and her new team. We were also informed that she would be practicing all year around and when it was their off season she would be playing in tournaments on weekends when they were available, this was all new to us but we were ready for the challenge as a family.
I was able to go back home to Canada in September to visit family and attend my grandmother’s burial. It was so wonderful to be back and surrounded by family that I hadn’t seen in over 10 years, although many of us stay in touch through social media it’s not the same as being there in person. It was a very quick trip as I left on a Friday morning and came home Monday. On top of having four flights with two layovers I also had a 3 hour drive each way up North for the ceremony. At least I got to spend some quality time with dad in the car for the 6 hours we had together. I wasn’t sure if I would get any sleep with all the time changes and traveling but honestly I didn’t really care, it was important that I be there and I have no regrets. As sad as parts of that weekend were, it was also very healing and gave me closure to my grandmother as I was able to be at her resting place. This trip made me realize that I have been away from home way too long and next summer I would be coming back and bring the whole family with me.
October flew by as we had a lot going on with both of the girls soccer schedules, school functions and then Halloween. My parents came out to visit us during Halloween which was so much fun, we had a lot of laughs, got to spend some quality adult time together and had the pleasure to go trick-or-treating with us. The girls loved having grandma and grandpa here to spend time with, they know that every moment counts with their grandparents since visits are always fast.
Then we hit the month of November which was absolutely horrible for me and Kaitlyn, we both were very sick for most of the month and both got Strep at the same time, thank goodness it was only us that got it. We had
Then we heading into the final month of the year, December which I was hoping to be a better month. Our not so little Lindsey had a very big birthday this year as she reached double digits 10 years old, we couldn’t believe it. It was a day of mixed emotions for her but we made sure that is was extra special for her. Then as the weeks counted down for the girls to go on Winter break we discovered that a nasty flu was going around Kaitlyn’s class and she was out 3 of the 4 day’s from school that week. Once again she caught Strep for the second time in two month's the good news is that she didn’t end up having the flu.
At this point we were thankful we didn’t have to travel with a sick kid and was happy to be home this year. We did have a quiet Christmas as this was our first Christmas being by ourselves in the 17 years Rich and I have been together, we knew moving here that one year it would happen. It was a nice quiet day just the 5 of us as we got to relax and enjoy our new items and toys. 
We are ending the year on a high note as we decided it was time to retire our 15 year old Toyota Corolla, once the a/c went out, the belt was squeaking and the tint was coming off we knew it was time to say goodbye and move onto something else. After looking at many different brands and models of cars we found an outstanding deal on the Chevy Malibu, we knew exactly what we wanted and how much we wanted to pay for it. We went to the dealership test drove the car and made the deal. We were less than 2 hours in and out of the dealership and came home with nice new reliable family car that has way more cooler options then our old Sally did. We are extremely blessed and thankful for all the good in our lives and feel very fortunate for everything we have. Say hello to our newest family member...we already love her and can't wait to have many new great memories with her. 
Although 2017 had many ups and downs we are happy it’s coming to an end, we are looking forward to 2018 and all that’s in store for us. Happy New Year from our family to yours, we hope everyone has a very happy, healthy and joyful 2018.
Love the Weiss Family!
