and the year ends in a whimper...

this is the time of the year when i normally try to look back and take stock at what is/has gone on around me. i figured today would be a good day to start this conversation, because today has been a toughy for me. as a lot of people know, i started back in the summer with brick house kitchen in fayetteville. the kitchen was opening a kafe on dickson street and after months of waiting (and sporadic work here and there)...the kafe opened about a month ago. i loved working there and interacting with people and working with a great product. today i learned the original location was/is closing for a while...and therefore, their staff is transferring over to the new location that i managed. hence...i am no longer needed.

this really upsets me for a variety of reasons. i gave a huge portion of my time and energy to the opening of this location this year. more so, i really loved working there and think this kind of decision just blows. especially on christmas week. now i am saddened and scared as to what i am going to do, when the holidays finally do go. not to mention...i am prone to depression after the holidays end...so i am meeting this with extreme sadness.

this whole year has been a roller coaster and a year full of lessons. my love for daniel, our house, and our little dog charlee grew and grew. i couldn't ask for a more supportive and kind person than daniel. there have been so many days where he has lifted me up when i was at my darkest points. this year also saw the addition of harper to our house. he is our newest little dog and has taken his place alongside of charlee...as rulers of the house. we are so blessed to have them both.

in march, i lost my job of four years with doubletree/hilton. it was a bit of a shock, but not devastating...as that job was sucking the life out of me. the adjustment period after it, however, was hard. after a few weeks...your "to do" list becomes very thin. in this economy, you suddenly realize that you cannot simply go out and find something new. therefore, i built a bit of a portfolio, working on websites, helping out friends...and of course, teaching. this year has seen me teach for both northwest arkansas community college and university of phoenix. both posts have offered me a chance to get back in the classroom...and kept me busy.

in april, i was approached to start working with brick house (see how that turned out)...and also got some pretty shocking news. jessica, lance, and sarah d. have always been our best friends in the area. lance and sarah shared in april their plans to move back to tulsa and have a baby (and wedding). this was a rough period for me...and still stings a bit. i love cadence (the now born little guy) and the wedding was great...but there were so many challenges with the loss of close friends. we see them every month or so...but its simply different, in a time when i needed stability.

jessica is doing good. family and friends all seem to be good. a few new friends have even worked into the fold. however, this year will end in a state of unease. it was a year of change. a year of great and sad things. a year that tested me (and a huge chunk of america) in ways i could have never predicted.