Snow for Christmas?

Every year I get a "Christmas Letter" from at least one or two people. You know the type, everything in their world is so perfect that it makes me want to run to the bathroom and pluck my eyebrows so that I can hear myself scream out loud. They always name every person and all their accomplishments for the year and their grand adventures and if that was not enough they even write their upcoming plans for the new year. Well, I thought I would take the time to just BLOG my Christmas letter, so here goes...

Merry Christmas Everyone, 
This year has had it's ups and downs but thankfully more ups than downs. It is funny that I used to be a person that could name the downs faster than the ups, but now I see how those downs are always a path to the ups. My life has changed quiet a bit since last Christmas.  I have married my prince charming, gained step-children, turned fifty, have had some come to Jesus moments with learning to let go of the past. I have held my breath as my first born joined the military, and watched with pride as he became an amazing soldier. I have cried buckets of tears watching my daughter face heart ache and counted to ten knowing that at ten things would be better. I have rejoiced in the new feeling of being completely in love and having someone completely love and adore me. I have prayed many a prayer for a Brother struggling with health issues. I have watched with envy and glee as friends become Grandparents for the first time. I went to three funerals in the past year and thought how Heaven is blessed with new angels. I have stood on a mountain top and literally felt the presence of God and been in total awe of his art work. I have had moments when I did not know how to pray, and times of anger when I did not want to pray. I have laughed and smiled more than any other time in my life. I have accidentally tasted Wasabi and realized that it was not for me as I was wiping the tears from my eyes and screaming at the same time. I have stood on my feet (in cute Cowboy boots) for two and a half hours straight with 30,000 others screaming my head off at a Garth Brooks concert, only to be at the fox theater two nights later dressed to kill and acting like a Lady seeing Amy and Vince.  I have learned that not everyone is going to love you or even like you, just realize it is their loss!!  You still have to live loud and live large because you only get one shot at this thing.
I have made a new home, lost an old home. I have realized that you don't need twenty "sometimes" friends, but those that would come running may be few but priceless.  I  have held hands more than I did even as a teenager. I have learned to use a GPS system and not scream at it ever five seconds as it tells me to re-calculate. I have become a little wiser and realized patience really is a virtue. As for the New Year, who knows what could be ahead. I already know that we have some tough challenges ahead, but as Garth sings, "our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, but I would have missed the DANCE"... 
God Bless Each and Everyone of you and Merry Christmas!!! 
Love,
S. Sugarbaker

PS. I'm not sure if I should tell you this but I did kidnap a pig wearing a pearl necklace and pearl earrings, the pig was wearing the pearls, I only commit crimes wearing diamonds!