Only a few hours remain in this year! THANK GOD!

As we slowly drag ourselves across the finish line of 2005, let me offer a month by month review of my life and Gentlewhisper.com.

I posted 719 times in 2005, here are a few of the memorable moments:

January
Number 5 is Alive! - Remembering “Number 5″ in the movie Short Circuit, I declared this year’s motto to be, “Alive in 2005.” - Goodness, we barely made it out alive!
Patience - Patience was the first step towards really living in 2005.

February
Jami started blogging!
I spent most of February obsessed with Sarah’s artistic ability.

March
Charleigh and Judi started blogging!
Stuck in a little mediocrity muck, I decided to use some Goo Gone then suggested that we all Stop and Smell the Roses.

April
Jeremiah turned four and I turned 28.
I fell in love with the Springfield Cardinals and wrote about little else for the rest of the season.
We first heard from my amazing friend Debbie.
I was attacked by an Electrically altered ant army bent on world domination.
Productivity or the lack there of seemed to be a big issue: 45 Minutes, Dead Batteries, My Day.

May
The Great Park Adventure began.
I wrote about some ‘weighty’ issues.
Mother’s Day inspired a rant.
Our friendship with Ron Davis began when I mentioned that one of his blog posts drives me crazy… and he commented back.
Hillery started to blog.
I wrote WAY too much about my temporary hearing loss which inspired the timeless quote, “ringing like Rome the day they picked Pope Joe.”
I remembered Evangel University’s building 31-1.
And of course, I obsessed over the Springfield Cardinals.

June
We celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary.
I ranted about The Message.
Still obsessed with the Springfield Cardinals.
A tornado chased us.
We learned about Jeremiah’s cookie garden.
The Lazy Susan sign went up.
I went to camp.
Joel got some guys out of a burning house.
Mark started blogging.

July

With Messy Reflections, and Poetic ramblings, July seemed impossible, I had NO IDEA what was coming!
Dave and Kelly moved to Costa Rica.
I started posting the word of the day.
Joel wrote on the wall… this will mean more later.

August
I ranted, “Please people, be a little parsimonious with your punctuation.”
I explained Why I Write.
Jeremiah kept asking questions, questions, questions, and more questions.
Our restaurant opened and our grandpa died.
The stress got to me a bit. - I worried about losing our house…
Grandpa’s funeral turned out to be a retreat. I rambled on about the trip.
I confessed that “sometimes I want to whack my forehead against the sharp edge of my desk.”
Having no idea the road we were about to take, I asked, “Are we there yet?”
I went crazy.

September
There were too many Katrina posts to mention.
The Springfield Cardinals baseball season ended.
Jeremiah started preschool and Sarah turned three.
I wrote about death and saying goodbye.
Sarah spent her birthday money on brick houses and something to drink.
I ran away from home. - Maybe this is why Parents magazine interviewed me about stress.
We changed Sarah’s middle name.
Joel pulled two guys out of a burning car.
We celebrated Discardia.
Apparently, I didn’t pay enough attention to my children.

October
We went to St. Louis to celebrate Joel’s birthday.
I finally met Debbie in person. [Apparently we met earlier, but I didn't know who she was.]
I rambled on and on about Narnia.
Jeremiah declared that birthday parties are naughty… Sarah vowed to get even.
Evangel University turned fifty.
I reviewed the Mypod… You might not have noticed, but I sold a ton of these on eBay. Oh yeh, my coffee habit is paying for itself.
I was “a little down lately, a little stressed, a little overwhelmed.” - Maybe that’s why I quoted Ps 118:24 again…
I learned that Joel might go to Iraq and announced that he was going to officer basic training in South Carolina.
I had to censor my posts… it drove me crazy.
I explained why my posts lacked substance.
Road Trip to South Carolina… 8 post series including, “Words Hurt” a post that was password protected until today.
Day one of single parenthood.

November
I’m amazed I even survived this month. It began with me declaring, “I don’t know how to fix it.”
Needing encouragement, I introduced F5 - Refresh.
We witnessed a nightmare on the playground.
On the fifth, I began to rant, “Christmas Already?”
A post titled, “Years from now” foreshadowed the restaurant’s closing. So did this one.
The restaurant closed. I posted excerpts from a week of emails.
After six years at our previous church, I started attending Central Assembly.
I heard Our Song on the radio and decided that I didn’t hate my husband.
I’m doing the best I can became my constantly repeated motto.
Music became my Hiding Place.
There was an article about us in the Nixa Newspaper
Mom and Jami kept my kids for two weeks. I missed my babies! Sarah said we were Torn apart.
Debt overwhelmed me.

December
Trying to get rid of that debt, I ordered the Money Makeover books.
I wrote about my cell phone addiction and saw the Narnia movie.
I’m Not Perfect became my theme song.
I started posting Army Chaplain Links without mentioning why.
Jeremiah performed in his first Christmas program.
Joel came home for Christmas.
My Papa died.
Comfort Food still makes me uncomfortable.
I decided to become a Chaplain.
I explained my interest in the military and my call into the ministry.
I compiled this terribly long list!