See and Read About Our 2009

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Happy Holidays and Hello from Zogland!

I tend to be chatty. I also tend to find my little family of three to be extraordinarily interesting and special. Keeping that in mind, I've attempted here to write about the highlights of our year. But know as you read this that I was holding back. When I count my abundant blessings, my husband and son are at the top of the list. The tippy top.

If you are short on time, I suppose you could just skip to the summary at the end. No one will ever know. Note for newcomers to this blog: in an attempt to avoid showing up in Google searches, I don't use our names.

I am often asked how we like living in Chapel Hill. We've been here since May 2008 and it's the third city we've lived in since we were married in 2002. Here is my answer: Hands down the best town ever, in the history of ever, or will ever be. No need to discuss. Ever.

Okay, on to us...

As we end 2009, Daddy Zog is wrapping up his third semester of school. Only three semesters remain until his PhD is in hand (2011). Anyone who knows him will not be surprised to learn that he is excelling in his program. He is a dedicated and diligent student who receives high praise and marks from his professors. This year he traveled to five conferences to present his research papers, was accepted for publication twice, and was even cited in a Federal Court decision. Best of all, he loves his work and feels he was meant to be in his field. He spent his summer teaching, and those weeks reaffirmed that he is on a fulfilling and exciting career path. In addition to his fellowship work, Daddy Zog managed to squeeze in a trip to the NBA draft in New York in June thanks to tickets his sister scored. All work and no play just wouldn't be fair!

What a change we witnessed in Baby Zog in the last 12 months. We celebrated his second birthday in October. You can browse this blog to examine his adventures from the year. His biggest achievements this year were learning to speak in full sentences, counting to ten, and naming the players on the Tar Heel men's basketball team. He loves Grover, Kermit the Frog, Woody and Buzz, bacon, guacamole, sticks, hats, checking the mail, and saying "bless you." He hates wearing coats, eating veggies, and having his hair washed. He's enrolled full time at an exceptional child care program at a nearby church. He is thriving there and we are reminded each morning as he runs to greet his teacher that we've found the right place for him. A big event for Baby Zog was recent surgery to place tubes in his ears. The surgery was a success and the positive change for him was immediate. We couldn't be more pleased.

It was a year of new beginnings for me (Mommy Zog.) Late in 2008, I lost my job with the magainze publishing company in Birmingham that I'd been with since 1999. Most recently, I'd been working from home, which left me with literally zero local business contacts. So, I updated my resume and joined the networking circus that, in June, led to my new position as the Business Development Manager for a community bank. Yes, that's right. I'm a banker now. Crazy, I know. The story of how I found this position is even more crazy unless you believe in God's intervention in our lives, which I fully do. This new job is amazing. The work is challenging and rewarding, my boss is encouraging and non-micromanaging, and my schedule is my own to keep. In addition to this new position, I also worked as the Event Manager for the North Carolina Literary Festival from April to September. I was busy for those months, but the work was incredibly rewarding.

So, in summary, we are happy - the kind of happy parents wish for their children. We are content, living in a great town, working fulfilling jobs, and enjoying every single second with our precious two-year-old who asks to listen to "Santa music" in the car and loves to talk about Baby Jesus and his mommy and daddy, Mary and "Jofish." This Christmas we've especially realized what people mean when they say everyhing is new again once you have a child.

We hope your 2009 was also full of happy times and wish you a memorable 2010 filled with things you love.

Peace, hope and blessings to everyone from Zogland!