Farewell 2009... Welcome to the Future

Tonight we say goodbye to 2009 and greet 2010 with open arms. Each year God sends us blessings and joys mixed in with the challenges that help us appreciate them. Some of our notable 2009 moments:

1. JujuBean lost her first tooth at just over 5 years of age... (yikes)
2. We participated in our first ever Nutcracker
3. JuniorBean found the joy of Tae Kwon Do, such a sport designed for him...
4. ButterBean successfully completed first grade and has made strong inroads into second grade... in Arabic!
5. Our company has made successful inroads and enjoyed visible progress this year
6. El 3atal and MommaBean celebrated 13 years of marriage
7. We welcomed a new baby Bean into 3ammo Bean's family
8. We mourned the destruction in Gaza in the early parts of the year, and continue to mourn the on-going tragedy
9. MommaBean actually gave away the very first items of used kids clothing (I admit I'm a hoarder since seeing the quality and cost of clothes in Amman) in support of Gaza. It moved me to share clothes with others in need too.
10. We found an angel tree in Jordan giving the Bean family a very nice way to give directly to an impoverished family!

Things I look forward to in 2010:

1. Blessings and joys that I can't yet imagine
2. Junior and JujuBean's first day of first grade
3. Summer with MemeBean in the heat and humidity
4. More opportunities to love and serve God
5. New friendships and renewing old friendships

Happy New Year!