Starting Over

*Bug & Monkey climbing out of the play tunnel for NEW adventures-1.1.11!!

On Friday, December 31st, I worked out with a dear friend, M, who also moved back to the Bay Area in 2010. She is newly divorced and a single Mom to 2 adorable kids. During the past year, M and I have grown even closer with the changes that brought us back to the Bay Area and our "childhood homes". Literally. M and I actually raced against each other in college and became fast friends when we both owned Baby Boot Camp Franchises. Oddly enough, last year at this time M and I were discussing how starting over was scary, overwhelming, exciting and fun. She is now happily dating a wonderful guy, cycling tons, training for great races and making each moment with her kids count. Then we discussed how here we were, the end of 2010, and life in essence was starting over for Makenzie and my family again. Truly, starting over...but with a jump start compared to last year.

After working out we were running back from the Club and Makenzie was talking about all the things happening in 2011. She was excitedly talking about school, Daisy Girl Scouts, Ballet, McCafferty Family Reunion in the Poconos, Hawaii trip with Kreitz fam, swimming daily again, and starting school all over. When returning to school in January, it usually is a time after "vacation". But now it will be two Januaries that Makenzie has started over...and she verbalized that. She goes to school tomorrow and is starting all over again. While she has been doing homework, keeping up on reading, and being as active as her body allows, she was only in her first grade class for 3 weeks before she got sick. She is nervous about how much energy she will have, if she can keep up on activities, if all the kids will pay attention to her and ask what happened, and how her friends will be. She doesn't want to stand out since whenever we go anywhere we are running into friends who are kindly asking about Makenzie. Rightly so. She was in the hospital and made it out after a battle that has lasted more than three months...and still isnt' complete. She's worried she looks different now, but then also isn't worried at all and just wants to play and be NORMAL. Her reality of life has been so altered that she IS starting over a new kid. She is NEW in different ways that have actually changed her to being OLD. She is now an old soul in ways I can't count.

So this year we are all starting over again. 2011 brings us a new year of opportunity and adventure. When looking back at how we started over in a new state last year, new school, new life in Alameda, we did so and made an adventure out of it. This year proves no different. It is a new adventure in First grade for Makenzie, one she will conquer with gusto. It is a new adventure for Emerson who starts Tiny Tots on Tuesday, and is now officially in preschool. Both girls start ballet this week which is a new adventure too! It is a NEW adventure for me as I am starting over a different Mom, woman, wife, business owner and personal trainer. I have to re-launch my business and as a trainer, I feel much stronger in working the schedule around my family, around my own athletic goals and evolving my business goals. Jack is figuring out his next goal for his career and growth at Corinthian, since he got promoted while Makenzie was in the hospital. Now he can settle and allow himself to grow and evolve without the stress of a hospitalized sick child.

The phrase "new Normal" has been used to us many times to describe our "new life"...but I look at this as a new adventure for what the year brings. We handled the challenges as a solid family unit that didn't crack in 2010, and this year we are ready to start over and LIVE each goal. Tomorrow we start over as we embark on 2011 newer and stronger than we were before...bring it on...