Silver Linings of 2010

I confess. I'm not very good at "looking on the bright side" or finding the "silver linings" of the black clouds that sometimes hang over us. But I am married to someone who's upbeat and positive 99.9% of the time, which is helping me get better. I thought I'd take a look back at 2010 and look for the silver linings on some of 2010's black clouds. (Please don't take this to mean that our lives are hard - I think my posts throughout the year have proven otherwise.) This would have made for a rather depressing holiday greeting and I've been a little short on time lately, so no Christmas cards this year (don't be hurt if you don't get one).

CLOUD: We've taken our last one of these for a very long time.

SILVER LINING: We were able to visit the happiest place on earth twice just this year and several more times over the last few years thanks to incredible friends

We love The Morrells!

and family.

Thanks Mom & Dad Richards! Richardsfest 2010

CLOUD: Here's where we spent Spring Break.

 

SILVER LINING: We got to see these wonderful ladies (and their husbands)

AND I got to fulfill a dream I never had the chance to while at BYU. (Thanks, Manda!)

CLOUD: Brandon's Grandpa Zirker passed away in April.

SILVER LINING: He was ready to be reunited with his sweet wife, and we were able to participate in one of the most uplifting funerals I've ever attended and spend a weekend with cousins we don't see very often.

SECOND SILVER LINING: I was confused for a younger woman. The downside? She's 9.

CLOUD: We emptied our savings account.
SILVER LINING: We emptied it on a trip to Europe we'd been saving for for months and had an absolutely incredible time!

CLOUD: We spent the better part of the summer apart.
SILVER LINING: I got to spend 5 weeks in Canada with my wonderful family, long enough that it felt like I was in high school again...for better or worse. I was chauffeured everywhere, cooked for 3 times a day and fussed over constantly. It was beautiful!

We had quite the laugh at me setting the self-timer and doing my best to run across the room and squeeze between Grandma & Grandad at nearly 8 months pregnant!

Gotta love sisters.

A good portion of the cooking I spoke of earlier involved chocolate fondue. Awesome.

This was a special evening. 3.75 generations at the Toronto Temple.

SECOND SILVER LINING: Brandon got to spend a lot of quality time with his brother and his cute family doing things they love.

The men were in charge of snacks for date night. Big FAT mistake. Emphasis on the fat.

Believe it or not, I did not ask them to pose for this picture.

CLOUD: Our summer tenant, whom we'd thought to be a friend, trashed our apartment (I'd show you pictures, but it was really gross) and moved out having written us bad checks to the tune of $1400. Funnily enough, she hasn't returned my phone calls, e-mails or Facebook messages for months. 
SILVER LINING: I've been given the opportunity to become a better person and practice forgiving someone who hasn't asked for my forgiveness. This one's a work in progress, it's really been a struggle for me. 
SECOND SILVER LINING: You know what they say about Karma...
CLOUD: I gained 40 pounds.

SILVER LINING: I lost 35 and I think I know where the last 5 is hanging out. Sorry, no visual evidence on this one. You'll just have to trust me.
SECOND SILVER LINING:

CLOUD: After our pimp neighbour moved out, an impossibly loud family of drug addicts who can't close a door without slamming it and love to scream themselves hoarse arguing and swearing all day and into the wee hours of the morning moved in.
SILVER LINING: They offered to babysit.

CLOUD: They've been loudly renovating our building for several weeks now, just before we're moving out.
SILVER LINING: I didn't need to be alarmed when I saw this. (Keep in mind we're on the second floor.)

CLOUD: Apparently Teagan didn't inherit her parents' love of Christmas

SILVER LINING: She does love getting her diaper changed, which happens slightly more frequently than Christmas.

CLOUD: We're leaving Las Vegas and the wonderful, amazing, couldn't-live-without friends we've made here (not all of our friends are pictured, so please don't feel bad if you aren't here - you know who you are!)

 

 

SILVER LINING: We'll be keeping in touch with said friends and are moving for Brandon's LAST internship before graduation. We'll be living in Moscow, Idaho with his family and will be soaking up all of the love and help they can offer. Look out, Grandma & Grandpa Richards! We're hoping to come back to Las Vegas after Brandon graduates in May, so I won't say lengthy goodbyes to our Las Vegas friends to save some embarrassment when we move back later, but know that we will miss you!

Lesson learned. There's always a silver lining! And while I hope you don't have any clouds in your future, I hope you'll always be able to find that silver lining.