A 2011 to Remember

HAPPY NEW YEAR, lovelies!  I have to say this has been quite an eventful past month, as I'm sure it was for all of y'all too!  I plan on blogging more detailed posts (with pics of course) for the events below, but in a nutshell....from December 15th until today, there was:

- my wonderful family driving up from Florida to North Carolina to help celebrate the holidays

- shopping, hiking, cooking, baking, movie-watching, game-playing, and lots of eating (my fave new recipe was Pioneer Woman's "baked french toast")

- celebrating the joy of Christmas and attending the Christmas Eve service at our church

- enjoying the incredible 65 degree weather on Christmas day

- the giving and receiving of wonderful gifts and stockings filled to the brims (my 2 fave gifts were my Kindle Fire and Clarisonic Mia!)

- working my 16 hour shift at the hospital on Christmas day

- flying to Tennessee with John to celebrate the holidays with his family

- meeting two of my best friends new babies and attending an incredible wedding of a great friend

- renting my first 2 Rent the Runway dresses - so fun!

- coming down with "a terrible stomach bug" on new year's eve night....

- and having the stomach pain get increasingly worse every day, not being able to sleep or eat or move

- flying back to NC and having to go to the ER early Tuesday morning

- getting the horrible news that my gallbladder was FULL of gallstones, extremely inflamed and would require emergency surgery that night (it obviously was not just a "stomach bug")

SO that brings me to today: We got home from the hospital early this morning, and I am recovering from the painful and scary operation that is gallbladder removal surgery (aka cholecystectomy).  I was able to be discharged early this a.m. and John has been so amazing, making me comfortable, bringing me snacks and ginger ale, and telling me stories and jokes galore (although laughing hurts so bad!)  

Just wanted to provide an update, not quite the way I thought I was going to ring in the new year, but thankful for a successful surgery and for all the thoughts and prayers of loved ones.  Hope you all are having a wonderful first week of 2012.  Fun posts about the holidays coming soon, I promise :)

XOXO