I was tagged so here is my 4x4 meme

My friend Sarah tagged me to respond to a 4x4 meme where I reflect on 4 things new to me in the past 4 years and 4 things that I hope to do in the next 4 years. I read her meme before church so I've been thinking about this all day. I hope I come up with something as insightful as what she wrote!

From the Past Four Years:

1. Motherhood - Sorry, Sarah, don't mean to seem like I'm copying you! If Jonnie had not been born 4 years ago, I would never experienced taking care of an infant including the tarry poop when they're first born, seeing him in the lightbox wearing a diaper and goggles to cure jaundice, and the nasty smell of formula. There would not have been the joy of seeing him crawl or walk along with the agony of ER visits because of falls that included being busted open above the eyebrow and a fractured arm. There would not have been the joys and agonies associated with potty training. There would not have been the joys and agonies of birthday parties. The agonies have been all the times that I've given into my bossy in-laws and did what they told me to do instead of standing up for myself. The joys have been recent with Jonnie attending birthday parties of his classmates for the very first time.

2. Conversion - Never in a million years did I think I would join the Catholic faith. My husband explained to me the importance of church after we encountered some marital problems within a few short months of being married. In his eyes, the only church is the Catholic church and everything else is "wacko". I attended mass because it was what we had to do every Sunday morning. It was not until Jon was asked to start the K of C in Plain City that I felt joy in attending mass and met people who were genuine. I felt so welcome in the community that I knew joining the church was what I wanted to do and I don't regret it for a minute.

3. Spiritual Growth - Although my spiritual growth occurred when we moved to Plain City and joined St. Joe's, I see it as something separate from my conversion. Before St. Joe's, I felt prayer and Bible study where things that my 95-year-old Grandma Woodruff did because she had nothing else better to do. WRONG! I learned that young people pray, too. I no longer felt embarrassed to express my faith for fear of acting like an old person. My life has been blessed by Eucharistic Adoration, Cum Christo, Marriage Encounter, the Women's Ministry, and the Hospitality Ministry just to name a few.

4. Depression, Part I - I never imagined moodiness manifesting itself into such an ugly beast so horrible that it took someone outside my family pulling me aside and talking to me to make me realize that something clearly was not right. I didn't listen to Jon because I figured his comments were fueled by gripes he heard from his family. My parents blamed my in-laws for pushing me too hard and disrespecting me. My co-worker Tony pulled me aside back in January 2006 to talk with me. He told me what he was seeing and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I trust Tony and have the upmost respect for him so I went online and started seeking out help. I took several questionnaires on depression and the warning signs were clearly there so I went to see my doctor. On my birthday, she wrote me a script for an anti-depressant and I am still on it to this day. Stay tuned because I want to say more on this.

The Next Four Years:

1. Depression, Part II - I told you to stay tuned! My hope is that will be able to cease the antidepressant medication within the next 4 years. My doctor and I decreased my dosage about a week ago. I'm taking half the amount I was taking previously. Just like when I was diagnosed, I did not notice a change until someone said something. My husband said he was concerned about whether it was right to decrease the dose. Now that he's said that, I'm trying to be more careful about my moods, etc. I am hoping that the pressure of this past week also being my first week of decrease just caused a temporary lapse.

2. School - Our son Jon will start public school in a couple of years. Schools don't have hours of 7 AM to 6 PM like daycare centers do. I have no clue how to enroll my son in school. Heck, I'm still completely confused about getting him proper religious training so he can get confirmed and receive Communion on time. I have no clue how we're going to deal with the whole school animal because Jon and I each have to work. Someone is going to have to get him to school and get him from school. Thankfully my workplace is putting together a telecommuting policy that I might be able to use if it comes down to it.

3. Friends over Family - I know this sounds completely opposite of what it should be so let me explain. Jon and I have no family in the area. We knew that when we moved down years ago but we've established ourselves in a home and town we love, jobs we love, and a church we love. We're not going to uproot that just because our family wants nothing to do with Plain City. My parents used to visit regularly but with their declines in health, it's just not possible for them to come down to see us. Jon and I both understand that. What angers us is that family members who are still in good health, able-bodied do not seem to understand to comprehend that highways are bi-directional. They feel the only way is for us to drive their way. Jon and I both have had enough. Jon's van already needs replacing before it's paid off because we've run up so many miles driving north not to mention all of the gas money we've spent over the years. Don't get me started on the birthday party that I catered back in May with a couple hundred dollars in food that had to travel for 3 hours.

Jon and I had friends over yesterday for the first time in ages. It was so much fun that we're already planning another party at the end of July that will include some different friends. It's been our friends that have been there for us. Deacon Tony & Elaine took Jon for a weekend so that we could attend Marriage Encounter several years ago just as one example. My female friends will host "girls night" and we'll arrange for a couple of young ladies from the church to watch our kids in another room so we can get a break without always dumping the kids on our husbands. Friends pray for one another. I feel so ashamed that we have pushed our friends away all of these years because the van has driven on auto-pilot back and forth to parts up north. Our son has so much fun last night playing with the kids that came to our party. We've got to focus on our friends now. Family is still important and we know that we will still have to make long drives up north but no more catered parties and trying to find someone who has a bed for us so we don't have to get a hotel room.

4. Jon and Jodi Santini the couple - I want to strengthen the bond with my husband. We are so busy leading our separate lives or the live of Jon's Mommy and Jon's Daddy that we hardly have any time as Jon and Jodi Santini, husband & wife. Some of our friends are blessed with family who will take the child(ren) for a few hours, a night, or weekend. We are blessed with wonderful young ladies in our church that Jonnie adores being with for an evening so we can go out to dinner but these young ladies don't work for free nor do I expect them to do so.

We started something today that I hope we will continue. My husband has a membership to the RPAC which is the main recreation center at Ohio State. RPAC has family hours and we decided to try it out today. We dropped off Jonnie in the babysitting area and he was the only one there today. It only costs $2 an hour with a max of two hours. Jon and I hit the cardio machines. Jon had a great workout but I fumbled around on 3 machines trying to find something I liked. We walked the indoor track for a while together and then I said I wanted to use the rowing machines. I rowed while Jon finished walking his mile. We walked around RPAC some more to see what else is there for our next visit. We picked up Jonnie and headed to the pool area. There is a family pool area with a slide, basketball, and some other fun stuff. Next to that are a couple of lap pools. I went to one the lap pools and did swam a lane back and forth. Oh dear God, thank you for letting me survive. I am horribly out of shape! I went back and swam more with the guys. I sat in the hot tub area for a while but started falling asleep so I decided to get out of the pool. Jonnie was still splashing a way but Jon looked like he was going to drop. We finally convinced Jonnie it was time to go and that we'd come back later.

I know an hour at the gym might not seem like much but it still gave Jon and I some time together and it got us exercising which both of us need to do. I'd been doing so well but completely fell off the bandwagon. We also try to have lunch together once or twice a month as my schedule permits. Jon regularly takes a lunch break but it's a bit more difficult for me because I only get 30 minutes so I have to make up whatever time I go over, and I need another supervisor available during the time that I'm gone.

I am sure that I've offended someone, shocked someone, missed praising someone, etc. in what I've written. Like I said, I've been thinking about this all day long since I read Sarah's email shortly after 6 AM this morning. Granted, it took a pot of coffee to get the gears a turning but once they started turning, they did not stop until I put the keyboard to the blog!