Passing Time

Well, here I am - another year older, but too busy to really process it! I had a great birthday breakfast on Saturday, cooked by my fabulous hubby. We celebrated my dad's birthday as well.
I have been thinking about how much my life has changed over the past year, and the biggest change has obviously been SS. On my birthday last year, we were still completing our foster care program, and were eagerly anticipating a placement - not knowing that we would have a girl arrive on our doorstep in the middle of the night three weeks after my birthday. So this past year was a growing year for me - learning to parent a teenager, helping the family adjust to a new family member, and navigating cultural issues that I never knew existed. So, though I don't feel any older, I do feel that I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience this year (oh, yeah, and lots of driving time!). SS said today, "I sometimes feel that I have been in America for 10 years, not just one." I guess that I feel sort of the same way. Only one year, but my heart says longer!