Monday, December 31, 2018

Last day of the year

Since today is New Year's Eve, I spent some time mentally reviewing the past year while drinking my morning coffee. 2018 has been all about big life changes around here. It will definitely go down as a most memorable year!

January kicked off with us mourning my dear mother in law, Edythe, who passed away in early December of 2017. I believe she was ready to go...she was very, very tired and had been unwell for several years. She had always been so active and bubbly and fun loving that I truly think she lost her will to go on as she became more and more disabled. Although Gregg misses his mom a great deal, nothing about his love for her has changed since her death. And now we can remember her in happier times when she was always laughing and up for any adventure. She was a dear, good woman and a fantastic mother in law. 

My grandmother also passed away this year, at the good old age of 92. She also seemed to lose her will to go on after a health scare prompted my aunt to insist that she sell her house and move in with her and her husband. I understand that my aunt was trying to look out for her, but grandma seemed depressed and sad about it. A year later, she was gone. 

There were gains this year to balance out the losses. My dear friend Marla gave birth to baby Carsen at the end of May, and that has been a wonderful thing. More so since Marla and her husband lost a newborn baby girl (their first child) a couple of years ago. Little Carsen is a healthy, happy, curious baby girl and a total joy to be around. She may not be my niece by blood, but I'm still one of her "aunties". 

I spent the middle part of this year working hard on getting in better shape and losing weight. I strictly counted calories for several months through the summer and into the first part of the fall, and then got a little less conscious of it when we started working on buying the house. I lost just over 35 pounds (and have kept it off) and intend to resume my calorie counting in January.  I still want to lose another 30 pounds. Just yesterday I saw someone I used to work with and she said, "Wow! You look like you've lost a lot of weight!" It made me feel good, especially since I haven't dared step on the scale for the last couple of weeks! I'm sure I've put back on a few pounds over the holidays, but I intend to blast that back off right away in January....and to continue the hard work.

Of course, the highlight of this year was buying the house and moving in over Thanksgiving weekend. We're so pleased with it--the house itself, and the neighborhood. It manages to be very convenient to downtown, but also nestled away adjacent to a nature/walking trail and a small creek. We see all sorts of birds here, mostly a huge flock of cardinals but also woodpeckers (this morning we saw a Yellow Flicker for the first time ever), finches, wrens, doves, blue jays, and we've heard owls at night. And one night we saw deer tracks in the sandy dirt at the edge of our front yard. It's so quiet and peaceful here, and with the one exception all of the neighbors we've met have been friendly and welcoming.

So it's been a stellar year for us, overall. I hope that 2019 continues to bring us more good than bad, and that any life changes are only pleasant ones. 

I wish all my blog friends and visitors a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year! Thank you for visiting my humble little blog, and thank you for being a big and important part of my life 365 days a year! 

Happy New Year!!!

Image may contain: plant, flower, nature and outdoor
My amaryllis and poinsettia are both still looking good!



31 comments:

  1. It's certainly been a busy year for you -- one of the busiest in your life, I'd wager! Here's hoping 2019 is calmer (in a good way!) as you settle more and more into your new home.

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    1. Thank you my friend! Wishing you, Dave, and Olga a fantastic New Year!

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    1. Happy New Year to one of the funniest and most fun bloggers I know!

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  3. Happy New Year. I am so pleased you have found a house and have made it your own, inside and out. Feed the birds. Your heart will find joy, and so will the flickers.

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    1. Our new home is a bird paradise! We have two feeders up and they've been mobbed with feathered visitors! I love feeding the birds.

      I hope you have a much better New Year in 2019. You deserve a good year, my friend!

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  4. Happy New Year Jennifer! Enjoy your new home.

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    1. Same to you, Sue! 2018 brought us both new homes and new adventures!

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  5. Happy New Year. Wishing you a fun year in your new house!

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    1. And a very Happy New Year to you, too! Thank you for stopping by!

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    1. I hope this year makes up for last year for you, John. You deserve nothing but happiness and I hope 2019 brings it to you in droves!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! Your blog looks interesting and I intend to do some reading there later today!

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  8. This year might be the best yet!

    HNY Jennifer

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    1. Thank you Kylie! I hope your year is filled with good things and happiness!

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  9. Perhaps you should give Mr Grumpy your blog address so that he can learn something about modern life and decent non-Christian living. Happy New Year to Marco and the other Barlows!

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    1. And a very Happy New Year to the Pudding clan!

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    1. And a fabulous New Year to you and San Geraldo!!

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  11. You have had a busy 2018! I hope that your 2019 is filled with joy!

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  12. Also... bird watching is so very enjoyable and gives one a sense of tranquility! What do you think of squirrels? Some folks despise their Tom-foolery... but I tend to be amused by their antics, myself. 🙂

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    1. I love squirrels and never begrudge them whatever seed they can manage to snatch while keeping one eye on our dogs! (My dog Ginger loves watching the feeders, and both dogs will chase squirrels).

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  13. Thank you for sharing what you do; I hope you have a marvelous new year.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by my blog! Happy New Year!

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  14. When Marla's daughter was born, I was happy for them. When you found the house, I was happy for you. It was sad to lose your mother-in-law and grandmother, but all things considered, it reads as if the good has outweighed the bad/sad for you in 2018.
    May 2019 continue along those lines!

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    1. I forgot to mention that last year started with us being terrified that Gregg's cancer had returned....we got the good news from his PET scan the first week of the year and it was such a wonderful relief!

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  15. And now is your knee?
    2018 was freaking totally crazy for you! The best of times, the worst. Okay, maybe not the worst. But you went through some tough things. Now you are settled, though, and it makes me so happy to think of that. I wish ALL good things for you and Gregg. Contentment, peace, health, and more and more love.

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