Five on Friday

1. I'm really bummed that today is one of my favorite coworker's last day.
2. I've got 192 unread posts in Reader. I'm just a little behind...which is surprising considering how much time I spend on the computer.
   
3. It is Friday and I've got two days off. Yay!
4. My nose is running; I hope I'm not getting a cold.
   
5. This making a list thing is harder than I thought it would be.
   

What I didn't do this year

This was a tough year for us. There was a lot that I didn't do.

• I didn't visit my parents enough, but they were understanding about it (and can any child ever visit their parent enough?).
• I didn't scrap much, but I hope to do more next year.
  
• I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't really gain weight either. I'm considering this two pound difference a temporary increase.
• I didn't buy a new car, but I hope to next year.
• I didn't lose it at work, even though we lost three people and will soon lose another.
• I didn't lose it at home, even with the passing of my FIL and my accident.
• I didn't buy a smart phone so I still have an incredibly cheap cell phone plan.
• I didn't sign up for cable, FIOS, or Dish so that's still hundreds of dollars I'm not spending. I'm pretty sure we'll be the last people in the US to sign up for cable.
  
• I didn't run up any credit card debt. Despite an increase in expenses and a decrease in income, we still managed to get by.
  

It wasn't an easy year, yet I am happy with how we dealt with it and how we got through the rough spots. I found strength (and vulnerability) I didn't know I had. I'm thankful for a loving and understanding husband and thoughtful and supportive friends and family. Thank you!

Wishing you a wonderful 2011! I hope that the new year brings permanent jobs, good health, happy families, and lots of love for you.

Double whammy

The guys have been working on cleaning out FIL’s house for the past few weeks. It has been slow going and painful. I think if you’ve never had to clean out someone’s house, especially a packrat who liked to dumpster dive, you can’t understand how difficult it is. And if you have packrat tendencies yourself, it is even more difficult. And if you can't figure out the value of something, either monetary or sentimental, and your siblings can't either, well, back to the slow and painful.

At the same time, I've been "forced" to clean things up at home since we're getting a couple pieces of furniture. First, I gotta clear out a spot for them. Then I have to clear out a path to that spot. Or maybe I need to do that in the reverse order. No, I'm not as bad as that hoarders show, which I've never seen since we don't have cable because it is too expensive and we watch too much TV anyways and yes I'm going off on a tangent or two. Yes, I have lots of stuff, all valuable I'm sure. I did manage to part with some of my precious Tupperware collection, only because I've recently become convinced that glass containers are better (now I've started a jar collection). I found letters from J, Uncle T, and even, unfortunately, cards that I addressed and stamped, but never sent.

It has been difficult for me to see FIL's house being emptied and stressful trying to straighten up my own house at the same time. Somehow, I don't have a problem getting rid of his phone bills from ten years ago or appointment cards or junk mail that was made to look like it is from the government. But my own stuff? I finally got rid of checks from the 80s and the 46 cover letters from 1992 (even though the recession was officially over in 1991, no one was hiring in 1992. Anyone who is job hunting now has my sympathies). And the letter disputing a credit issue that was about 25 years old is gone. You should have seen the cute stationery I typed it on (yes, typed).

Add all that to stressful week at work and I've been in tears all week. I guess it really has been a triple whammy. Thank goodness Monday is a holiday. Hopefully an extra day off will bring some much needed rest.

4 am

Did you know that it is really dark and quiet at 4:00 am? For some reason I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep for the longest time. And then I slept fitfully until I really woke up. Guess we both didn't sleep well since we didn't get up until 7:45 am. That's late for us (well, late for Mr. Fix-it, lol).

Not sure if I've got a lot on my mind or what. Or maybe it is this cold (allergies?) I've been fighting since Tuesday. I even went home early on Tuesday and took a nap. That's soooo not me. Ah well, at least I have the weekend to recover.

Happy Independence Day!

Truly, I feel fortunate to live here in America. We're not a perfect country, but we have the power to change, to improve, to speak our minds. I've done some traveling overseas and really, we do have it better here.

As we were driving around today, I noticed a dearth of flags. There were only two homes with flags in the neighborhood. Both families are immigrants. What does that say about the rest of us? Are we taking today for granted? Are we too busy shopping or BBQing?

I remember my dad would put up our flag every holiday. I loved helping him take down the flag at the end of the day. I used to know the proper way to fold a flag, but unfortunately, I don't remember anymore.

Thank you America!