2010 Goals

It is the time to look back on the year and see if the goals that we set were actually met. This has been an unusual year as I was struggling with physical problems virtually all year. Nevertheless, it was a good year and here are the results:
I. Physical
A. Eat real food--mostly done and I lost 32 pounds.
B. Rest when tired--I am learning to listen to my body and stop when I need to rest.
C. Dental cleanings--twice yearly cleanings done and no dental work needed.
D. Yearly physical--not done but due to my illness, I saw more doctors than I care to remember.
E. Gyn exam--done.
F. Mammogram--will be done Jan.18.
G. GI doc—done January 14 colonoscopy--done and that was just the beginning of my GI tests and exams...
H. Optometrist--not done; on the list for 2011.
II. Spiritual
A. Church and Sunday School--not done as much as I would like mostly because of illness.
B. Bible chapter each day--done.
C. Spiritual book--done.
III. Professional
A. Complete 19th year at TMH--done.
B. Continuing Education hours--done.
IV. Financial
A. Pay off house—done!!
B. Increase emergency fund to $8,000--done.
C. Resume 403b contributions--done.
We also saved almost $40,000 toward new vehicles when we need them.
V. Personal
A. Monthly haircut--done.
B. Spring and fall clothes--done. I've had to buy several new clothes because of my weight loss. (Oh darn...)
C. Read good books--I read and listened to several good books but the old saying of "So many books, so little time" is so true.
D. Go birding--We were able to go on a couple of brief birding trips but I was too sick much of the year to do more than watch the birds at the feeders.

Next on the agenda is to set goals for next year. How about you? Do you set yearly goals?

Compassion

This past year has a difficult year for me physically. It has been a year that has made me ever more aware of suffering in the world. Around us every day there are people who are suffering physically and mentally; they go about their lives doing the best they can. This year has made me so very aware of the need for kindness, gentleness, and compassion.

I have insurance and a loving husband and daughter. But so many these days do not. How could I have paid my $35,000 hospital bill if I did not have insurance?? How would I have been treated if I had no job and no insurance? Even if I were to find a doctor to test, diagnose, and treat me, how much more worry and stress it would have been if I had to find a way to keep the bills paid. There must be a better way to provide healthcare.

Handling the Holidiays

Over the years, I have learned that I am not a big holiday person. I do what I can do without stress, and just don't do anything more. Part of the situation is that I work at a hospital and we are extremely busy with people being sick in the winter, people partying and ending up in the ER, and people trying to use up their insurance before the end of the year. (I worked the ER the weekend after Thanksgiving and it was a madhouse with broken bones, heart attacks, and abdominal problems...) Add to that the fact that hospital workers get sick too and many want to take vacation time to be with their families and we end up short staffed at a very busy time. So my Christmas decorations are in two plastic bins and are easily set up, JMM makes Christmas dinner, and gifts are simple. I enjoy beautiful Christmas music, avoid crowds, and love my family. Sweet and simple and works for me.

Spices

Yesterday I cleaned out the pantry shelf where I keep all my cooking spices. I know you are supposed to throw them out after a year but I hate to waste perfectly good items. I always put the date purchased on each jar so that I will know how long I've had it. The winner for the most out of date spice was some cumin that I bought in 2000. There were a couple of 2006 which were tossed also. The shelf is now nicely organized with the items that I use most often up front and the rarely used ones to the back.
Next on the clean it out list is the canned goods shelf.

Thanksgiving

My dear JMM was the chief Thanksgiving cook this year; I was the organizer / supervisor. And it was lovely. Over the years, I have developed a no fail turkey and dressing recipe, baked Garnet yams from Whole Foods, canned corn, cranberry sauce, and pecan pie from Goode Company. It was delicious and there are plenty of leftovers. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it gives first place to being thankful for our blessings.

That brings us to Black Friday during which I go nowhere but stay home and put out my Christmas decorations and address the few Christmas cards that I still send out. I like to do my Christmas shopping online but will probably venture out to a few select stores next week. This is my stress-free holiday plan.

Gastritis

I had an upper GI endoscopy Thursday morning which shows clearly that I have gastritis. The doctor took some biopsies and cultures and will have the results on Monday. It is most likely H. pylori causing the gastritis but we won't know for sure until Monday. In the mean time, I eat my tiny portions of food, take omeprazole and Maalox, and wait for Monday. Seems like I have been waiting for one test or another result for almost a year now.
In an odd turn of events, it looks like JMM is developing gastritis also. He has been miserably uncomfortable with bloating, nausea, and a feeling of a knot in the stomach. How well I know these lovely symptoms... We.ve got to get him to a GI doctor Monday.

Expenses! Savings!

The last quarter of the year is always very expensive:

Homeowners Insurance: $3250
Property Taxes: $5700
Homeowners Association: $1200
Auto Insurance: $636
Propane fill-up: $300

I have a separate savings account where I save $450 from each paycheck so that when these things come due, the money is there. This account is not my emergency fund because these are not emergencies, I know they are coming and know I'd better get ready for them. I also I have savings account for a new vehicle; my van has 127,000+ miles and JMM's truck has more miles on it. It shouldn't come as a shock that eventually one of us will need a new vehicle and I want to have the cash so it won't be an emergency. Like the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared!!