I wasn't sure I had it in me to do a wrap-up, but I think I'll give it a shot. 2005 started out bad, but better than 2004 had ended. My job was ending, but at least I knew it was ending and I knew when. The first 2 months of the year were the hardest, but I got some help and things got better.

Work: Sticking it out for 6 months in a job where I was unappreciated was tough. I started job searching in February and started getting good responses in April. A big event I had to manage in May was a p.i.t.a., but it got done and was pretty successful. I got a job offer in early June and started at the end of June. The new job rocks muchly and I got my largest year-end bonus ever.

Family: My family had to continue dealing with me sick in a way they had never seen before, but they dealt with it and even managed to get kinda comfortable with me dumping stuff on them without a filter. We lost my father's mother in May rather unexpectedly, but were all with her when she died and I saw my father as a really wonderful and caring son in her last weeks. My brother had some devastating heartache, but found some sources of strength he didn't know about.

Some random good things in 2005: in March I had my first spa scrub and wrap and lurved it. friends visiting new york, kinetic sculptures, the term jackhole, I refinanced my place and got a cash out to pay off debt/start savings, started working in my building's flowerbeds, iPod, iBook, weekend crafty vacation, donating approx. 5 garbages bags of stuff from my home, new light fixtures, chapeau, new haircut, US Open, PHONE CALLL FROM NATHAN (via ita), Yosemite, Makola dress.

Oh, yay, Maidengurl!! You got them! You are so very welcome!

2005 wrap-up

the Good
- got new job and a bit of a promotion. "I'm a Senior"
- adopted a stray cat who seems to have multiple personalities
- got my anxiety issues under control
- celebrated 8 years of marriage
- got a new car
- made some new friends and didn't lose any of the old ones

the Bad
- DH quit soul sucking job and is struggling as a freelance photographer/writer again
- money is more of an issue (but can we ever have enough?)
- DH's mother's health is rapidly declining
- was diagnosed with a minor heart condition
- sinuses continue to give me trouble

All in all, the year was neither bad nor good. It just Was.

My niece got her Xmas gift from me yesterday and she loves it!

I'm so happy.

Gee, in 2005 I got my nuclear family back!

I got to travel to Ohio and spend time with lovely Buffistas, tour the R&R Hall of Fame, see Lake Erie and meet sj, Deena's Spawn1, Spikelet and RaptorGirl, Cashmere and O, and see people I'd first met in '04. I also got to travel to SF to celebrate Perkins' Sail's and Nicole's birthdays, meet Beth (b's) Husband, and spend time with people I'd met Nilly-Q week in '04. I found a new doctor and got a handle on some of my chronic physical problems, so that's looking more and more positive.

DH retired and both our kids' relationships and jobs dissolved. So I've gone from working at home and structuring my day as I pleased, and having years to get used to that, to having three other people underfoot all the time, at least until jobs and apartments and life-having happen for our sons. 2006 is going to be interesting.

Argh!!! Long post eaten by fatal error. Gah!

fatal error.

In Soviet Russia, you don't kill the thread, the thread kills you!

[sorry]

2005 was good corporately (we survived it, lots of kiddos, lots of music) and personally (good relationship, community, roots). 2005 was bad in physical property (Great Sewage Debacle, Water Saga, Spectacularly Bad Vacations). The car wreck that totaled our van will cost us upwards of 25 grand before it's all said and done, and messed pretty severely with our sense of well-being as well. But despite the physical stuff, I think I'd have to rank it as a good year overall.

I did moderately well keeping last year's New Year's Good Intentions, so feel reasonably about working out more for this year.

2006 I expect to be an interesting one, as once again we'll need to work hard to come up with the finances to keep on in 2007. There's lots of potential for change in the traveling music school, so who knows what will happen there. I still think we need to assess our living situation, even though things appear mostly better. I am massively worried about family members' health issues, so I am hoping this year is uneventful on that front. But we'll be able to deal, it'll just be varying degrees of difficult. But we're family. And that's good. Definitely want to improve creatively and spiritually, so we'll be working on that.

2006, you're on notice! Try to stay off my dead-to-me list!

Dear Slacker Santa,

Canada Post left a notice that a package is waiting for me at the local post office (yay!). I can't pick it up until tomorrow (boo!), but I just wanted to let you know that whatever-it-is has arrived.

Yours in anticipation,

Dani

And I got it--

Thank you so much for the gorgeous cookie cutters, Hil! The Blue-Eyed Boy is already pestering me to make a batch of gingerbread so that he can try them out. Maybe tomorrow night.