I did. I was a couple pages behind, so I couldn't respond. Glad you liked the note. I really did have a card. And it's still in my classroom.

The SBR is my friend T's favourite. (The other is the favourite of the lady at the winery)

I've spent the last hour reading this thread. I love hearing summaries of everyone's year, what was good, what was challenging. I love hearing the squees over purely Buffista prezzies being opened. I love everyone getting nostaligic over this place. This ethereal place of wires that is more important to me than some "real life" places I go.

I lurked here since TT #4 in early 2001. I finally started posting in #8 over the summer of 2001. I've been an on again, off again poster depending on Life and work stuff, but I've always always lurked, even when not posting.

Since I started on here, my life has changed a lot, some good, some not so good, but on the balance, it's been good.

In 2006, the bad has been mostly the decline of my dad's health. His 2 strokes in 2004 were bad and he will never recover from them. He finally went to a nursing home in Septemeber after my mom just about killed herself taking care of him at home for over a year.

The other bad? Work has been killing me this year. I've been putting in some serious hours and trying to balance work/school/life has been next to impossible.

Also, broke up with the SO. Although, in retrospect, I think this belongs in the good pile.

The good? My mom is doing much better now that Daddy's in the nursing home. She's been able to get some good sleep. She also took in my brother's dog and that's done her a world of good, too.

I had my annual tests done last month, and can now officially say that I am 4 years cancer free! Woot!

After 4 years, I finally finished all my coursework for my 2 year program. What? I worked full time and went to school part time, so it took longer to get through. But, I am through. And, I planned well and besides my car payment, I am debt free. Which is good, because I quit the above job in order to start student teaching in a couple of weeks. I will be unemployed for a few months and am a bit nervous about that, but my finances are lined up and good to go. My company also wants me to work part time as I can, so extra money, yay!

I am so excited to start my new career I can barely stand it. It's taken a lot of hard work and it doesn't even seem real. I suspect it won't really hit until I actually start.

Hey, guess what? The mail made it out of Denver! (Possibly some time ago. I just got back into town.) And... Nicole is awsome! I have the most adorable Opus postcards! And lots of Luna bars and chocolates (yum!) and cute little kitty print tissues and body scrubbers in holiday colors!

Thank you, Nicole! I sometimes live on Luna bars during tech(s), so thank you for helping with my continued existence (I hope you saved some to get you thru the current snowstorm). And the postcards are fantastic! I will have a hard time giving any of them up to mail. The tissues and the scrubbers are already in their respective places (purse and shower). And what's not to love about chocolate? (The first one I opened said, "Naughty can be nice" in the wrapper. hee)

First - thanks for making K-Bug twitch, she was dying to open the package for me, as if. The card is PERFECT - and what wait...no worries there at all.

Poor K-Bug (heh heh). I'm pretty sure I didn't try to be so incognito and that it had a return address label when I mailed it. Funny. It got there really fast! Go USPS! I would just like to note how difficult it is to find ANYTHING with a palm tree in Chicago in December. I was so happy to stumble upon that card.

I'm planning on buying a Wii when I can find one.

As am I, though it might be an after I buy a house, get settled and feel financially secure about the baby sort of deal.

My cousin actually managed to get ahold of one and brought it over Christmas weekend. We only had the sports pack that comes with it, but it was fun. The only real issue is it isn't quite as realistic as one would like. I tended to do better at things I have no real-life skill at (Tennis and Golf) rather than things I enjoy doing in the real world (bowling and baseball) because trying to do things exactly like you do in the real world doesn't always work (or at least "cheating" and doing a non-normal motion with the controller works better.)

Also, be aware of your playing space. My cousin got a little too close to the Christmas tree during a tennis game and shattered one of my crystal ornaments. My brother also nearly plowed into the TV while bowling. (Another danger, unrelated to playing space, was my brother accidently smacking himself in the groin while playing tennis.)

I wisely forbade anyone who was drinking from playing the Wii.

feel financially secure about the baby

If you ever do, let me know what your secret is.

If you ever do, let me know what your secret is.

Well, right now I'm still in "Oh my God, how much is this going to cost?" mode. I'm sure once he or she actually arrives it will move into "Oh my God, how am I going to pay for that?" but at least there will be actual numbers to look at that that point.

I would just like to note how difficult it is to find ANYTHING with a palm tree in Chicago in December.

Well, you found a GOOD one. As much as I love palm trees, I'm not hot on pink flamingos. And as marvelous as monkeys are, in general, I like my trees on their own.

I must say thank you for all my goodies, once again.

There is no "financially secure." There is only Zool.

2006 has been a pretty good year for me. I finally got myself out of debt, although wiping out my savings to do it, so I'm not yet financially secure Zool. I spent a week in San Francisco in a swanky hotel and reconnected with an old friend there. I spent a business weekend in Montreal, drinking and flirting more than working. I spent a week in Tennessee replumbing and repainting the old farmhouse (while sick with the flu), and spent a weekend in Chattanooga reconnecting with another old friend. My sister and I have gotten closer this year than we're probably ever been. My mother isn't getting better, but she isn't getting worse either, so that's as good as it gets, there. My youngest niece is settling in to college life, with less trauma than her freshman year entailed. My oldest niece has gotten a really cool job and at last a really good boyfriend, so I can stop worrying about her (no, I can't). I feel better this year than I have in ages, and am starting to see that maybe my life isn't actually over yet.

I don't remember when I joined, or when I finally delurked. I should remember that.

Huh.

Well, 2006 has found a way to kick me in the teeth on the way out - M broke up with me last night. It's all very sad and beyond our respective controls, but damn if it doesn't suck.