Endings

Tomorrow is the last day of 2013.  This has been a very - insert adjective here - year for me.  (Yeah, I couldn't decide - strange, weird, difficult, interesting.... so I'll let you pick).

The year in recap:

I weigh myself every Monday and record the weight. This year, I weigh 2 pounds less today than I did on the first Monday of the year.  I've been as high as 9 pounds higher than today and as low as 4 pounds lower. I am happy that the year ended up as a minus there for me.  But, I stopped working out and need to get back to that in 2014.

I lost my mom.  Enough said.

My husband Lonnie was in and out of the hospital, had eye surgery a couple of times, and is now is great health.  Whew, on this.

We tried several churches, from Unitarian to non-denominational to Baptist.  We attended one non-denominational church pretty regularly, but eventually stopped going.  I refocused my spiritual search where I feel it belongs, the same one I'd started over 30 years ago, and was able to find comfort in my mother's passing.  

Lonnie and I became volunteers with Legacy Boxer Rescue.  We helped nurse a nearly dead, sick and starving dog from 27 pounds to 52.  We picked off over 100 ticks, treated her for Erlichia and got her adopted - only to have her returned as she has kidney disease.  In the meantime, we'd taken another foster dog in and adopted him, so somehow we ended up with 5 dogs.  Which is Way.  Too.  Many.

We also evaluated dogs in shelters, transported dogs from shelters to foster homes or to vets, and did home evaluations for prospective adopters.  I joined the Shelter Committee and quit, as I wouldn't have been able to write.  I then joined the Foster Committee and during the weekend before Christmas, helped get 8 dogs pulled from shelters to foster homes!  We made and delivered holiday baskets to two local shelters, and assisted at fund raising events.

I got a new 8 book contract and then, as I was in the middle of the first book for this, was offered yet another contract for a Continuity.  I now have too much work, which is a good place to be when self-employed.

My husband and I not only took our third week-long cruise, but spent a few days in Vegas.  Due to the foster dog situation, we didn't get to go to our lake lot at all this past summer, which has never happened.

We've hung out with family, eaten a lot of good meals, and heard some good music.  I finally learned how to make a decent margarita at home, and cooked many new and different dinners.

I don't make resolutions anymore, but in 2014 I hope to get my day schedule better nailed down.  It's difficult when your husband is retired and there with you, and I tend to waste a lot more time than I should.  I want to map out time for exercising, as well as time devoted solely to writing.

And that's it for me.  How about you?