2024 is done.  I am hopeful for 2025, despite the insanity going on across the country and around the world -- but first, let's take a look back at 2024.

Adventures with the Two-legged Child:

Fortunately, with me working from home and her being a good kid, not using "daycare" was an option for summer break.  This year we skipped the public pool passes.  Instead Avery did two weeks of lessons there at Camp Splash.  That, along with two weeks at vacation bible school and two summer cruises helped to fill her summer.  There was a few weeks left in the summer where I let her sleep in and veg a bit, but we did have a few school-work-esque papers I had her work on most every day to keep her brain engaged.  There was also plenty of time outside playing on the swing set, riding bikes/scooters, and playing with neighbor friends.

We did not get to Kennywood or Idlewild this year, but we did take two summer cruises, and a third in September where she was out of school for a week.  The first was a 9 nighter, just the two of us out of Baltimore.  It was touch and go if we would depart from there after the Francis Scott Key bridge incident/collapse.  Avery and I got to enjoy Bermuda, Nassau (on a pirate ship), and Cococay.  Then in July her Dad, Nonno, and Nonna joined us on a short 4-nighter to Canada (Halifax).  Finally, in September we took in the brand new Icon of the seas out of Miami and I was pretty impressed with the ship.  Again we visited Cococay and did a quick near the port walk in St Maarten - here the ship was definitely a destination onto itself..

For Halloween she broke from her streak of superheros and I've actually spotted her playing with stuffies as well as her cars -- heck, she's even asked for makeup.  I see her forming her own style.  She got her first hair color this summer as we added temporary blue to the ends.

Avery has begun voice and Jujitsu/Muay Thai lessons and seems to be enjoying the later quite a bit.  Here too she seems to be a quick learner.  She isn't as big of a fan of catechism this year as she was last year - but she manages to impress me raising her hand with the right answer on questions I don't expect her to have the answers to (way to go CCA).

Her grades are good and we have found our routine with the demands of first grade homework, etc.  She remains at CCA.  This year I chaperoned a field trip to the Science Museum and got to see her enjoy the day with her classmates.  She is getting pretty decent at reading, has started adding and subtracting double-digits, and doing well with clocks and money.

Last year I noted that I wanted her to swim freestyle on her own and she's mostly there.  I also said we wanted to start karate, so that's another win.  We also went to the Pittsburgh Botanical Gardens (on a crazy hot day) and loved it, not that this makes up for our lack of adventuring.

We have spent half the year fighting against a plantars wart.  The teeth didn't seem to want to come out as quickly as I would have expected (so paying for the higher dental plan didn't get put to use as I expected).  In total she has only lost 3 teeth - two on the bottom earlier in the year and only one top front tooth in recent months.

Fuzzy Children:

Sadly, I lost Saffy this year.  She had her ups and downs, good days and bad days, a rough patch midway through the year when she had an eye rupture, and then a sudden downhill that was undeniable and left me making that decision.  The worst part is I had to do it while we were away on a cruise and I couldn't be right there with her holding her paw.  Thank God for video chat, but I remain sad that I couldn't be at her side and I pray she forgives me.

Zero grieved Saffy, which earned him some points with me.  He seems to be doing ok at this point.  He's still crazy but has more moments of calm and has been rewarded by not needing to be in the crate every time I leave.  If he's having a sassy day I don't dare leave him out though, as I don't need him torturing the cats while I'm gone.

Church and Barnabas have been well.  They are a great pair.  Lately they have started sparing a bit more than in the past, but the seem to enjoy each other's company. They aren't the type to snuggle up with one another, but I have caught them twice.  Barney and Church both take their turns cuddling up near me at night, especially as things have begun to cool off.

Our fosters Summer and Pickle left early this year, but Jackson remained until quite recently.  Actually, as a write this he is still foster to adopt with a would-be Mom and I am hearing about his achievements.  He took a while to get comfortable enough with me, but when that switch flipped he was all about cuddling on laps.  Jackson is the sweetest, most gentle boy.

All About Me:

I lead a pretty boring life, this part should be short.

The most notable things were the passing of my brother in Ohio and spending half a year getting my car fixed and getting partially reimbursed after someone without a license ruined my trip to get some coffee.

I got to visit with two friends on separate occasions that I haven't seen in a very long time.  That was nice.  I miss having the kind of friends you hang out with on the regular.

I had my worries after a few medical appointments.  Fortunately, all came back clear.  My left shoulder has been sassy since ... May? -- nowhere near the pain of the right shoulder when it froze, but I'm pretty sure it's the same situation with less loss of motion at this point.  Really hoping this unfreezes soon and I don't need to go through pointless physical therapy and medical intervention to get relief.  I also have things I need to do that I can't tend to properly without reaching above my head.

I hate to say it, but it's true... I think I'm at the heaviest I've ever been - I may have matched what I weighed when very very pregnant with Avery.  I need to get my act together.  The thought of being this far gone and how long of a process it will be to get back where I want to be is depressing.

Other News:

The house, as of the end of October is paid in full.  That wasn't very long ago, but the funds that would normally go there are being stacked to prepare for some repairs/upgrades that are long overdue here at the house.  I'm telling you it's falling apart.  My cold water faucet in my bathroom isn't working right now, probably a plugged up cartridge.  The pull string came out of the light over the basement sink (my shoulder is preventing me from reaching up there to change the light fixture).  The stove threw an error the other day, so it is getting the side eye every time I turn it on at this point.  The carpet is still falling to bits and bubbling - I want this to get done as soon as I have the slush fund I want - but I'm already overwhelmed and frozen at the decisions that need to be made..

What did I achieve here and cross off the ever growing list? Very early this year I replaced the flooring in the upstairs bathrooms and laundry room.  I like how it looks/functions.  Do I love it?  Meh.  I switched out the mailbox, so it is completely vertical and shored up.  I also evened out some dirt outside to avoid twisted ankles as you step off of the concrete.  I also upgraded the kitchen faucet.  Pretty short list, kind of sad, right?

I did get one wave of things out to the curb for whomever wanted them.  I easily could have done this 4 times and still had things to purge.  There is so much I need to clear away.

My garden was a bit underwhelming this year despite extra buckets.  I don't think starting the seeds in the basement does much for me.  The volunteers I got from other people grew faster and larger than my coddled seeded plants.  I can at least say that the asparagus attempt has a plant that didn't die.  It isn't something you can harvest from immediately, so this is a long-game goal.

Looking at 2025:

I have my glass of sparkling white.  I know it's early, but I don't have anything going on ... and I'll probably be in bed by midnight.

I'm not going to lie, I'm excited for some political changes to take place.  I'm praying that we will see some positive change. I still feel like I need to hold my breath... waiting for the next thing to hit us.

I get to put more money into retirement in "catch up" funds starting this year.  As old as that makes me feel I'm looking to max things out again including this extra amount.  I'm also going to focus on maxing out my contributions to my HSA, which I hadn't previously understood the power of.

There are always cruises on my to do next year list.  To celebrate my milestone birthday I want to do something a bit special.  I'm still eyeing Alaska cruises, but I haven't booked it yet and may not go that route.  We do have one booked for next August already and one of my best friends is coming with her family!.

In the garden I want to give something different a go.  A neighbor had success with brussels sprouts -- should I try growing those?  Hopefully the asparagus I started last year will winter over - it is a multiple year process.

I am sure this year will see a new foster or two.  As much as I appreciate the break, it's kind of weird to not have a foster here right now.

As to the house - it will be time for the flooring upgrades.  This may expand into some other mods in the living room and kitchen as it seems 'logical' to do the things on my mind at the same time or before the flooring.

It's been a quick year... My biggest goal is just to hold on to each day and try to savor the bits and pieces.

I don't know how but we didn't blow away last night.  The hill on which my house sits gets crazy winds.  My first nights in this house I was terrified by the crazy wind and house noises (I guess I deserved it moving into a new house in February).  The wind comes up the hill and hits right at the corner where my bedroom is.  Last night was easily one of the top 3 gusty times here.  One of those required me to get roof repairs.  I was (very pleasantly) surprised when I walked outside this morning that I had all of the siding on my house.  I guess I'll take the wind over snow.

Earlier in the evening when the wind was picking up I could feel gusts of draft hitting my feet while I sat at the dinner table.  Energy star home my arse.

I never did make more than no bakes, but we still managed to put enough on a plate to make Santa happy.  Avery is loving her main gift from Mummy and Daddy.  The best part of this gift is that it opened the door for accessories, but at Christmas and for future gifts.  She and I both are enjoying the Goose Game.  Santa brought her several items, tops among them being the one item I know she asked him for (and she reiterated it on her top 3 list she gave me the day before Christmas).  The weather has been clear; while snow makes it look like Christmas I am always grateful to not need to be driving around in it.

Zero got a replacement collar.  It's been a while since he's destroyed one so I took the risk and told Santa Paws to go ahead and get him another with his name and my telephone number on it.  Barnabas finally got his first one with name and number too.  The cats and dog got more treats and toys, they must have been good this year.

Since we had Avery's Nonni here on Christmas day things got cleaned up decently in advance leaving me the space I so desperately needed yesterday and today to unwind.  Yes, I did work even though I was scheduled off, but not full days.  

My family member's surgery went well and they are recovering.  It will be a while before things are activated and we learn about real results.

I finally made a batch of cookies, no bakes to be exact, last night, but at least we have some cookies for Santa.  I want to make some chocolate chips, maybe later today, but we'll see.  I'm sitting here with a cat cuddling me so I haven't made the move to get to work in the basement, that is at the top of my list.  I need to put things away and organize some odds and ends down there before I can bring the Christmas bins back down to put them away.

Fortunately, no catecism this week, so we can do church tomorrow morning w/o it being the very early or very late mass.  That gives me the rest of the afternoon and evening.  I did delay the to do list this morning by running to Big Lots. I had planned on going after Avery's jujitsu class, but she wanted to skip - which is ok since we hit quite a few classes this week and it's prb best to keep her away from others with the cough she is currently presenting.  Regardless, Big Lots closing all locations is the second biggest loss to me, out done only by losing Value City so many years ago.

Still a few more items to arrive and/or wrap, but most everything is otherwise in order for Christmas - just the cleaning.

Waiting for more word on a close family member today... who made a big leap to restore their hearing.  Praying cochlear brings joy and restores things that they didn't know they were missing.

I keep picking up my phone between other activities.  We've gotten into a routine where we go to Jujitsu on Saturday mornings.  Today I made a batch of blueberry muffins first thing to fuel the kid up before we went.  I also started cleaning up a bit in the kitchen, moving everything off of the island and gave it a more detailed scrub. By some miracle I was feeling motivated still when I got home.and I continued this effort, dumping everything out in the catch all basket that normally sits on the island.  From there I got distracted with the pantry and cleared the top two shelves in order to reorganize.a bit.  A few things were tossed into the trash or to the birds, an item I was looking for a while back was found, and most importantly, I made space for my instant pot, so I no longer need to carry it up from and down to the basement between uses -- which are frequent.

While I worked on this Avery was putting some of the ornaments on the tree.  #win  She's happy there are ornaments, I didn't have to do it, and if someone thinks it looks sparse they'll pardon it.

I also posted a few things to a local Mom's group offering them for free.  Several are new items with tags... no bites.  Trying to get rid of anything anymore is near impossible.  I used to just take things to the City Mission in town, but that location closed.  I have a bag of clothes upstairs to donate -- at least those have a destination as the cat rescue I adopt/volunteer with has donation bins that earn them money.

Speaking of cat rescue, yesterday was two weeks since Jackson left.  It sounds like he's made some progress, which is good.  Due his shyness they did offer an extra week to the adopter.  Here's hoping the next week shows him blossoming even more.  I just know once he relaxes and shows his cuddliness it is all over.

I don't know how the girl who used to have most of her Christmas shopping done by September (I made my money in summer months) has become the girl who: 21 days before Christmas only has the tree up with lights - no ornaments, is still waiting for gifts to arrive, still needs ideas for a few people, hasn't wrapped a single item, hasn't put the rest of the outdoor stuff up, and not a single cookie has been made.

I am seriously thinking about just adding tinsel to the tree (it has some gold tips built in) and calling it a day.  It has been so cold, getting things into the ground likely won't happen out front.  I need to take a proper lunch hour to get some things wrapped.  I think part of my issue is that I no longer buy, wrap, and mail gifts to Texas, so no need to have everything in order extra early to get things shipped out Dec 1.

I also wanted to record that I had yet another dream of the long long ago - somehow it blended a lot, it was supposed to be college residences, I had been gone for a while but came back, I was preparing to gather up the stuff I had left there -- including a bunch of furniture that was my mother's, and of course -- he was there w/ her.  He told me to leave, told me that he'd never marry her.  Other friends from back then that I've long since realized were "friends" only because of my presence were dismissive as I tried to say goodbye to people.  It was one of those dreams that seems to have gone on for a rather long time.  There was one that was a friend before that timeframe that is the reason why I went to school where I did, he was the only one there for me in the dream -- and boy did I appreciate that hug, even after I woke up.

Santa run successful!  I lucked out and there wasn't a single person waiting today when we went to visit with Santa.  The girl wasn't too pleased, but was eventually convinced to put a pretty dress on to go.  On our way back I was compelled to stop for a sweet treat (yes, yes, this needs to stop).  I ended up leaving there with a full ice cream cake that the lady offered me for free because someone cancelled their order.  Happy Thanksgiving to me!

I have expressed my love for my little town before and I love the Canonsburg Christmas event.  I missed Oktoberfest this year w/ our September cruise, so I was extra looking forward to it.  I even had penciled in a near-by sister coming to go with.

Unfortunately, she's had to cancel ... and now I am likely to lose my Canonsburg Christmas to another get together in his family.  I care about his family, but 5 get togethers in a month and a half - most of which being more than an hour drive each direction is exhausting.  Nevermind the fact that this was my only planned family get together for the holidays.  My parents are long gone.  I see family basically when someone dies or my sister comes in from Texas.  I'm feeling weepy about it.  I always get my moments through the holidays... it's just hitting a bit early this year.

It's beginning to look more like Christmas... and winter.  We saw our first flurries on Thursday.  There was a light dusting in the morning and a bit more in the air, but all melted off by evening.  I pulled out the wreaths and put them on the windows this morning.  I feel obligated to leave the pumpkins out front until Thursday, so I guess I'll put the other Christmas yard decorations out next weekend.

I have also ordered Avery's "big gift" on an early black Friday deal this morning, so my Christmas shopping for her is done.  I need to get things for a few other people, but since my sister and I have backed off with our purchases holiday shopping is much less stressful.

I typically get something for myself for Christmas - so what will that be this year?  I already purchased myself a glass lid for my instant pot under this guise, but I'm also eyeballing a Dyson handheld to make vacuuming the stairs easier.  With my shoulder issues (if you recall the left arm has been trying to freeze up for like 7 months now) and frequent muscle tightness/issues I am looking for ways to be less likely to hurt myself.

The girl has been sleeping beauty this weekend, sleeping in really late.  Yesterday we skipped Jujitsu due to a birthday party we would have otherwise been late for.  I had to wake her just in time to get dressed and go.  Today she's zonked on the couch beside me as I type.  Should I wake her to try and visit Santa before post-Thanksgiving mayhem?  Maybe I should plan to go on Wednesday afternoon since she gets out of school early that day?  It's prb going to be way busier than I'd like either way.

Round two of taking a melon baller to remove more flesh today.  They took two from around where a previous sample was removed.  At least it's done.  This time things are bit less comfortable post procedure, but I'll survive this part -- I just want to get the same negative results.

On a brighter note, I got a call the other day from the fire company -- turns out I won with one of my lottery-based calendars!  A check arrived today.  Good timing as I will have more medical bills arriving shortly.

I have how many days until Christmas?  Well crap.  The good news is we know what we are going to get for Avery, and we have ideas for relatives that ask and for Santa - now to spot it at a price that makes me leap.  Santa is officially at the mall, so we need to find a time to get up there this coming weekend before the insanity begins.  I guess I need to put a few dresses on her and see what fits/can be used as a holiday dress.  Every year she's in a weird limbo between sizes this time of year that seems to resolve itself in January or February.

The weather was a bit chilly last week, but we had a decent day yesterday.  I should have gotten my Christmas wreaths out over the weekend, but that didn't happen.  Maybe if I pull them off of the storage rod and bring them upstairs I can squeeze it in over lunch one day this week.  I guess there is no rush until after Thanksgiving and removal of the pumpkins from the front of the house.

Jackson visited the vet last week to check his mouth/teeth.  Since then he has been taking steroids to settle things down in there so we can get a better diagnosis.  He seems to be more at ease, so I'm hoping he's feeling better.  He sure loves laying on my lap.  I really can't wait to find him his forever family and permanent lap.

I can feel that I was stretched out yesterday.  It doesn't hurt, but I'm aware of it.  Honestly, I feel like I will get results similar to my monthly massages - which are actually less expensive and, let's be honest, more relaxing.  Ask me again in a couple more days.

I got up a bit earlier today than I would have liked, I'll attribute it to being a bit tender.  I'm using this window of time to bake up some squash and to relax on the couch.  I need to get in gear after we return from Jujitsu this morning and get the Halloween decorations into their bins and away.  I think I may pull out some Christmas now (minus the tree)..

I booked one cruise for next summer using the next cruise booking I made while on Icon.  They continuously evolve these programs, and not in favor of the person booking, that's for sure.  While I appreciate a lower deposit being taken, there is little other benefit to doing a next cruise booking.  In theory I got an extra $100 off the price... but the price they calculated differed from what I was able to see online if it were a new booking.  I also had to push back to still get the $225 onboard credit that was showing for this sailing when walking the booking process online.  I think I'll stick to just booking what I find when I find it.

I also just ordered glasses online for the first time!  At my last visit my script didn't change, so to save a few bucks I stuck w/ my current glasses.  They're comfortable, I like the way they look, and the styles that were available weren't quite what I wanted.  Hopefully I made the right choice on lens coating through Zenni.  I am pleasantly surprised how easy it was to calculate my PD w/ their tool and to enter my script.  Fingers crossed.

A neighbor recently went to the StretchLab and raved about it, so it's been on my mind.  Between my shoulder, tight neck, periodic lower back, tight calves, and recent tight forearms I thought this might be an interesting thing to check out.  I go for a massage once a month as 'maintenance' otherwise I end up so tight that I will have a side of my neck spontaneously feel like it's shredding and I can't turn my head for a few days.  This isn't something that happens because I slept funny, I've literally had it occur when I was sitting at a red light relaxed in the driver seat.  It feels like a charlie horse or cramp comes on with a wave of pain and then ow and movement restrictions for days.

Anyhow, so I booked myself an intro visit for early Friday afternoon (fortunately it's a decent price to give it a try).  I am posting this pre-visit as a bit of a reminder to report what I thought of it since my posting is often sporadic.

I also never followed up on my ... do I call them biopsies?  Both came back ok, but the doctor has requested that I (non-urgent) return to get a larger sample taken.  Now that bits are nearly healed I will be heading in two weeks for that.  Fortunately, there was a bit of discomfort during healing, but nothing substantial.

Avery's free trial at Jujitsu/Muay Thai has ended and she agreed that she wants to continue, so that's exciting.  It's been 10 days and I already see her gaining confidence in what she's being asked to do.  The fact that there is a smile on her face the whole way though the Jujitsu classes is icing on the cake.

Finally, I want to give an updated on our foster Jackson.  He has been here for a while now.  He's started to really enjoy sitting in my lap and cuddling.  He's such a sweet boy.  The good news is his name has come up amongst several folks applying to adopt in the past week, so I am hoping he has something happening in the near term and can get on with his forever.