Happy New Year!

A Happy New Year to one and all.  I'm taking a bit of blog space to reflect on the past year.  2019 was a time of stability and progress, with a few obstacles mixed in.  The big downer/obstacle of the year was our dog Teddy's cancer diagnosis.  The good news is she's already passed the low end of her projected median survival and is doing well.  Another dark mark was a family member who faced a very serious health crisis.  The good news, is he's recovered well from a below the knee amputation, and is now back to work.  I am thrilled to have been able to help him and Teddy get/stay healthy.

I am feeling much more anchored to my new domestic role.  Sure, it would be nice to have twice as much money -- leaving work was a financial gamble and not without repercussions.  Teddy's medical bills and travel expenses to help my relative were an extra hit.  Luckily we had savings to dip into.  Another money suck was repairing our old cars.  While the house needed some work, that wasn't as much of a financial burden.  I often times think of things I could buy if we were both working, but then stop myself because life shouldn't be judged by what you can buy.

I am hopeful that our vet bills will lower in 2020.  It doesn't appear Teddy needs as much vigilance in monitoring her blood.  Keeping her skin healthy in the warm weather will be a challenge, but I think we'll do a better job this year based on what we learned this past fall.  It is also my most fervent hope that the positive side effects of our relative's malady (losing almost 200 pounds), and the beneficial lifestyle changes he's made, will mean a healthier 2020 where he won't need help.  He was so nice to send me the most awesome pair of LL Bean slippers (with golden retrievers on them!) last week.  For a while, we thought he wouldn't survive, so it's awesome that he's making his way back.

I was happy to have made improvements to the house through cleaning projects and repairs.  Re-grouting the tile was a good accomplishment for me, and now I am confident I can tackle more tasks that need to be done.  Any sort of major renovation is not in the near future, but I plan to do what I can to keep things in good order.  My health is surely better as well, as I am religiously swimming three times per week and staying so much healthier than when I worked a stressful job.

We're going to either sell or donate at least one of our cars, probably two.  One is a 2003 and the other is a 2006.  They've required a lot of repairs this year and we think we've reached the tipping point where they will cost too much to maintain.  Selfish me, I plan to keep my Benz.  That car should last many more years.  We are looking to put some money into a higher end used car, hopefully one with around 75K miles or less.  Any money we would have put into the house, will go to paying cash for a car.  Our emergency fund will need some replenishment, but we're also hoping we won't have to dip into it nearly as often with a newer car.  Tommy has been given use of a company truck, which we've decided we'd be foolish to pass up (no repair expenses, insurance, etc.).

2019 was a good year for us, and we have no reason to expect 2020 won't be as well.  I hope all who read this have had a good year and will experience much health and happiness in the new year.