Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year! It’s been nearly a month since I updated the blog. I was looking over my blog and I thought I’d review last year’s wish list.

I wish Becci would write more and let people see it(Maybe a BLOG!).

This was a big win. Bec did make a blog AND she even updates it occasionally. She quit her dead end job and is going to try to make a go of being a writer. I couldn’t be more proud or excited for her. Go for it Bec!

I wish Cher would write more and let people see it(Maybe a BLOG!).

Two for two. My beautiful lady, the love of my life, my dear sweet partner, and my wonderful wife (all the same person), has also created a blog. It’s nice to see her letting the world see her.

I wish relations with my family were not so... weird.

My family grew this year by quite a bit. It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Certain relationships have stabilized and become less “weird” while others are still in flux. Bounderies and their maintenance seem to be the order of the day. I find that I really have two families – the one that I was born into and the one that I’ve created around me. Both are hugely valuable and both require more attention than I am sometimes comfortable with.

I'd like to win the lottery.

Drat it all! I pay my poor people tax every time the powerball crests the 50 million mark but the best I’ve done all year is two numbers…

I'd like to marry Cheryl.

DING DING DING!!! On to the bonus round! We were married July 15, 2005. I definitely got the better end of that deal.

I'd like it if getting married wouldn't screw up my financial aid.

While it remains to be seen, it’s looking like this one will not be an issue. 6 kids, and two people going to college at the same time and in the same house leaves us in a relatively good position with regards to financial aid.

I want to carry a 4.0 average at school./

LMAO!!! No longer necessary or possible. Ah how life changes…

I want to be a better man.

I am a work in progress which is to say, that there’s always room for improvement. However, I think I’ve improved a lot since last year - progress not perfection.

I'd like some clarity on what to study, aside from Biology, at school.

Careful what you ask for, you just might get it. When I wrote this I was a Biology major enroute to med school. Now I’m a music major and MUCH much happier.

I'd like to be thin and sveldt again.

Swing and a miss! I’ve weighed the same amount for like 4 yrs now. The problem is that it’s been gradually redistrubuting to my front side. The last time I was as thin as I’d like to be, I was working out 4-5hrs/day.

I'd like my stepfather to be a-ok and have no problems with his health.

Hmm, curiously things have improved a lot for me on this front. He married Cher and I and I called him Dad for the first time. Things are not ideal but then when are they ever. His health seems stable and he’s been better emotionally than he has been in years. Count your blessings!

I'd like to talk to my dad one more time.

I guess I’ll just have to live with the fact that he talks to me occasionally. I hear his voice in my head at the oddest times but it’s always just exactly what I need to hear.

I want it to be easier for me to communicate with those I care about.

This one has NEVER been easy for me but, it’s getting easier. Practice makes perfect. It helps that my lovely wife doesn’t allow me to withdraw for long, if at all – it’s forced me to show up when I would otherwise not choose to do so.

I want my kids to be healthy, safe, and happy.

BINGO! Everyone is safe, mostly healthy, and generally happy. I’ll call that a win.

I'd like more friends like the ones I have.

Things change. Relationships are always in flux but I have to say I’m thankful for the growth I’ve seen in the friendships I have. I don’t have many, but those I have are the best. Thank you all.

I wish I had better teeth.

We’ve spent a lot of money but as of the 10th of January, I’ll have a perfect set of teeth more or less thanks again to my lovely wife.

I wish I didn't have 14 books to read in 16 weeks.

Well I did, and now I don’t. Funny the stuff that seems so important at the time.

I want to get into Medical School (137/yr get in).

I no longer care. I was excited and pleased to get into the guitar program and I worked my ass off to get there.

I'd like to halt the aging process before I get anymore stiff and forgetful.

Well, I don’t think I’m more stiff or forgetful but then I am more grey and I look a bit more plump and the wrinkles around my eyes seem a bit deeper when I smile but all and all, not a bad year in this category.

I'd like to eat better but still enjoy my food.

On the whole, I do eat better and I enjoy the food I eat for the most part.

I wish my grandmother wasn't crazy.

Dementia and senility make her crazier by the day. I still wish that this wasn’t true. I miss the nice woman who lovingly fed me pumkin pie whenever I wanted it.

I wish my aunt wasn't either.

This woman pisses me off plain and simple.

I'd like to talk to my Uncle and not be scared that it would go south in a hurry.

Well, things have improved on this front. Things are still a bit tense but I seem to have his respect.

I'd like to talk to my other grandmother more often.

I did speak to her more often and even got to do an interview with her about the family. I should see her more often.

I wish they'd make a once a year multi-vitamin.

While they’ve yet to make one that you only need to take once a year, I’ve found that you can take a multi-vitamin once a year and it won’t kill you.

I wish we lived in a peaceful world.

Peace is always something to hope and work for.

I wish I could still eat pizza and ice cream with impunity.

Alas, I checked on my health this year and, though I hate to admit it, I’m not immune to the negative effects of bad food.

I wish I had more time with my kids.

This is another one of those “be careful what you ask for” moments. I do have more time with my kids than I’ve ever had. I’m working to spend that time playing with or hanging out with them.

I'd like to be more accessable to those I love.

Those I love did get more of my attention this year. Still a work in progress but I feel good about the progress.

I'll get this year's wishlist up sometime this week. Best wishes for a peaceful, happy, prosperous new year to each and every one of you!

RCS