Goodbye 2024

This was a tough year. Allow me a whining session before I move on.

​My husband and I did a partial remodel of our home. What began as my simple request to merely paint and re-carpet our bedroom morphed into gutting our bathroom, partially remodeling the other bathroom, painting and new flooring for the office, and painting and re-carpeting the guest bedroom.

That's good, right? Our 45 year old home was overdue for upgrades. Doing all this work, a good deal of it done by my husband, was stressful beyond my imagining. The house was turned upside down for months.

We ran out of money and energy before finishing two remaining rooms. The contrast is glaring. My husband is ready to begin gutting another room. I'm screaming inside my head.

All that pales in comparison to actual tragedy. My 89-year-old father passed in March. He was determined to make it to 100, but his body had other plans. In October we took his ashes, along with his wife's, and my mother's ashes (she passed in 2022), to South Dakota. As an amateur genealogist, I wanted a headstone to act as a physical notice of their existence. Plus, this felt like returning them home.

The trip to Sioux Falls, and then Willow Lake, was a whirlwind. High stress, but also a burden lifted from me and my siblings. A door closed with sad finality is so much better than the lingering feeling of a task remaining incomplete.

Then earlier this month, our oldest granddaughter totaled her car. Thank God for air bags. She came out of the wreck in better than expected condition. But it was a reminder of the frailty of life, and how things can change in an instant.

That's the big whine. Now for the good things. Lots of miles with my husband walking in a local park, meaning we have good health and mobility. Participating in the Pikes Peak Writers Conference in the spring, then the 24 Hours of Palmer Lake ultra-running event in the fall, with our older daughter. Welcoming our younger daughter's new puppy into the family, and proudly watching her navigate significant life changes with grace. Witnessing the accomplishments of our intelligent and beautiful granddaughters. The release of Rapid Fear, my most recent Annie's novel. Immersing myself in the wonderful world of true crime podcasts. Receiving a new e-reader with access to tons of great novels, and stocking up on physical Annie's books at sale prices. Backyard gardening, and summer mornings on the deck. Seeing my blue columbines finally flower. Tea at the Glen Eyrie Castle with friends Beth and Fred. The party celebrating our friend Joyce's retirement as she joins her husband Steve in the leisure life. Family dinners, celebrations, and recitals.

2025 will bring my husband's retirement from his career as a medical device quality engineer. We'll be starting, not so much a new chapter, as a whole new book. My 2025 goals? I have plenty of writing projects and genealogy research to continue. I don't have specific New Year's resolutions. More like striving for my own attitude adjustments. Letting the future tend to itself while I enjoy the present. 

Gratefulness. That's my key focus for 2025.

---