I got the idea for this post from my friend Sammy, and the idea is to list thirteen positive things and connected to me (at least, that’s what I gathered from her brief intro). This list is in no particular order, except for the order in which they occurred to me. So, without further ado, here are thirteen positive things from 2013.
- The lump in my breast (miniscule as it was) was nothing to worry about. I’m still trying to pay for the mammogram that my insurance didn’t cover, but I’m just happy to be healthy.
- I took a writing class this fall! I loved it! I want to do it again!
- We tried three times to potty train Cricket. The third time seems to be the charm with him. I am ecstatic at the prospect of only having to buy diapers for one child from here on out (and hopeful that Thumper won’t be far behind his big brother).
- I had three wonderful camping trips with my wonderful family, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.
- We bought a farm! Well, an acreage, anyway. I loathe moving, and we still haven’t sold our house yet, but I think this place might be better for us in a lot of ways. Still, I’m not looking forward to remodeling.
- I read the entire Hunger Games trilogy in a weekend. I haven’t done something like that since high school.
- The Lokana Chronicles once again underwent considerable revisions. I think I’m getting a handle on what I need to do to fix it, and my writing class helped with this immensely. Now I just need to buckle down and revise it one.more.time.
- I started keeping a diary again. I used to always keep one (a paper one, bound in pretty pink), but 2011 and 2012 were bad years in terms of entries recorded. I’m glad to get back in this habit because writing everything out has always been a great help to me in times of stress. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll be writing in it again a little later tonight, since I won’t be getting much sleep thanks to a sick little cricket. Poor guy.
- Amazon changed their payout threshold and I finally saw money from the sale of my book! It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to buy me lunch at the Weathered Wheel twice (assuming I got chili and hot tea, which, let’s face it, I certainly would because it’s winter and I live in Siberia, apparently).
- I thought I had posted it here, but I had a goal to lose weight in 2013. In the last 18 months (give or take), I’ve lost 58 pounds. I am ecstatic. I still have another 30 pounds to go to reach my goal (I want to weigh what I did back in college, before I started having kids), and I hope I can accomplish that goal in 2014. Even if I don’t, though, I’m still quite proud of myself.
- For the first time in probably four years, I found my Christmas spirit.
- I started writing short fiction again. In 2012, I only wrote one short story (at least that I posted here, anyway), but in 2013, I wrote six of them (and completed five). I’m still working on the last one, which I started in May, and I have a feeling it may end up being closer in length to a novella than a short story, but I’ve never written a novella before, so that would be cool with me. It would be even cooler if the story turns out awesome.
- My kids constantly amazed me this year. I have so many fun memories and great stories to embarrass them with someday, and I’m going to try to squeeze as many as possible into our annual photo book for easy reference when they start dating. 😀
And now, it’s time for bed. Cricket apparently has the flu, so I’m hoping to take advantage of as much sleep as I can get before he wakes up again. Hope your 2014 is happy and healthy, and off to a better start than mine!
(c) 2013. All rights reserved.
Suddenly they all died. The end. 
Well done for all you’ve achieved sounds like it’s been a good year for you. Best wishes for 2014! 🙂
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You know, it really was a good year. I’ve struggled with a lot the last couple, and it feels great to know that I’m slowly returning to my old self. I want to continue on that path this year. Hope you have a fabulous 2014! 🙂
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Thank you. Glad things are looking up for you. Looks like you have a large family judging by the photo! 🙂
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I do! We have four kids – the older two are nine months apart (they’re 10 and 11), and the younger two are thirteen months apart (they’re 2 and 3). It’s crazy, but I love it. 🙂
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Gosh you look too young to be the mother of the elder two!! It’s great that you love it. 🙂
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Aww, thank you! I’ll be 30 at the end of the month, though. And the oldest is my step-daughter; my husband and I have a yours-mine-and-ours kind of family. It’s a challenge (and it contributes to the crazy), but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂
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Wow you’re younger than me and I don’t have any kids! (through choice 🙂 ) It’s great that you and your husband have managed to make things work so well.
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Coordinating things is a challenge, especially around the holidays, but it’s wonderful to have a big family since I come from a small one. I’m glad that my kids will have such a great support structure there when they get older. 😀
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Dear Kay
Re: your number ten, one weight loss tip I can recommend is to throw away your weigh scales. Sounds crazy, but if we are thinking about our weight all the time, how can we expect to lose it?? Oh, and if you don’t get back to your ideal weight, just forget that target, honey. You are doubtless lovely as you are, and have plenty to feel very proud about! Happy New Year. XX :-))
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We have exactly one scale in our house, and I hardly ever get on it. I mostly focus on portion sizes and not eating when I’m bored, a habit I picked up from my husband that I’m doing my best to get rid of. I’m happy with the amount of weight I’ve lost, but I’ve had this goal of returning to my pre-baby weight for the last ten years, and I’d really like to reach it. Not because I think I’m fat (although I could definitely be better toned), but because I want to prove to myself that I can do it.
Happy New Year to you, too! 🙂
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I’m so happy that you’re starting to feel more like yourself again. Congrats on the weight loss and all the writing accomplishments this year. Sounds like a pretty good year. 🙂
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Thank you! It wasn’t a bad year in the grand scheme of things, but there are definitely things about it that I wish could have been different. Hopefully after Tuesday, one of them will be.
Happy New Year! 😀
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Hi, Kay. I’ve nominated your awesome blog for the Super Sweet Blogger Award. You can check out the details and the other nominees on my blog: http://blog.triciadrammeh.com/2014/01/03/super-sweet/
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Aww, thank you, Tricia! 😀
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Happy New Year Kay. I’ve nominated you for The Sweet Blogger’s award. You can see the details here: http://kateannejack.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/ive-been-nominated-for-the-sweet-bloggers-award/
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Aww, thank you, Kate! 😀
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