2014 is ending...

Well.  It's been a year.  2014 has kicked me and brought me down, but there were still some bright spots.  I went back and read my "resolutions" of sorts from the beginning of the year, and one thing I wanted was change.  Welp, sure got that!  My parents bought a new house and sold my childhood home, and immediately after the paperwork was signed on the new house my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  My mom's health deteriorated, and after lots of hope and not knowing what to expect, she died, which I still can't quite comprehend.  My dog lost her eyesight and moved in with us.  My brother-in-law proposed to his girlfriend and they are now married.  We celebrated 1 year of marriage.  We did some yard work, and I made some crafts.  My cousin had a baby.  We took some short trips, but mostly stayed close to home.  

Unfortunately, I didn't do lots of things I wanted! 

1. I did not find a new job, but I was quite a bit preoccupied and unable to dedicate some time to it.  I did got on tons of interviews, but never got any follow up.  
2. We didn't actually go on the hot air balloon ride, but I have a calendar reminder to book it first thing this summer!
3. We didn't get to visit my brother in South Korea, because he was only there for 3 months.  I am so thankful he was able to get home before my mom passed away, so he could spend a tiny bit of time, including her last hours, with her.
4. I still spent money, and we haven't had our electrical work done yet.  However, thanks to generous family members and Christmas gifts, we now have pretty much all we need, half of which came from gifts!  So that should be happening soon.
5. I'm not sure about spontaneity.  I ended up making some spontaneous trips to the hospital that I didn't expect, and attended a memorial service I didn't think would happen for a long time.  In general, I feel like I tried to just burrow myself in at home after all the change in my life, and kind of not be spontaneous.  Just hold on to what I have and who I have and try not to rock the boat any more.

I don't feel like a failure, even though it appears I didn't do a single thing I wanted.  I was in self-preservation mode most of the year, and I don't know that I'm ready to start branching out yet.

It has been a challenging year for the most part, and I am so ready to say goodbye to it.