It’s 4am New Year’s Eve… I’m awake because my back is aching and I thought it was time to take stock of 2011 and look at what plans I have for 2012.
2011 has not been a very productive year in reality. What did I achieve in 2011?
1. Got the ‘all clear’ scan for cancer (fantastic)
2. Got my gallbladder out (less pain!)
3. Got my band back in (not without a few more hiccups)
4. Got a substantive position but at a lower level/salary (ok)
5. A little bit of weight loss after the band back in (finally)
6. 4 years smoke-free (now that’s a good one! lol)
7. Applied for entry into a Masters degree
I have had significant pain continue throughout this year, however overall my back is better than in was earlier in the year. And my knees are currently the best they have been since about June, still painful though. I know as I lose more weight they will improve more.
So my goals for 2012?
1. To weigh 120kgs
2. To stop drinking alcohol every weekend (special occasions only)
3. To get through my first year of a Masters (if I’m actually accepted!)
4. To save $5000 using a regular savings plan
I was going to put that I want to get a higher level position of employment, but you know what? I don’t really care at the moment. What I really want is to get my Masters so that I can expand my employment opportunities and probably go and work at Child and Youth Mental Health. At the moment I am actually enjoying a casework position and to be honest, it’s less stress and responsibility while I continue my studies. Having said that, I would not turn down the opportunity to advance if one presents itself – I’m just not going to actively seek out another position. Well I don’t think I am!
In terms of my weight loss, 2012 is going to bring great things. I’ve been doing a fair bit of thinking over the past few weeks and I’ve decided I’m not going to get more fill at this point. I really think I’m at a good level, I’m just ignoring and / or working around the band at the moment. I plan to get in the swing properly in 2012 and get back to basics – following the “10 Golden Rules” and getting my ass into gear with the exercise. I just bought myself an awesome pair of Puma runners – half price at $70 in the after Christmas sales – so I’m ready to get moving and shift some weight. No holding back. and I figure with giving up the every weekend drinking that I will be much more successful, because I know that holds me back in so many ways.
So they are my goals for 2012. And I’m going to make damned sure I reach them.
Now onto some other things – in 2012 we will be moving back into my Mum’s house again. She has had some pretty poor health in 2011, particularly in the second half, with several hospital admissions for chest pain and / or falling over. She has had vertigo and dizziness to the point of passing out and falling a few times. She has continued to have awful stomach pain that is undiagnosed, with frequent bouts of diarrheoa that leaves her weak and dehydrated, as well as not being able to ‘hang on’ and having accidents. She has spent much of 2011 staying with us anyway, but I still cannot convince her to sell her house and we could all rent something larger and more suitable for all of us. She just doesn’t want to give up her home and I understand that. So we will go back there and take care of her. The lease here is out in March – we will hang in here until that is up. In the interim, my daughter is going to go and stay with Nan during the week (Mon-Fri) and they will both come and stay with us on weekends (Fri-Mon). I’ll also go and stay there on Tues nights. We figure we can all live with that for the next three months. My daughter is going back to school next year (yay!) at the local senior college which is right near Mum’s place, so that will work out good for her as well. We will start slowly taking stuff over there as we go so the job of moving won’t be so large.
Apart from my daughter going back to school, my son is changing schools next year as well. Although he made it through grade 8 without being expelled – he wasn’t far off it, with regular suspensions throughout the year. We have enrolled him in an alternative school for kids with school difficulties / behavioural problems. It’s a much smaller school of only 120 kids where they have between 10-20 kids per class with two teachers, teacher aides and youth worker support. They do lots of ‘hands on’ work, an aim for vocational certificates / school-based apprenticeships throughout the senior years. Other benefits are a huge agriculture focus, music program, footy team, great incentives to good behaviour (trips to local and state attractions etc). My son is in two-minds about going there – some days he likes the idea, others he doesn’t. There are other kids he knows that go there, so he will know people, but it’s still hard changing schools at this age. Hopefully this will be good for him and what he needs. We shall see I guess. Hard to believe he will be 14 years old in a few short days.
Hubby is still struggling to find work. Apart from a few brief weeks he has been unemployed for nearly a year now. It’s so hard for him to find anything and he is going to have to look further afield in 2012. He will try to complete a Cert III in Aged Care or Disabilities as there is plenty of work for support workers in those areas – he was going to do it this year but they cancelled it as they had no trainer. He is also going to look at jobs out west, where several new mines are set to start up – he may just find something out there and have to travel out, as much as he doesn’t want to. It’s a struggle financially without him working and even though I try to be as positive as I can for his sake, I know that I’m getting frustrated with the fact he can’t find a job and I’m letting some resentment creep in that shouldn’t be there. I’ll have to work on that.
Well, I think that’s it for now. Apart from making a commitment to regular blog entries in 2012, I’m all wrapped up. Happy New Year for tomorrow!
