-10

Mom died. Loads of other reasons. But that alone... -10. We worked together. We played together. She was my bestie. COVID stole the last times we could've had (dementia set in).

And I agree. I'm determined, this year will be better. Finally.

I was going to say -5 I guess rob333 had a much worse year. :(

I'm not trying to outdo anyone.

Do you agree 2023 will be better AR girl?

Let's hope so!

Mine has been the hardest year of my lifetime. I seem to be coming out of it with some hope that "this too will pass". I hope that the future will be so much more peaceful for me & my family.

-9

lost too many friends etc

Considering I am not in Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, Somalia, Guatemala, China, (shall I go on?), I have to say a 10.

I'll give it a 9..5. Nothing's perfect, but this year was fine.

FIL had covid in January and spent several days in the hospital. He wanted to die, but in reality he wasn't all that sick. He recovered completely with no lasting effects.

DH had a fantastic mission trip in July. He got covid the first week, and was basically flu sick. He recovered completely with no lasting effects. And the rest of the trip was awesome.

We were looking for a small house to buy for rental, and one fell in our laps by pure chance. It is across the street from our house, so very convenient. We fixed it up, and it's rented to some excellent tenants.

I did walk away from a volunteer job which I loved. I put a huge amount of time there (700+ hours in 2021.) But the new guy who oversees the committee started making all sorts of changes which I didn't agree with, so I bailed. I haven't yet found anything to fill that time.

We would have liked to travel more, but didn't for reasons. Maybe 2023 is our year.

A dear friend got a cancer diagnosis in August. But it was caught very early, he did well with treatment, and has an excellent prognosis.

Mostly healthy, mostly happy. Can't complain.

Mostly typical year. It went fast. We didn't get to go on our family/friend week on lake Erie this summer. I waited until January to book to make sure all the restrictions were gone, but all the homes with at least 6 bedrooms were booked. Oh well, it is booked for next summer. We all had fun at camp through out the summer though. There is going to be 11 of us up there this weekend. Now it's just counting down the days until spring.

Most of my years have been good. 2022, of all of them, has been my least favorite. Vaccines finally made covid much less scary, but two years of avoiding travel and crowds left a habit of saying "no" to adventures we would previously have embraced without hesitation. My DH's aunt gave us a health scare but she's in a nice assisted living situation now and feeling more positive. My dad finally died after a short, steep decline -- but given his alzheimers and increasing weakness, we knew it was coming and were able to say final goodbyes in peace. Other than that, us/friends & family are doing well.

So, roll on 2023.

A solid 7. The only reason it isn't in the negative numbers is because both of my sons got married. For DS2 it was a renewal of vows and a big reception as a follow up to their 2020 covid wedding. DS1 and partner finally got married after 10 years and it was a small weekend wedding that was perfect for them. Both of my kids are doing really well considering covid and that is, at this stage of the game, my constant wish.

This has not been the greatest year for me. I have watched several of my extended family members suffer health issues--cancer, open heart surgery, a disabling muscle disease. Luckily I have been healthy except for a bout with covid.

I have a son who doesn't seem to have the ability to manage his life effectively--a long time issue--can't keep a job, a place to live, doesn't make good choices. As a widow, I have run out of patience with his lifestyle and helping him survive. Keeping my fingers crossed that he keeps the new job that he starts next week.

Living on a plot with too many trees, I have had the misfortune of having limbs come through my roof this year and last during ice storms. Two weeks ago I had to have one of my trees cut which was leaning toward my neighbor's property. Fortunately, I have been financially able to handle these situations.

I have lost two friends that I counted on--they didn't value me as much as I valued them. Thankfully I have other friends who have been steadfast and true--some for a lifetime.

Sometimes we can't see the good part because the bad part is overwhelming. Just writing this made me see that each of the misfortunes I named above might have worked out in a much worse way. I will try to count my blessings instead of dwelling on those bumps in the road.

I don't know how to rate it. I've had worse years, but this one has been harder in some ways. I learned some things that I find really depressing. On the bright side, I've had some old friends come back into my life.

I'll give it a 7 because I finished my kitchen renovation, and I'm very happy about that. I'm not happy about not feeling comfortable with foreign travel.

I'd have to rate 2022 as a 5........was not a great or even good year but neither was it particularly awful.

The worst was losing my constant companion and best friend of 14 years - my beloved dog Chewy - at the end of September. My summer was pretty much focused on him as well, monitoring his declining health and knowing the end was drawing close. The single redeeming factor was the presence of my sister's new Havanese puppy, with whom I share custody. Javi the pup got the old boy up and active and semi playful again while the old man taught him some important doggy skills.....like learning how to pee and poop outside! And the puppy has been a wonderful and most welcome distraction after Chewy's passing.

Crummy weather and advancing age kept me out of the garden as much as I'd like, another big negative. And inflation wreaked havoc on my fixed income budget, so have become very conscious of unnecessary travel and expenditures. I tend to stay home a lot :-)

The good parts are that I seem to be in decent health for someone in their mid 70's, there are still design and consultation jobs filtering in, I live in one of the most idyllic locations in the country, I reconnected with a couple of friends I have not seen since before the pandemic and my two older siblings and I - all senior singles - have become very close..

And of course the puppy, who is a joy and a delight. He makes me laugh and feel younger and gets me walking. What could be better??

I am so sorry for everyone who endured losses this year.

This year gets a seven for me as well, maybe even an eight, all things considered. We are finally heading home after having spent most of the pandemic in Austin. I will miss Central Market and HEB, but not the weather.

I see normality on the horizon for my family, so I am pretty thrilled with the upcoming year.

Here's to a healthy and joyous New Year for everyone.

Lars, have you posted pictures of your kitchen anywhere? I would love to see, if you don't mind.

Wildchild, I love reading about your equestrian adventures and progress.

Maybe a 6 because of work stresses and flooded bathroom/bedroom that still isn't fixed. Still can't find a dang vanity top and may have to do some other type of faucet if I can't find one.

I lost my old dog, Emily, but she was ready to go. She had a good, long life so can't be sad about that. Taking Chewie in this afternoon for a growth on his toe. He has a lot of fatty tumors and I'm hoping this is just a benign growth of some kind.

Next year will start out to be a 10+ because I'm retiring. Hopefully it will be a good year for us all.

I would call it an 8. There were good times and bad times, but nothing that couldn't be overcome. My parents are winding down, so I know the next year or two will contain crises, but at least we had another good year in 2022.

I give it a 9.

We had a pretty good time with our hobbies. We volunteered for a few projects that went well.

Trivial junk that won't ruin my life.

I’d say 2022 was a 7, maybe an 8. A 7 because I lost 2 very dear friends this year. One in January after a brief illness and pulmonary issues and the other on July 1 after a brief battle with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (never smoked). The second friend and I were very close and had been for over 35 years. It was really hard to see her decline and suffer. Several of us girls hung out together frequently and enjoyed cooking together, wine dinners and traveling. She was comfortable even with those of us who were married, and came along by herself on many of our weekend trips. We all miss her greatly. I still grieve her loss and can only imagine what her daughter is going through.

We also have not traveled as we had intended to do. Foreign travel and air travel still bothers both of us as it seems everyone we know comes back sick from a trip. We had escaped Covid until April. DH came down with a 'cold' which turned out to be Covid, and I got it 4 days later. Fortunately my case was very mild and only lasted about 3 days. DH suffered for a week.

On a positive note, I was asked to serve a 2-year term on a Board of Directors for a non-profit that is very dear to my heart. I have enjoyed my first year serving. I volunteer heavily there and have met many new, interesting and involved people as a result. Several are new to our community and it is rewarding to see them get involved in our activities.

DH and I have had a lot of maintenance-type work to do on our property. After 20+ years, we needed to clean up some dead or dying trees, trim back some, and do general exterior maintenance outside. That work never ends it seems but we keep at it.

Also on a positive note, our oldest grandson got engaged and is getting married in Feb. Our oldest granddaughter graduated magna cum laude and decided to stay and study for her MBA. She is in an accelerated program and will finish in May 2023.

Zalco/bring back Sophie! you can see my kitchen renovation in my profile.

I've not posted photos as a separate thread because I am aware that most people on Houzz have very different taste from me.

Here's my new soap dispenser

Love the pretty blue color Lars!

Rusty

Lars, I love your new kitchen. Congrats. That acqua color is divine. I especially love your dining chairs, and their gorgeous upholstery. Thank you for sharing the project. It great to see projects that are creative and personal.

Riding horses

There was an article in today's NYT, 'It's never too late' and one of the stories was about a woman who had wanted to learn to ride horses from an early age but had never done so until recently, later in her life. It made me think of you, and I think it is wonderful.

5/10

Tons of ups and down.

I had Covid which finally showed up on a rapid test April Fools Day. It was not funny. At. All.... I was sick for 12 days at home until it finally came back negative, then took more probably 3 more weeks to feel back to normal once I went back to work. I was constantly out of breath doing the smallest jobs. I still have some brain fog.

We went to BC to see my parents and sister, and also my nephew got married (again) in Harrison Hot Springs. So that was wonderful. My son and his little boy drove out with us and the four of us had such a good time driving all over the lower mainland.

I ended up with bronchitis in October/November that was worse than the Covid! Nothing I took helped relieve the symptoms. With Covid Dayquil and Tylenol were my best friends. Didn't touch the bronchitis. I was sick for over three weeks and only took 3 days off work. I've masked ever since.

Christmas was really nice. My kids always come over and this year my youngest son has a new girlfriend who has a 4 year old and they came for the day too.

It's New Years Eve now and not sure who all is coming over for the Dutch Oliebollen tradition. My daughter for sure with her boyfriend. I'm making tons so if there are leftovers, YAY me! LOL

I'd give 2022 an 8/10. Certainly MUCH better than 2021 when we lost my Mom after several months of Covid lockdown. That was probably the saddest time in my life watching her slip away.

BUT-this year has been good to us! We settled in to our new home & community and have really enjoyed making new friends. We remodeled our new (to us) home,and started traveling again after 6 years of taking care of aging parents. Several RV trips this summer, a wonderful month in Greece this last fall, and a girls trip to Mexico before Christmas. Making up for lost time, I would say!

We are both happy and healthy and looking forward to what 2023 brings our way!

I would rate my year 8/10, when ignoring such things as age creeping up ever faster and difficult weather, particularly the winters. We are missing our dear daughter-in-law who passed away more than two years ago but DS and DGDs are doing well, considering. They live very far away from us which we find difficult, although we regularly travel back and forth for lengthy visits. They are here visiting for Christmas and New Years. None of our parents are living any more and our health is ok, given our ages. I have missed seeing other family who live more distant and hope to be able to travel again after staying home so much in the last 2-3 years.

lucillle My instructor has been talking about getting me on a reining horse for some time. He's also a bit overprotective of me at times. But 2 days after Christmas. I got to ride this pretty little mare. She was started as a reiner, she's young, sweet tempered, and she and I will continue to learn together. I'll also get to keep riding and working with my trail horse. Built brick solid and so much power under her hood. Excellent ending to this year.

He's also a bit overprotective of me at times.

I suspect that is because he values you and does not want an adverse event to affect your enthusiasm. Those who teach can spot the students who truly want to learn and who are willing to work hard to do so, and that is certainly not every student who walks through the door.