I like to keep a list of resolutions on the blog. It helps keep me accountable and helps me keep track of my goals - what I wanted to do and whether or not I actually got them accomplished during the year. I had a few goals in 2020. Those all went out the window in March. I don't even want to talk about those goals anymore. But, this is 2021, and we are all set for a new series of goals. So, here they are. It's a short list this year.
1) Get away with my husband twice this year. DONE!
We made it to Acadia National Park in June! (Pictures to follow.)
One weekend at the beach in Delaware.
2) Visit middle child in Kansas.
He's been out here to see us thrice now. Once for my Mother in Laws funeral, once in October, and again for Christmas. We will get out there in 2022.
3) Visit all of the state parks in Maryland.
Calvert Cliffs
Patapsco Valley
Soldier's Delight
Sandy Point
Rock
I've got a way to go....
We received a State Parks pass from one of the kids for Christmas. We are looking forward to using it extensively this coming year!
4) Get one more stamp in my National Parks Passport
Acadia National Park
Gettysburg
Harper's Ferry
C&O Canal
5) Lose 10% of my body weight.
Why are those last 2 pounds the hardest 2 pounds?
I’ve given up on this for this year. I’ve lost weight, and that’s what matters. It makes me happy that my clothes fit better, and honestly? That’s what matters.
6) Get a storage unit and move stuff there to sort it out.
We had stuff we needed to get out. And then we cleaned out my Mom's house when we moved her to Assisted Living and then we cleaned out my MIL's condo and apartment and THEN the oldest child moved back in. AND THEN my Step-Mother's niece called me and gave me BOXES of my Dad's stuff. You know, my Dad. Who passed away over 12 years ago. (There's another story...) This house looks like a real life episode of Hoarders.
Update: We have the storage unit. It has been filled. Much of what is in there will be going to the White Elephant Sale at the church in November. And then, we will be moving more stuff over there while we figure out where to put it.
Update 2: No White Elephant sale this year due to COVID. So, the storage unit is still full of stuff we need to deal with. Our local thrift store is now going through the donations in the trunk of the car and only taking what they want. So, I’m still left with a ton of junk I need to get rid of.
7) Do a minor home improvement project.
There's a lot to choose from. Which one will we pick? Fixing the fence line in the back? Getting the wood trim on the house painted? Replacing the floor in the utility area in the basement? Hiring the tree guys to come out and get rid of the brush piles in the back? Having someone come out and landscape the front of the house?
Update: nothing visible. The outdoor a/c unit was hit by lightning over the summer during the big heatwave. We had to wait the better part of a week to get that fixed.
Update #2
I’m counting the installation of the Septic Riser as our minor home improvement project. It’s not a big, showy project, but being able to have the solids sucked out of the tank on a regular basis? That’s a pretty big improvement.
Update #3
Oh, and the pipes in the kitchen sink got clogged. Again. It turns out that when this house was built in 1970, the plumbing code at the time was written by drunk people. (kidding) Maybe it was just the builders. The pipe leaving the kitchen sink and running down to join the rest of the pipes runs the length of the house. But not the way you'd think. The pipes run underneath the kitchen floor straight across to the support bean in the middle of the basement and then run the length of the house to the main sewer line. It has a total of 3 turns in the pipes.
We found a new to us plumber who came in and really fixed the line. He snaked it out to the very end of the sewer line, and he had an assistant down in the basement who verified when the snake got to each turn in the line. After he finished snaking out the lines, he turned the hot water on and then went down to verify that the pipe was hot all the way around just where the sink line joins the line leaving the house. So amazing to have the job done right, and we were thrilled with his work!
Those are minor, but necessary improvements!
8) Visit my cousins in Texas (a trip postponed from 2020.)
Not this year. It's just not going to happen in 2021.
We have a tentative plan to visit them in 2022.
9) Get my kids and all of my sister's kids together in the same place at the same time.
DONE! It’s the first time we’ve had all of them together in 4 years!
That was harder than we thought it would be!
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