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2020 Goals August Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
aUGUST
Here are the updates to my list of goals for 2020. I have made some progress, but not as much as I had hoped for. #progress #goals #update
  1. PROGRESS: This is subject to the Coronavirus. I have visited AAA, of which I am a member, to pick up maps to assist me in making my plans. At this time the states I hope to be visiting are Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Plans are finalized, except for making hotel reservations. The flight is booked. The nights we are staying in our timeshare are booked. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
  2. COMPLETED: I have completed 34 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year.
  3. COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist had given me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself. This was probably my most important goal since it has given me the freedom that has really brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
  4. COMPLETED: I had my BAHA (bone attached hearing aid) surgery on July 22. On August 20 I received the outside portion of my implant. It was with great joy that I realized I could hear my husband speaking to me on the way home from that appointment. I’m still getting used to this, but as time goes on I think I will adapt to it a bit better. I didn’t regain any hearing in my ear, but I have the ability to feel like I am hearing in my left ear.  All options have been pursued.  To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery.
  5. PROGRESS: We put the grass in the front yard. Sprinklers are in. I’m waiting for the heat to settle down to work in the yard again. We have looked for bushes a few times but haven’t found the ones we want yet. Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
  6. PROGRESS: My husband had made a little progress on this. None since then. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
  7. PROGRESS: I had lost four pounds in May. This would be exciting, but I haven’t been feeling 100%, eating less, so I hope that I can maintain it. As suspected, I didn’t maintain that in June. Only down two pounds. Maintained that two pounds in July. Down three in August. Lose 10 lbs.
  8. COMPLETED: It feels great to no longer have any house or car payments. Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
  9. PROGRESS: I have finished one baby quilt. I went fabric shopping before our governor wanted us to always wear masks, so oops, that was more enjoyable than it could have been. Begin and finish three baby quilts.
  10. PROGRESS: I have been in contact with a second cousin. This is really one of my last things on my mind, hence it is not going quickly. I have started typing up my history on one side. Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.

August was a little bit productive, but nothing to brag about. I did get my BAHA, but that really wasn’t something I did, except of course recovering from a small surgery. It did result in completing another goal. Lost another pound, but I’ve been here before and failed at maintaining it. I’m not giving up yet. If you have goals set, don’t give up on yourself either. We have the time to do it if we put in the effort. Four more months to go!

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My Journey Back to Normal Ends

Posted on by Kimberly Anne

I last wrote about this journey in April. At that time I was anticipating receiving a call to schedule my BAHA surgery. I expected that call to come any day. It didn’t.

BAHA is a bone attached hearing aid. It’s a type of cochlear implant. It is my possibility of once again being able to distinguish where sounds come from. Until my BAHA is attached and I receive the exterior part, I cannot figure out where people are that are talking to me. Whether they are behind me or to the left of me, I have no idea. It could be a difficult thing if a stranger were sneaking up on me. My husband, who should know this is a problem, will walk up behind me and start talking. That is when panic takes over. I look to my right and to my left and then behind me until I find him.

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7 Steps to Plan Your Next Road Trip

Posted on by Kimberly Anne

In the past, planning a road trip meant figuring out the location, making the reservations, and planning the meals. Most of these trips lasted a weekend or maybe a week. These trips had one destination and it was drivable from our home.

This year I have planned a trip that will be over a week and will include three states. That was a little more complicated and required a lot of research. In the end, I think the steps I took will result in a much more interesting, less stressful, and more enjoyable trip. I’m about to share those steps with you so that you, too, will be able to plan and enjoy a great vacation, by avoiding as many stumbling blocks as possible along the way.

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Slaves: How many are providing for your needs?

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
Slaves - How many are providing for your needs

Did you wake up this morning wondering how many slaves are providing for your needs? You should have. I have 32. I’m not proud of it. It’s something we don’t think about, but maybe everyone should think about it. And once you learn about it you might want to alter your purchasing or hold the United States companies and corporations accountable for the labor that is used to make their product. Make them aware that you want them to make changes. Made in the USA makes a difference, but is not always a guarantee.

Your slaves, like mine, work 12-20 hours a day, 6-7 days a week with little or no pay. Minimal amounts of food are given to them. The largest numbers of them are children, many working in dangerous situations.

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Born Color Blind – Weren’t you?

Posted on by Kimberly Anne

I was born color blind. I never thought of it as a problem. In fact, I thought everyone was. It was the way I was raised and as far as I knew, everyone else I knew, was raised that way, too. It’s not the color blindness that you think of, the one related to your ability to see things in color. I can see things in color, but for the most part, I’ve grown up not paying attention to the color of people’s skin. I was raised believing all people are created equally by God, regardless of their skin color.

These days saying I’m color blind in this matter may not be acceptable. I’m sorry if I have offended you. You may disagree with me, but this is how I have felt all my life. Please let me explain.

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2020 Goals July Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
  1. PROGRESS: This is subject to the Coronavirus. I have visited AAA, of which I am a member, to pick up maps to assist me in making my plans. At this time the states I hope to be visiting are Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Plans are finalized, except for making hotel reservations. The flight is booked. The nights we are staying in our timeshare are booked. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
  2. COMPLETED: I have completed 31 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year.
  3. COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist had given me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself. This was probably my most important goal since it has given me the freedom that has really brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
  4. PROGRESS: I was scheduled to have my surgery on July 22. It was so much nicer than the first surgery. Easy recovery. I still have my glued stitches that itch, but I’m supposed to leave them alone. On August 20 I will receive the outside portion of my implant. Then I will learn how to use it and see how successful it was. To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery.
  5. PROGRESS: We put the grass in the front yard. Sprinklers are in. The planters are in process, but not quite done. We have harvested a lot of things and even have hope we might get a few watermelons out there. We ate our first watermelon. It was ok, not spectacular – 27 lbs. Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
  6. PROGRESS: My husband had made a little progress on this. None since then. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
  7. PROGRESS: I have lost four pounds in May. This would be exciting, but I haven’t been feeling 100%, eating less, so I hope that I can maintain it. As suspected, I didn’t maintain that in June. Only down two pounds. Maintained that two pounds in July. Lose 10 lbs.
  8. COMPLETED: It feels great to no longer have any house or car payments. Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
  9. PROGRESS: I have finished one baby quilt. I went fabric shopping before our governor wanted us to always wear masks, so oops, that was more enjoyable than it could have been. Begin and finish three baby quilts.
  10. PROGRESS: I have been in contact with a second cousin. This is really one of my last things on my mind, hence it is not going quickly. I have started typing up my history on one side. Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.

July was productive. Finishing the one quilt has gotten me more excited about the others. I have exceeded my goal of reading books. Maintained my weight, but didn’t lose anything. I’m not giving up yet. If you have goals set, don’t give up on yourself either. We have the time to do it if we put in the effort.