2020 Goals June 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. PROGRESS: I have completed 29 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. Due to the Coronavirus, this is on hold: I have contacted my surgeon and sh says the surgeries have started but at a very slow pace. So this may still take a few months to happen. 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. Now for the planters, which could be done quicker if it weren’t so hot here. In the backyard, the garden is growing. We have harvested a lot of things and even have hope we might get a few watermelons out there. The sprinklers have been started in the front. 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. 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. Only down two pounds. 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 nearly 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.

June was productive. Starting the one quilt has gotten me more excited about the others. Sad to see that I really hadn’t lost as much weight as I had thought. 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.

2020 Goals May Update

May Goals
  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. In May I started my list of cities to visit and places where we will eat, tour, and sleep. I haven’t finalized that yet or made any reservations. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
  2. PROGRESS: I have completed 25 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. Due to the Coronavirus, this is on hold: To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery. I have contacted my surgeon and he doesn’t have approval yet to start scheduling the 115 surgeries he is behind on. So this may take a de months to happen.
  5. PROGRESS: We have planned out the front yard and the old lawn has been removed. The sidewalks were removed and forms put in. We will get the cement poured on May 5. In the backyard, the garden is almost done. Grapevines have been purchased but need to be planted. The radishes are up. We have hung sunshades on the patio. The sprinklers have been started in the front. Our garden is complete and we have already had 7 zucchini, 1 crookneck squash, and lots of radishes. 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. This would be exciting, but I haven’t been feeling 100%, eating less, so I hope that I can maintain it. 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. No PROGRESS: 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.

May was not as productive as I had hoped. I need to get going on the baby quilts since they are not something I can make in a day, especially since I send the quilts out for the actual quilting. 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.

My Journey Back to Normal – Falls Behind

My journey Falls Behind

Back to where I left off

It has been about three and 1/2 months since I saw my audiologist to see if any hearing remained in my left ear. I had suspected I would have none and I didn’t. The following week I went to my primary neurosurgeon for my two-month follow-up appointment. I came with a list of questions. Right after the surgery, my mouth tasted like salt when I had a glass of water. It had now changed to a metal taste. My doctor assured me that it should go away within a year.

At the time of my appointment, I was still having a lot of balance issues. Pulling a sweatshirt over my head, closing my eyes to wash my face or hair, and turning my head too quickly to the right or left would cause the feeling of potentially falling. My doctor would have physical therapy contact me. He said that I would probably need 8 to 12 weeks of therapy. I was frustrated about not driving yet, but the physical therapy would get me to the point of driving if all went as planned.

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