Birthday musings

Taking stock of the past year, I've come up with the following accomplishments, deficiencies and lessons learned:

ACCOMPLISHMENT
* We downsized our belongings by at least 50%, probably more, when we moved in with the in-laws.
LESSON:
* We cannot live with anyone else. Anyone. Ever.

ACCOMPLISHMENT
* We took the first steps toward our first house, including paying off old debt, researching options and enrolling in the savings & grant program. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that we will become homeowners in 2010.
LESSON
* That thought touches the farthest ends of both terror and exhilaration, and we can handle both with grace.

ACCOMPLISHMENT
* We took a friend's advice and are working up a weighted checklist of what we require in a property (3 points each item), what we want (2 points each) and what would be nice to have (1 point each). This graded scale will help us to measure one home against another when we start the house hunt.
LESSON
* We are shockingly compatible when it comes to what we want from a house, the land and life.

ACCOMPLISHMENT
* I got a big fat promotion in the past year, instead of the small lean promotion that was expected.
LESSON
* I don't work nearly as hard as I thought I would. At least, not every day!

ACCOMPLISHMENT
* We don't fight and we don't argue. However, we have had several heated discussions over the past year. The accomplishment is we have committed to talking through our differences before too much time has passed (usually within an hour). We have been able to bring all our issues to a close, even if it's just an agreement to disagree.
LESSON
* Fussing now and then can be healthy for a relationship. It clears the air, helps us to understand each other better and builds trust and intimacy each time we successfully come out the other side.

DEFICIENCIES TO WORK ON
* I am a bad saver. I am an earner and a spender. I've never had any money to speak of, and now that I have some disposable income, I'm inclined to dispose of it as quickly as possible. I have a book problem and a craft problem. I also love to buy gifts for friends, family and especially The Tall Guy. Big gifts. Expensive gifts. Extravagant, embarrassing, "Oh-you-shouldn't-have" kinds of gifts. I am a BAD saver. Fortunately, The Tall Guy is a great saver, so he controls most of the money for now.

* My patience with the outside world is getting shorter and shorter as time goes by. There are days I feel I hate the world and the world returns the sentiment. It's a lose-lose attitude.

* I am very judgmental. It's a terrible habit and makes people think I think I'm better than they are. Sometimes this is true (I'm ashamed to say) but usually it's my overdeveloped sense of right and wrong.

So there it is. Not a bad list of accomplishments, and certainly not an insurmountable list of stuff to work on. I'll get right to it...after cake!

Going to NYC with my mom for a long weekend. After we return: Weight Watchers, a Craigslist pasta machine and a new website. See you soon!