Fun Monday - Decade in Review

Wendishness is our hostess this week and she wants to know:

Okay, your mission, should you choose to accept it is this – we’re at the end of decade and in the media we’re seeing a lot of highlights, mishaps, misfortunes etc.. that have happened in the news. But what about everyone else? I would LOVE to see your highlights and lowlights from the “noughties”. Photos would be fantastic but you don’t have to – the choice is yours. (so, show us the last decade for you)

Hmmm...  This past decade has been full of ups and downs. 

I have made several stabs at writing novels.  They were okay, but all need a lot of work before they're really fit for anyone to read.  I bowed out of NaNoWriMo this year after three years of participation because I had a feeling that November was going to be too jam-packed, busy for me to do more than glance at my word processor.  As it turns out, I was right.  But the dream of being a published author is still with me and when things slow down a little, perhaps after the first of the year, I'll give it a go again.

The best thing that happened is that I've had a blast watching my boy grow from a rug rat to a rather mature boy of 10.  He's so smart, and handsome, and a caring person.  I feel this mothering business is over my head sometimes, but if how he's turning out is any indicator of how I'm doing, I must be doing okay.  It's hard to believe that in less than 8 years, he will be officially an adult and able to be on his own.  It's not enough time for his mother to get used to the idea.  The next decade will see some big changes there, as he is less and less under my influence and more under that of his friends.  I hope we all survive.

This has also been a decade of change for me personally and this shell that I live in.  My late in life pregnancy set me up for a battle of the bulge that is still being waged today.  I have high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesteroll - all of which could be controlled or eliminated completely if I could get rid of this excess weight.  So far, I've had little success.  As I get closer to 50, my greatest personal desire is to regain my body and to be able to do some of the things I want to do before it's beyond me.  My friend Christin and I decided to run a marathon in May of 2011.  I still have a little more than a year to get ready.  I hope my knees and feet hold out.

See, that's one of my issues.  I've had a couple of car accidents (not my fault).  The first one did some pretty good damage to me.  My knees aren't so great and it took me more than five years to be able to walk without pain.  There are still days (though they are getting fewer and farther apart) when I cannot walk without a cane.  It's a bit of a hindrance when contemplating running for 26.2 miles.  This has been a mostly cane-free year and I hope this trend continues.

I think the thing that has marked this decade for me the most though, is that I'm happy.  I love the man I married.  I love the son we made.  I love my family and my friends.  My job is good, mostly stable, and fulfilling.  I have enough time to help other people and take on projects of my own.  I've learned a great deal about home improvement and find great satisfaction in doing it myself.  And I still have dreams.