<p>When you need a cavalier pet sitter, just holler!!</p>
<p>@jym626 That’s what I get for not reading… It’s a good thing it was spelled correctly. ;)</p>
<p>2014
I’m two semesters away from graduating. I’m still alive, relatively healthy, etc, etc…</p>
<p>2015 and beyond
My college vacation is coming to an end soon and thinking about the future sometimes keeps me up at night; I truly wonder if I would have been better off accepting that ridiculously high paying contracting job in Afghanistan when I had the chance rather than go back to school. Frankly I’m pretty pessimistic about the future and I would not be at all surprised if I had to move back in with my parents (hopefully temporarily) after graduating. </p>
<p>Son #1 got engaged, has a fabulous job with a company that was acquired by a bigger company so he is doing just fine. He just got a big promotion too. We love future DIL and her family. S#2 also works in a fabulous job with a great company. They live near each other (though far from us) and see each other often. </p>
<p>I am happily semi-retired and enjoying my new venture. DH and I had some health scares this year which is new and different for us. One day at a time…</p>
<p>But we are happy, comfortable, don’t do anything illegal or immoral and have no regrets.</p>
<p>Delete.</p>
<p>A mixed bag for us as well. A wedding, graduation, wonderful new jobs for some of our young folks, offset by not-wonderful jobs for some of our other young people and some medical stuff. Very glad to read the happy news from some of the posters here! And wishing those with less positive news a reversal of fortune in 2015.</p>
<p>It was challenging and good. I hope that 2015 will be as fulfilling. But I am one of those people who liked my kids at all ages not just young and I like my life at this age not just younger. I enjoy making goals and carrying through on them.</p>
<p>Good news: DD fully funded and money in the bank at a great university for her master’s degree. Will finish in May. She and her partner will marry in the courthouse, but come here next Fall for the “REAL” wedding. I am in charge of planning the event. 
DS changed jobs to a new company w/ large raise, and lives with his wonderful girlfriend. We are a loving and close family and the kids stay in touch with us. Hubby and I both employed and healthy and plan to pay off the house in another 4 months. (We are not large wage-earners, at least in comparison to most folks on CC, and knowing that we own our home will be psychologically freeing.)</p>
<p>Bad news: My father broke his hip, and I realize I am too far away to be much help as my parents age. There are some issues with my job, which I will not go into here. I am wondering about making the leap to another job situation, but what I really want to do is chuck it all, retire, and travel around the country. I am not sure that I have enough energy to exude the positive optimism I will need to land the job I want. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, and I MUST change my lifestyle and diet to add to my bone mass. (I suppose this is not a bad thing - more exercise is definitely a good thing!) </p>
<p>Feeling a little lonely on this Xmas day with one kid on plane to meet her partner in another country and other kid off with girlfriend’s family… but truly, we are blessed.</p>
<p>No sooner had I posted… bad news by phone. Send healing thoughts overseas, please.</p>
<p>Hope everything works out. </p>
<p>We’ve had some ups and downs, but today took the cake. D’s poor kitty was put down just about 1am after a last minute effort at the Urgent Center to find out what was wrong with him (kidney failure), he was only 4 years old. D’s paternal grandmother was hit by a car last night while walking near a shopping area and rushed to a hospital two hours away and is in surgery right now. D is beside herself and this just magnifies the stress she’s been under in the college application process. One foot in front of the other.</p>
<p>thinking good thoughts for you and your D, @nepatsgirl</p>
<p>thoughts and prayers to anxiousmom andNEPatsGirl</p>
<p>I’m sorry about your families misfortunes, NEPatsGirl. I hope grandma makes it out of surgery well.</p>
<p>Same for your bad new, anxiousmom. Sad to get bad news on Christmas.</p>
<p>Oh, oh. I just found out one of my oldest friends died unexpectedly today. We’d lost contact for a long time, but reconnected on Fb and were able to meet again a couple years ago. Hearbroken.</p>
<p>Oh sad…</p>
<p>I hope it gets better for all! Sorry for the downer news, but life is like that, yes? </p>