Life's opportunities and challenges!

Hi everyone!

I have not had a chance to blog for ages, so I decided this morning that in spite of work pressures I felt like blogging! I don't even know if anyone reads them actually, not that it matters I suppose, but if you do, will you leave a comment or two so that I know? I think I blog more for my good really, than for anyone else to read!

I have had an extremely challenging year from many angles, and I thought it would be nice to explore them a bit and see how I have fared. I have literally built bridges, travelled to adventurous places, steered my career to new levels, coped with incredible emotional ups and many downs, had killer work pressures and deadlines to meet, had fun and some special romance, passed some crucial exams and so much more. There is NEVER a dull moment in my life.

Firstly, family wise: my children all moved out at various times over the last two years, and I had to adjust to the vast emptiness that leaves behind with it. Not that I was sad that they are able to leave and go ahead with their own lives, it is more an adjustment to arranging suppers or times together with them and the challenge of keeping in touch as they forge their new lives, and get busy. We still love to do things together so it is great when we do get together. I would like to do it more often in the new year.

The other huge challenge for me was that Kevin's parents aged considerably virtually overnight and it has been very difficult balancing family commitments, running a home, career and meeting their endless needs compassionately. We are alone in this with no help from any other family members so it means we need to be on 24 hour standby, and drop everything if they need shopping, or doctors visits or medicine or if they fall or are ill or lonely and cook them meals etc. We do it with love, but it can wear you down to the bone, and is exhausting and back breaking to spend a great deal of the night up with an ailing parent and then to be ready for a full days work on your feet that same morning.

My career has been taking huge amounts of time as it just blossomed out this year. No money yet, sadly - we still live from month to month, but I am hoping to put some meat on the ribs this year coming. I have been laying the foundations and lots of amazing opportunities have presented themselves! But with these opportunities came LOADS and LOADS of work and stress because it was new and mostly unknown. I met deadlines that would make your hair curl, and achieved instant 'knowledge' of stuff i had never heard of the day before, and I had to learn everything from scratch and then be good enough at it to 'train' it the next day. Nearly everything had to be created from scratch. HOURS and hours of work. I didn't know I had it me! :)

Financially - we are hoping that with all kiddywinkles out of university, and working at last, we will be able to get on our feet a bit. It is always a struggle, but not any different to what we are used to. I just wish the amount of income = the amount of work!! that would be nice.

Kevin is as patient as he can be, and tries to understand. He always supports me fantastically but I think there were times when he felt the stresses and the neglect of family time that I had to forfeit often due to work load. He is more than wonderful with helping when it is needed.

I hope next year is still full of challenges, but I would like it to be a little easier, less busy and more money maybe? I want more family time and more fun definitely. I will drive the landy more. We'll see - as my one friend would say - que sera sera!