Having extra time on my hands this morning I decided to fill out the answers to the meme I found on Maria's blog this morning.

The answers are in regards to 2007:

1) Where did you begin 2007?

The same place I have begun the new year for as long as I can remember; asleep in my bed. the way I see it, the arrival is one of those things that is going to happen with or without my participation in the event. So far I have been right.

2) What was your status on Valentine's Day?

Celebrating my seventh wedding anniversary to (my) Mister (we married on February 13, 2000)

3) Were you in school anytime this year?

The older I get the more I am enrolled in the school of life, searching to learn from the day in and day out. I also took a three day course to learn the art of Thai Massage to feel the needed requirement for continuing education credits to keep my P.T.A. licence valid, and a Reiki level one class.

4) How do you earn your money?

The care and feeding of seniors ( OPs, Grandpa/grandma/ whatever your term you use). Within this context I am able to help those at the end of their lives have the type of dying experience they want. This is my favorite part of my job and I hope to grow it to be able to assist more families in 2008.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?

Yes. On September 14 I was stretching my youngest's hamstrings, standing on a soft bed, fell and messed up the bones in my left wrist. I had to have outpatient surgery the following week to re-align the bones and have a plate and four screws put in to hold it in place.

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?

Not that I can recall. My normal encounters with the police are waving at them as they drive by my house patrolling the area.

7) Where did you go on vacation?

2007 was a good year for travel. In February I went to New Orleans, took a five day cruise to Mexico, and then met my oldest back in New Orleans and we ran a half-marathon and spent a couple of days sight-seeing. In August I flew to Denver and met Random for the first time. She picked me up at the airport and we drove to Spearfish, SD to do a half-marathon together. We had a blast and felt like we had known one another for our entire lives. On December 26 of 2007 (my) Mister, youngest and her BF went to Cozumel for a week. See why that debt isn't getting paid off?

8) What did you purchase that was over 1000$?

We converted a sun room into living space to extend the size of the television room where we hang out with the OPs. The total cost was around $11,000.00 and we paid cash. We also shelled put $9,000.00 to have a brick parking pad added to the front yard, also with cash. And there was the Cozumel vacation, $5,0000 for us to go, and $1000.00 to pay someone to care for the OPs so that we could go($6,000.00 cash out-of-budget). I sooooo could be out of debt!

9) Did you know anybody who got married?

Not a legal/recognized by our government kind of wedding.

10) Did you know anyone who passed away?

Yes. We had three hospice patients pass away in 2007.

11) Did you move anywhere?

Still in the same residence, I did a lot of moving in regards to my spiritual growth, moving into a more loving place towards myself as well as others. This was a great move but also an on-going one.

12) How did you celebrate your birthday?

I turned fifty this year and completed my first marathon to celebrate the event. My entire family (well, except for my son) participated with me. When I crossed the finish line my oldest (who had finished two hours plus before me, grabbed the mike and sang, "We are Family," as I requested of her, and then the announcer came on and said, "Happy Birthday." It was great, but at the time all I could do was sob because I had beat the cut-off time by six minutes and had "Officially" finished, and all I wanted to do was get to a porta-potty and get rid of the pile of crap I had been carrying for the past six miles due to (in my opinion anyway) poor placement of porta-potties on the race course.

13) What concerts/shows did you go to?

Went to a mini lecture by a Voodoo Priestess as part of a cemetery tour we took when in New Orleans. That would be it...I don't get out much.

14) Are you registered to vote?

Yes! And I take my right to vote very seriously and exercise that right each time it is offered. I am a firm believer that if one does not vote they lose their right to bitch about the government. Not giving up that right, as there isn't much else in my life to bitch about.

15) Where do you live now?

In a really great house, in a quiet neighborhood (if one doesn't count screaming children in summer), in small town America. More importantly is the fact that I am living in the moment more and more instead of planning for something in the future while life passes me by. I heard (again) just the other day: "Life is what happens while we are planning for it."

16) How did you spend your summer break?

I rarely get a weekend break since my job is 24/7, let alone a summer break. Not complaining, I like my job.

17) What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?

Be in shape enough to complete a full marathon. Improved upon NOT getting upset/frustrated/angry about things other people chose to do. Ditto in regards to letting other people's choices affect me negatively.

18) What has been your favorite moment?

I have reached a point in my life where I Cherish all the moments in my life, even those others might see as negative because those are the ones I learn the most from. To answer the question I will pick the moment the surgeon that repaired my wrist told me if I gave him two weeks without running he would get me repaired and set up to continue with my plans for to run the marathon. 5.5 months of complete focus on one goal would not be wasted after all!

19) What's something that you learned about yourself?

How to give up a little more of my ego control, and when I do this life is much more joyful.

20) What was your worst month?

Life is good, and each month had something good in it. Sorry to be a downer.

21) What music will you remember 2007 by?

Batting zero here folks. I don't listen to that much music. Pressured to pick I would have to say the race play list I have on my XM portable that I listen to when I run as my overall focus for 2007 was training for the marathon.

22) Who has been your best drinking buddy?


I usually drink alone, while sitting in my hot tub relaxing. I did this maybe five or six times over the course of the year. Wait! I did have a drinking buddy, my dog Emma. She loved to crawl along the side of the tub and lick the coldness of the glass. And don't scream I would let her have a drop or two when I was down to the end of the glass. I used it as training to get her to go out on the ledge. Ever know a dog that loved Cosmos?

23) Made new friends?

Again, I don't get out much. I cultivated the relationships that I have with the hospice staff, and a couple of them blossomed into friendships. Since I have made blogger friends over the past year I guess I am not a total loser!

24) What was your best month?

See #20

25) Overall, how would you rate 2007 out of 10?


9.5

26) Have any car accidents?

Nope. Sometimes not getting out much has its perks.

27) Did you have a New Year's Resolution?


I gave up making resolutions years ago as it was to self-defeating to not keep them. This year I came up with some mantras to help with my growth. "The check is in the mail," and "Everything will turn out as it is suppose two," are the ones I am currently focusing on and they are working fabulously.

28) Do anything embarrassing?

More than I can remember I am sure. One that comes to mind was the time I came up from downstairs to get dinner started. As I was in the kitchen, I said to my resident with Dementia, "____ there is no one in there with you. You're talking to yourself again" only to have her daughter peak her head into my line of view and say, "No she's not. I'm in here with her." Nice Patty! Her daughter didn't seem to think anything about it so maybe it didn't sound as bad as I thought it was.

29) Buy anything from E-bay?

No. I have never bought anything from there.

30) Get married?

See #2

31) Get arrested?

Do handcuffs in the bedroom count? JUST KIDDING, really!

32) Did you get sick in 2007?

No. I worked the day I broke my wrist, the day of surgery, and all the days of my recovery.

33) Been snowboarding?

Years ago I had one experience with skis and hills; the BUNNY hill. I can still see my body covered in bruises after that "fun" experience. In other words...NO!

34) Are you happy to see 2007 go?

I am only happy to see 2007 go because I am so excited to see what 2008 has to bring to my life.