Polar Vortex... :(

 Oh, my goodness it is going to get cold out there! I am NOT a fan of the cold.  I can't believe it's been since April since I've written anything.  Let's see how I've been doing...

Old Business:

• 8th Day of Creation is finished, as is How to Bill Insurance as a Massage Therapist. I'm now on to So I think you need to Talk to Someone.  Wow, look at me go, 2 books finished, and the next about 1/3 done.
• Caves is finished, and now I've started a collection of short stories from a Czech author called Lovers for a Day.  Very different style of writing, but I find it intriguing.
• Trail Guide - been hitting it pretty consistently.  Have finished: shoulders, neck, arms, and hands.  Currently working on head and face.
• Planning for success, kinda got out of it, need to get back into it.
• Magazines are plugging along slowly.  Very sad that Martha Stewart has been discontinued.
• Neck and shoulder exercises are going OK.
• Running has been up, down, and all over the place. I got COVID in October, so that really slowed me down, and then by the time I felt like I wanted to start trying again, it got cold.  Refer to comment at the top! LOL
• Have done 2 more career fairs, 1 in Indy and 1 in Ivy Tech Fort Wayne.  Ever hopeful that I will find someone.
• I got a bit of weeding done during COVID, when I felt OK (and of course all summer long), but never made it back to the alley beds. That was discouraging.
• Craft table is cleaned, and photos all put away.
• Cleaning is still a back and forth, but I just keep trucking forward.
• I have moved into the new space in Marion!  It is just gorgeous!  That happened in July.  Now to find more workers to put in the rooms!
• Playing guitar more steady.  At least 1-2 times a week.
• Sewer line is all done, was finally able to start mowing and such over the trench.  There are a few holes yet where it settled funny, but I'll figure out how to fill those in.
• Have been able to spend a couple more weekends down with Brother and fam.
• Had a couple of small visits from the kiddos.  It's never enough!!

New Business:

• Goodness, where to start. Celebrated brother and nephew's birthdays in May.
• June 018 came up to do the Aventura camp again, so that was wonderful.
• In June I had to fire S at the Wabash office.  That was hard.  Lots of reasons.  Lots of learning experiences.
• July was moving the offices, and going to Indy to visit the fam.
• August was going to AMTA nationals in Cleveland on the Government Relations team. That was way cool! And a fun city to run in!
• September was a trip to Fort Myers Beach, FL. Soooo good.  We got back about 3 days before Ian.  So sad.
• Most of summer was full of mowing and weeding.  We had a lot of trouble finding straw to cover the beds, and that made a significant impact.
• October was Fall education for AMTA-IN chapter in Brown County.  Really good!  And then came back and got COVID. Spent 16 days fighting that little bugger. My neighbors helped me get a wood chipper (I paid for it, they fetched it since I was contagious) and left in my driveway!  LOL But that really helped with getting rid of a huge brushpile they had dragged to my house, and I could use it to cover the flowerbeds. Later, they would bring down a bunch of leaves (I had already collected mine with my little push rake), and I was able to cover more of the beds that way.  One of these days, I'm sure the amount of weeding is going to decrease if I can keep them covered better.  In fact, they brought me so many leaves, I still have a huge mound in the backyard that I can start using in the spring. Oh, we celebrated 018 turning 019. I was still positive, so we did it in the backyard - the weather was perfect that day and everyone could stay away from me!  And I got stung by a hornet, in my lip, when I didn't check my drink.  Ouch! And my dad had his knee replaced!!! Yea!  He feels so much better.
• November, I was back to work, and trying to manage energy levels and expectations of myself. Thanksgiving was wonderful, and we were able to have a houseload of people. I started back in on some house projects, and took the kids' bedroom door off.  It is currently out in the garage sanded and stained.  It is waiting on me to clean the paint off an old doorknob set that I found. One of the old glass ones.  I love those!
• December, just kinda chilling.  For an early Christmas present, I got myself a folding treadmill.  It's currently set up in the Laundry room so I can see the backyard while I walk and run.  So far it has come in very handy.  I'm back up to being able to run a mile, and I'm hoping this will help me be more consistent with it over the winter so I don't have to start all over in the spring.