How was 2014 for you?

[bostonmichelle]

It's been a huge improvement since 2013. But 2013 may have been the worst year in my life.

I've made some amazing friends thru here and my running club.
I picked up running and actually stuck with it this time and have had an amazing journey so far.
We've done pretty good financially and should be able to finish out the year with sending my final check to Sallie Mae.
We've done a handful of minor repairs and knocked off stuff on our home to do list.
We went on amazing trip to Punta Cana.
I branched out and went to a bunch of gtg's with girls on here.
We started planning our 2 week trip to CA for next summer.

[laurao]

It's been a rough year, probably one of the hardest in my life.
The good:
- We had a great year financially. We kept to our budget, sold our part in my family cottage, and really were able to up savings and retirement to put ourselves in a great position
- I've got a strong marriage, a beautiful daughter, and a great job
- after 5 years my hours at work finally got permenently increased, and it's the perfect work/life balance (75 percent FTE)

The bad:
- DH has had to do some extended travel for work more than ever before. He was away three times, from 4-6 weeks duration. Every time he leaves, it's like everything that can go wrong does
- I had two miscarriages, two surgeries, and countless blood tests/ultrasounds, etc. Ive pretty much watched all my close friends have children, while grieving and recovering, mostly without DH

The hope:
- here is to hoping that I can get and stay pregnant, that we continue to have good health, and my husband travels a little bit less!

[sillygoosegirl]

Busy, busy, busy!

- Transferred to a new job within my company at the very end of 2013, so I was adjusting to a new job in 2014.
- Waited with bated breath for news about my dad's cancer (looks like he's gonna be totally fine, yay!)
- Went on a beautiful and somewhat terrifying vacation (multiday sea kayaking in the Bahamas without a guide)
- Decided to TTC, got pregnant, and had a baby.
- Did some pretty extensive remodeling on our house.
- Presented at the biggest conference in my industry.

So, looking at the list... Clearly a pretty awesome year.

But on a day-to-day basis, there were many bad days and a lot of times I just felt pretty awful. Didn't enjoy worrying about my dad at all (obviously), being in a new job was stressful (though I really do like it), wondering since January when/if we'll ever get to take another fun vacation, the general discomfort of being pregnant and then of life with a new born, traveling cross country for a conference while massively pregnant, living in a construction zone... You get the idea.

[mlvmd]

It was a busy year.

Started by getting pregnant, finished my first half marathon, went to Ireland, got a new job with a huge bump in title, and had a baby.

I think I am good with coasting for the next couple of years.

[rikki]

I would say that it was a fairly great year. I traveled to Asia with my best friend and Israel and Hawaii with my husband and E. We bought a new house and I got a new job. We are expecting a second baby boy and so far everything looks healthy with him.
.
Some of the downs were my miscarriage, my grandmother's health, my mom sucks all around and 2 car accidents.

[rikki]

Dec 19, 2014 16:43:26 GMT -5 KaraOrNot said:

After struggling with IF for over 2.5 years, I finally got pregnant and had a son in October. I am over joyed and can't believe how much I love him. In addition, he is a fantastic baby.

However, late into the pregnancy, we learned that he has Down syndrome and a brain abnormality called Dandy Walker syndrome. As a result, he will have developmental disabilities. Like anyone else, we had discussed if our kid would grow up to be a doctor or lawyer (well maybe I wouldn't have pushed this, based on the recommendation of the MM lawyers, lol), him leaving the house and becoming an independent person, him getting married and us becoming grandparents, etc. We have to almost mourn those dreams/expectations we had for him and us. We know that he will grow up to be an amazing person, but it is an adjustment in our thinking.

In addition, he also has a heart defect and is dealing with congestive heart failure. He will need to have open heart surgery in the spring and it weighs heavily in my heart. It makes me sick to think of my baby having to go through something like this and my mind goes crazy when I think of something happening to him. His heart condition also makes him very fragile. He has already spent almost half of his short life in he hospital and is on several medications that are heartbreaking to force into him several times per day. He also has an excessive number of doctor appointments and follow ups with doctors, community agencies, etc. that are overwhelming in both time and cost.

On top of everything with Ollie, I hurt my back when I was 8 months pregnant. I had assumed that it was pregnancy related and that would go back to normal after birth. I did see some improvement, but in the past few weeks, I have been unable to get out of bed. I have also been unable to care for Ollie and am having to rely on my mom and MIL. Thank god for them, as without them, I don't know what we would do. My current pain is out of control and I actually had to go to the ER via ambulance today, because the pain was uncontrollable and I couldn't walk to the car. I am having surgery next week and am hoping that I will get some relief.

Here is to hoping that 2015 brings relief for my back and a successful surgery for my son.

Sending lots of love and hugs your way.  Hoping 2015 is a great year for you and your family.

[mskitkat]

2014 was crazy. The scales definitely tip negative.

The Good:
Bought a house
DH got a job with a nice bump in pay
We're very happy with the community we've moved to, even if living in the South is taking some getting used to
Had an awesome camping trip up in the NY Fingerlakes region
My grandparents are still alive

The Bad:
My mom's SO's suicide attempt and subsequent job loss that has ruined them financially.
Multiple grandparents having severe health issues.
Great-grandma's funeral
All of that^^ happening in a concentrated 3 week time frame
The stress that was moving so far away and how long it took DH to find a job.
Not pregnant yet.

All I'm asking for 2015 is some peace. Unless I get pregnant. I'll take no peace if I can get pregnant.

[tacom]

The good:
-Graduating with my MS and landing my top choice for a fellowship. This job is amazing. Sometimes it's emotionally exhausting (I teared up with a patient today, judge me) but it's so worth it. I wish I could stay forever.
-Traveling to Iceland with FI and taking a few new domestic trips (NOLA, Houston, Philly). Growing together, sharing new experiences, and SEEING the world will now be a priority in the coming years. I officially have the travel bug.
-Planning our wedding. It's been fairly drama free and fun. My mom still thinks she's wearing a jump suit but I'll deal with that later
-No hospitalizations and I am 22 months post-surgery!!
-DINKS DINKS DINKS - first time ever.

The bad:
-Concern for worsening crohn's. In addition to the typical GI symptoms, I'm tired all of the time again, which results in me being a bad friend. I was supposed to go to a christmas party tonight but I'm here in my PJs instead. we changed my meds a couple of months ago and I have a repeat CT coming up to see if anything changed.
-Poor job outlook for next year which appears worse by the month. Trying not to freak out until summerish.

[lime]

It was a great year, overall.

I hit the financial milestone I picked for our business and secured a new, hopefully long term customer who is very happy with my work. We hit a new asset milestone this year, as well.

I made a lot of strides in my fitness goals but didn't hit every one. Admittedly, a lot of them were very lofty.

I have had some improvements in the relationships with my mother and sister. It will never be totally healthy and functional but it's getting better.

I'm still struggling with the same health issues and some of them got much worse this year. I had several back to back issues with one of them and I felt myself slipping into a disordered eating pattern. My PCP was very helpful and I have a plan plus a backup for how to work on this. Long term, I know it will always be there and I guess my success is in acknowledging my limitations and working with them.
One thing that really helped this year with my mom was telling her about the struggle of this along the way and having her support. Considering all the abuse she and my dad ladled out as a kid, this meant a lot to me.


A bit round of hugs and best wishes to everyone. There is a lot of strength and hard work posted upthread.

[winnied]

The Good:

-Promotion at work
-Took our dream trip to France in the spring
-Spent a week in OBX with best friends
-Other smaller trips to NYC, Chicago, etc.
-Finally hitting our efund goal which will help us pay our car off 2.5 years early

The Bad:

-H has to spend 2 months in Ohio for work and it was so hard for us
-Despite the promotion, kind of got screwed on a few things at work.
-H's program messed up his pay so we essentially went 3 months without his pay, using up some of our efund

Overall, very good! We're coming out on top so I'm grateful.

[jerseyjaybird]

Some really wonderful things happened this year: I got married (and enjoyed a really fun wedding and honeymoon), a project I led won a national award, I became more involved in my synagogue and in a few activist communities, I made some fantastic friends and reconnected with old friends. It's been a difficult year, too, in large part due to stress with both of our families (and between the two of us) during the wedding-planning process and to my wife's recent illness. Things are looking up all the time, but it's still hard to trust that the foundation is solid. And, the older I get, the more I wish I'd saved more earlier . . . and started a family about ten years ago.

[Deleted]

2014 had extreme highs and lows for me. So I kind of agree with irene adler... best of times, worst of times  Most of the lows were in my personal life. I've also been dealing with an ongoing athletic injury that has basically prevented me from doing all of the physical things I love doing. I hope I can get that straightened out soon.

As for the good things... I finally became an registered dietitian after what seemed like the longest uphill climb ever. I actually started 2014 on a really high note because I passed my RD exam on Jan 2nd! I started my blog, which is something I've always wanted to do, and my readership has grown above and beyond what I thought would happen in 1 year. Above all else, I left a job that I absolutely hated and am doing something now that I love. Career-wise, I don't think I could have asked for a better year.

@buckybells I hope you find the perfect job in 2015. I struggled to find a job when I relocated a few years ago and it seemed like it was the lowest point in my life. I felt completely worthless. However, I ultimately found a position that ended up being the perfect stepping stone for me to finish school and become an RD. Things really ended up working themselves out. I hope the same thing happens to you this upcoming year!

@ruralrabbit1 I'm glad you're settled into your new place and enjoy your new job. I've followed along on your journey and greatly admire your strength and courage. I also really appreciate the support you have given me recently. Thank you

awkwardpenguin sounds like 2015 is going to be an exciting year for you guys!

Pom I know you've had some stressful times this year. I am wishing you extra, extra peace next year.

KaraOrNot Sending thoughts to you and your family. I hope everything goes well with your surgery!

[raangoli]

Dec 19, 2014 15:24:40 GMT -5 irene adler said:

Best of times, worst of times.

Ditto. And life goes on whether you are ready to deal with it or not.

[Deleted]

Pretty good year.
-My sons are happy and healthy and enthusiastic
-My husband is a fantastic partner and father - almost 10 years of marriage and things are better than ever
-We finally started some home renovations
-I have made some great new friends

-Work has sucked this year which has been a downer. I may be moving to a new position in 2015 which will be fun.
-We didn't take a big vacation this year and I miss traveling

[krystee]

I am actually scared to post because I'm afraid I will ruin it.

It has been one of the happiest years of my life so far. After TTC for almost two years, our second IUI was successful and I am now six months pregnant with our baby boy. Seeing my H's excitement and my parents' complete joy has been amazing.

H and I took a trip to San Francisco and had the absolute best time together. Most of our trips are to visit family, so this was a special trip for just the two of us.

I volunteered with a pit bull rescue for a few months and got to snuggle some sweet pitties.

A promotion for next year is tentatively approved.

I went to a Garth Brooks concert, which I have always wanted to do! (This is minor, but I had such a good time that it felt worth mentioning!)

We each had a sibling get engaged, so there is lots of happy stuff going on in the family.

That is not to say nothing bad happened this year. But 2013 was a pretty meh year and 2012 was downright awful, so I am thrilled to have had a good one (knocking frantically on wood that the next 11 days don't change that).

[lmdbww]

It started fine enough but the end of the year (from end of Sept on) is just completely crashing and burning. lol

I can't wait for 2015.

[my3bears]

The end of 2013 was when my DH had a stroke, so most of 2014 was figuring out the source and managing the treatment. Lots of dr appointments and medical bills. DH coped by drinking and we had some of the worst fights in our relationship, to the point that I called my mom from the car saying I didn't know if I could stay married if this is what the rest of my life would be. It was so strange to love DH and be so worried about him and yet be so angry and willing to leave at the same time. mindfuck.

Around September things got slowly better. DH replaced daily alcohol with as-needed xanax. We are happy with his medical treatments and dr appointments have slowed down. I was referred for a new job opportunity and recently accepted the position. DH was just given an 18% raise with room to grow. I don't know how we kept our professional jobs on track despite all of this but I'm thankful we somehow managed. Our marriage is back on track if not stronger. Looking forward to 2015!

[sarapocalypse]

Overall, pretty decent. Nothing major but it was a lot better than 2013 for sure. Made some new friends, felt more settled in our life here. My grandmother has been doing a lot better health wise (a couple of short hospital stays due to her heart but nothing like how she was in 2013). My dad has still been kind of distant and weird but seems to maybe be coming around. The most difficult thing has been dealing with my anxiety and DH's depression. I think we've argued more this year than we ever have, but we seem to be on the other side of all of that. We've both gone to therapy and that has helped so much! Definitely looking forward to a bright 2015.

[changedname]

Hugs to those going through if. 2012 was one of my worst years because of that.,it really sucks.

Having come out the other side, 2014 has been a great year for me.

Two big reasons

- my daughter was born
- maternity leave since Valentines day. I love not working! I know being a mother is a job etc but people who say that definitely didn't have my job!
It has made me realize how stressful my job is and I will be making steps to move out of sales asap. Dh wants me to sah but financially it wouldn't be ideal. Maybe I need to run the numbers by you guys.

[barefootcontessa]

Not great. I have had significant back issues since July that have really affected my quality time with my family. My DH's job is also really sucking the life out of him right now.

[scout8]

((Hugs)) to all of you who had a difficult 2014. I hope that 2015 is much better.

It seems like there are a lot of back issues on MM.

My 2014 was good. Not a lot of big changes, but that's ok.

[atarianna]

The last few years have been really good for me and my family. So much so that I've actually had a good bit of anxiety worrying about when the "other shoe would drop".

In 2014, we had our second child, hit our saving and retirement goals despite me beginning to SAH. We have been looking for a nicer home in a nicer neighborhood. My H moved into his dream job and although he will take an immediate pay cut, his earning potential is much higher long term. I honestly can't think of much negative for us personally for 2014, we have been extremely fortunate.