I always find it so hard to write these year end wrap up type posts, but when I do write them I’m away glad I did. It’s nice to look back over the years and see the changes. And this year has brought some changes.

Daughter gets new job: My daughter switched from working at a medical office to working in the field of security. She went from booking appointments and setting up therapies to tracking ankle monitors. It’s more money and a much easier job. Plus this company offers her more in the way of advancement. So happy for her!

Still unvaccinated: I still have the pure blood (relatively anyway) that I was born with. I believe in natural immunity and I don’t trust this new brand of “vaccine” that was rushed out under an emergency use authorization. It’s difficult because I work at a hospital and they have been pushing everyone to get vaccinated. I was able to file a religious exemption and so far they have honored that. I have found that the people who know me respect my choice. Those that do not know me, once they find out my vaccination status fall into two groups: they respect my choice, or hate me with a passion. My favorite “hater” quote is, “Why don’t you just kill yourself now since you’re going to die anyway.” I’m still here, sucker.

Still married: I’ve gotten to spend yet another year with the most marvelous woman God ever created. She has been my moral support, my cheerleader, sometimes my crutch, and always my best friend. Out of love for her and everything she is I have started trying to speak her native language to her more often. And she has become open to teaching me more. I firmly believe that everyone woman should be told “I love you” in her native language, whatever that language is. So to my wife I say; minamahal kita, ngayon at magpakailanman!

Still have a son: He lives in a group home and by all accounts is doing well. We still take him to church every other week. We attend another church in the off week. We also take him to his job on Saturdays. He’s in a good place.

We took a vacation: We didn’t really go anywhere in 2020 because the world was still in panic mode. This year we went back to Sedona and really enjoyed ourselves. You can read the past few blog entries as witness to that. Cristy and I also did a lot of self-exploration and entered a new phase of growth in our marriage on this trip. Growth which has continued long after the vacation ended. We are much stronger and happier as a couple than when the year started. And we started the year pretty darned good. Life just gets better with her.

So many other events this year that I can’t name them all. I’ve been blessed with having a job through this entire pandemic. I’ve been blessed with health through this entire pandemic. My boss caught COVID-19 and even though I was closely exposed to her (through touching, sharing a keyboard, working shoulder to shoulder) while she was infectious I never caught the disease. No one in my family has caught the disease. We’ve truly been blessed. God has preserved us through it all.

I won’t even try to forecast what this year holds. Cristy and I have made one conscious decision though; call it a resolution if you like. That we are going to get out there and enjoy life more this year. We are going to meet more people, cultivate new interests and relationships, and not waste one moment. Carpe momentum, samantalahin ang sandali.