How do you start reviewing the year that went by, and balance out the bad and the good that happened?

When reviewing a year, should we really focus on the negative, and would that not make you anxious and thing dark thoughts as to what could have been?

I firmly believe we need to review the year in its entirety and evaluate it against previous years. It’s rather scientific approach 🙂

Overall, 2018 was pretty for 3/4 of the year, i.e. January – August. As a family we had some awesome moments. Here a few highlights;

• I raised over $3.6K for special olympics, by volunteering to run into the ice cold waters of Jersey Shores. It was a fantastic event and my fellow polar bears had a blast. Yes, freezing cold, but worth it.
• Our daughter turned 14 years old. Hard to believe and understand that she’s already a young woman. I guess its time for me to join a hunting club, plant high vegetation and let the trees grow wild. You never know when you have to hide something 🙂 … like a boyfriend who broke my daughter’s heart.
• Our youngest daughter turned 8 years old and becoming a feisty little lady, with a strong head and will. She certainly knows what she wants and has developed a challenging diet – meaning she is a picky eater.
• The small queen of our residence, had her first confirmation and dressed like a small princess. We had a great day with close friends and family. Nothing big, just a celebration at the house.
• 80% of the family had a fantastic pilgrimage to Lourdes, courtesy of the local Knights of Columbo, who paid for my wife and son. They had a blast in France while I had a chance to do some local DIY.
• Our son moved into the teenager category, and suddenly developed a sudden fashion consciousness. He would normally wear clothes we picked for him, but now he decides.
• The entire family went to Berlin to attend an absolutely amazing wedding (wife’s sister getting married), while meeting up with families and seeing the sights of Berlin.
• Our oldest daughter had her confirmation, and party that comes with it, and we had a blast. Great food, great venue and great people. And a surprise visit from her cousin from Ireland who came to the party.
• My sister hit the big 50 birthday, but she’s not stopping her amazing life and continue to do her insane triathlons.
• We went to see Frozen on broadway 🙂

That pretty sums up a lot of a the best memories from 2018. The last quarter of the year is a period I would like erase, although it has brought some interesting new positive changes, but it was due to a freak incident. Sometimes we have to experience hardship to really appreciate new adventures.

I will not bore you with the heart adventure, but you can read more about them on the site, starting here.

Another unpleasant experience was when our oldest daughter developed shortness of breath and fatigue, symptoms only too familiar to myself. And, it raised my anxiety levels, to a point where I felt unwell. My wife had to go through the ER experience with her, and “happily” she “only” had anaemia, most likely due to her period. She received great care and diagnose, and improving fast.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and soon New Year, are special days for the family. We appreciate our renewed family love, and are utterly thankful for being together as a family.

So, to all our families and friends, thank you for your support in 2018. We wish you all a fantastic 2019 with plenty of success, good health and love.