Argh.....2008....how can it be???

Clearly, it is now a well established factoid that I am NOT a stellar blog poster!!! Not really a New Year's resolution to improve on this - resolutions are esentially made to be broken, at least in my experience - but, I am very hopeful that my posting frequency will dramatically improve during 2008!!!!

Yeah - it is 2008, and that is pretty hard to believe - where did December go....answer, I spent 11 days in the hospital, let me just say that eats into a girls Christmas shopping, Christmas partying, decorating, blah, blah, blah.....though I was fairly satisfied with myself, managed to get my Christmas cards out, shopping done, and everything wrapped all by Christmas Eve. Yeah, I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back over that one!!!

Back to the 'slammer' (aka: hospital) January 7...for another 10 day stint - you know the world is spinning a little weirdly when the dietician is in my hospital room because I've lost more than 10 pounds in a month....I keep telling people there is an 'upside' to everything!!!! Anyways got to come home last Wednesday....

Thursday Amy, CJ, Sharon and I were off to the Hope Masonic Lodge in the 'metropolis' (NOT!!) of Hope, IN....for the auction of Dad's farm land. None of the three of us has a farming bone in our body - though, after playing 'Oliver' (think Green Acres!) Ketner for the last year, CJ might have a shot at it!!! It was pretty emotional for all three of us - one parcel of land is where my great-grandfather/Papo was born, and was very special to my Dad. There were over 80 people at this auction - a BIG turn out, according to those in 'the know'....the auctioneers and my Dad's brother (Uncle Paul) and his wife (Aunt Judy). The auction went well, according to my aunt and uncle they are not aware of any farm land that has sold as well....my uncle told us if we weren't "happy" with the outcome then "you're crazy"! Okey, dokey - and 10-4!!!!

Quite frankly, I'm just trying to get my head around all of this - I need and want to be a good steward of this gift - and really, let's be honest - any and all of the financial assets I/we have inherited are gifts. It's all a little overwhelming for me (a feeling I don't like much at all....although, Amy and Sharon have assured me that they won't let me do anything 'stupid'!) - so, I'm trying to do some reading to get myself 'smarter' and need to get reconnected with my financial planner, and may even interview another planner that has been recommeded to me.

That being said...today I spent some money!!! Got a dying tree taken down out of my front yard and another tree pruned an shaped up. Bought new light fixtures for the dining room, mantle sconces, front entryway, and back hallway. Then....I bought a new tv for the living room - a 46" Sony, 1080dpl, flat panel, HD-LCD number complete with Blu-ray DVD. The tv is to be delivered tomorrow, the lights are on order and should be here in 2-4 weeks and then they will install them and the tree work is all done.

Oh yeah....and I'm going on a Baltic cruise this summer - with Mom's brother and his wife, Mom's sister and her husband, two of my aunts' daughters (one my age/divorced the other a couple of years younger than Kathy and I/never married), and then a couple or two who are friends with my uncle and his wife. We sail in and our of Copenhagen - A) because I can, and B) because I'm not likely to be in that part of the world again!

So, I'm trying to get myself 'back in the groove' of living....have an MD appointment Friday, they're keeping a 'close eye' on me. Want to get back to Texas, at least for a few days soon....did I mention....Tab and Will are making me a Grandma again!!!!! :)

So - here I go, headlong into 2008!