What are you looking forward to in 2017?

[RobbieB]

Lobster, caviar, truffles, deluxe hotels, gambling, drinking, romance, Cuban cigars, home improvements, and Cuban cigars!

 

[Alan]

2017 should see us buying a house, closing is targeted to be 1/18. We'll be house owners again for the first time in 12 years.

Certainly a lot less travel than we've been doing this last 7 years.

 

[HFWR]

This is going to sound awful but I'll post it anyway. Freedom. DH has about a week to live. Right now he's in our master BR in a hospital bed, trying weakly to get out of it even though I've given him a dose of Halperidol. He's been on a steady decline from acute myeloid leukemia for the last 2 months but I'm starting to realize that the polycythemia that preceded it has put increasing amounts of responsibility on my shoulders over the last 3 years or so, and has also placed some limits on our travel- no conditions too hot or too cold for him, no extensive walking, occasionally scrambling to refill a forgotten prescription or seek care far from home. (He has been perfectly fine with me going off on side expeditions too strenuous for him while he relaxes in the hotel, because he's that kind of guy.) I still can't think of any other person with whom I'd have wanted to share all the wonderful trips we've made together over the last 18 years.

In April I'm taking an UnCruise to Panama and Costa Rica by myself. I'm going to bake in the sun, snorkel among tropical fish and look for monkeys in the rain forest. Thoughts of that keep me going.

I watched, from a distance, my DF have a similar experience, as my DM fought off multiple myeloma for a number of years before finally succumbing. It's a daunting, and increasingly difficult, existence... My mom was a force to be reckoned with, and she hated being too weak to be in the thick of things.

I hope you find strength and peace. As a wise old man told me recently, "Life is for the living".

 

[Moemg]

Athena , My thoughts are with you . I have been there .Do not be surprised if you are totally exhausted after this and need lots of naps and tissues .

 

[athena53]

Thanks for the kind thoughts- my ordeal is relatively short. I don't know how people handle caregiving through years of chemo and relapses.

On a more practical note: 2015 was a very expensive year due to moving and expensive work on both houses. (And I sure don't regret the trip to Iceland-one of our best). Even this year, the A/C had to be replaced. We kept the withdrawal rate under 4% but I'm hoping it will decrease in 2017. Heating and A/C now new, 48 years left in a 50- year roof, car is 4 years old and running well.

 

[RobbieB]

You are a good soul and a kind and caring person.

My wife died in our house too, her choice and mine, the last time we had together and we made the most of it.

Have fun!

 

[KCGeezer]

We celebrated Thanksgiving early (yesterday) since it was easier for the kids schedules and I got thinking about this thread.

We've had a great year, enjoyed life, and most of the things I had hoped for this year have happened. I'm adding one item to my to-do list from here on out and that's having today's actions and expectations in sync with tomorrow's goals.

Plenty of time to look back and see if things have changed, played out as planned, or need to be addressed. An early happy holidays to everyone.