2019 Review

Quick 2019 Review:

For me:

This was a full year of living alone.  I moved into my apartment last year (2018) on October 27th.  

Let’s see …

I am not a great cook, but I am getting better.  My favorite things are what I can make in the crock pot.  My local grocery store (HEB) has boneless chicken breasts for $2.29 a pound (and occasionally on sale for $1.99).  I put a couple of breasts into the crock pot, with whatever (potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and maybe rice or beans) and in a few hours have pulled chicken. I have also had pulled pork from the crock pot.

I have made a lot of coleslaw to get some vegetables into my diet.  I also have spinach salads a couple of times a week.  Frequently, spinach salads have salad olives, tuna (from a can), peppers, tomatoes, and topped with French Fried Onions (and, of course with ranch dressing).

Breakfast is easy - every other morning, I eat eggs, and in-between I have oatmeal.  My eggs are mostly boiled - but sometimes fried.  The eggs get garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and maybe salt substitute or garlic salt, 

The oatmeal is always interesting - with raisins, dried cranberries, dried sweet cherries, then a combination of clove, nutmeg, all spice, ginger, vanilla extract (generally the imitation kind), cinnamon.  

I (finally) have a microwave.  The main purpose is to warm up the pulled chicken leftovers - and to warm up my coffee.  (The other day, I was taking my time and had to warm my coffee three times).

I have a coffee maker.  About a month ago, I decided that I was being too cheap and not using enough coffee - so it was weak, slightly-coffee-flavored hot water.  

My biggest downfall is peanut butter.  Way-too-much peanut butter.  I also like salted peanuts in the shell (am I trying to sneak salt into my diet?)   Some weeks I allow bread, but most times no bread in the house.  The local food pantry gives out free bread to all-and-all people.  Unfortunately, they also have sweets.  I ate one gigantic cookie in one day.  I still need to learn to say “no”.  

I was four months trying to live as a male (with no support from my family), and now I have lived eight months as a female (again, with no support from my family).  I went to a weekly conservative Christian group and tried to live that life.  (I failed at that).

My other major problem was thinking “I still had it” and tried to teach a college statistics course.  That overwhelmed me - and was a major reason I spend four days in the mental hospital - down and depressed.

Yes, I am on hormones.  I have four things in my closet that are from my prior life.  Of my clothes, about five percent I have purchased from a regular shop, fifty percent from thrift shops, and forty-five percent given to me by friends.  (that is only an estimate).  Shoes are a problem.  I am wearing size 13W - which you do not find in most shoe stores.  My tennis shoes (shhh) are men’s tennis shoes with pink laces.  I did find the bigger shoes at Payless Shoes until they went out of business.  

I find that I am on my computer way-too-much.  I do have a membership in the Georgetown Recreation Center (very reasonable), and I do get there maybe four days out of the week.  I have blogged almost every day this year (other than the four days, I spent in the local mental hospital).  As I write this, I am really procrastinating from going to the gym (and the great walking track)!!

My comfort zone is both expanding and contracting.  (I spend too much time alone in my apartment - that contracts life, but I am learning to get out and meet people, volunteers, and be active in my community - and that expands it).

I have so many friends - many are new, some are not.  My bridge group is awesome; my church friends are amazing; my Faith-in-Action friends help me to see through some of my weaknesses and help me to realize that I have value and things to give.  

I have found God so much in my life.  It is a deep and personal relationship - how can I am a finite human being embrace the infinity of God?

As I mentioned before, I have become very ‘frugal’ (read that as “cheap”).  With the divorce on its way, I need to watch my finances more.  Connie is getting the house and the rest of our income/investments are to be split 50/50.  My sister will tell you that I have my first nickel (not true).  I am coming to the realization that I am going to be okay financially.  But, my car is almost eight years old and has some problems - and I don’t have the funds to upgrade or replace it.  I am becoming my mother (who, having lived through the depression, was also careful with money.)

Hey - I’m looking forward to 2020!!!  (Shhh - I’m hoping for something special this year!!!)

More tomorrow!!!

Karen