Dear 2013

Wow, what an interesting time we’ve had together. There was so much going on over the past 12 months, it was kind of like chasing a litter of kittens across an ice-covered patio strewn with plastic lawn furniture.

It started out well enough… sort of…

Tam and I took time off from work to do what we thought would be a simple transaction, but turned into nothing more than a little extra time off when we didn’t need it because some jackass attorney dropped the damn ball. But, in the end it worked out really well, because we were able to meet a very kind attorney who was more than willing to do the same job as the other one, but for less than half the cost.

It was all worth it, though. We took a chance, risked it all, and bought a hat shop. That’s where I learned that I’m pretty good at most business stuff and Tam is very sharp in the area of inventory purchasing. She has a good eye for what will sell.

Most of the time…

Not everything went according to plan and the lawn furniture was tossed into the arena again for another round of ice-rink round-up. There were the fires in Southern Oregon that left the air so thick visibility was less than ¼ mile and despite my asthma, I was reluctant to leave my parents’ place for fear they would have to evacuate. Then, once I’d returned to the hat shop, I had to return to my regular job earlier than expected when I was called for an interview (for a position I did not get), then it was back to the classroom for another year of Adaptive Behavior.

That lasted up to the point where I had to pursue a student and ended up falling onto both knees and ending up exiting the AB program and entering the realm of 1:1 para for a kindergarten student. The difference has been amazing and I will say it is nice to go home without the words “fuck you bitch” being flung at me by a 1^st grader. I like my new assignment a lot, and the teacher in the classroom is a doll. She’s funny and we share a warped sense of humor.

The hardest part of this year has been the separation. Tam moved out to live closer to the shop and the long-distance aspect of our relationship has been a true test of… so much of both of us. All I can say is “thank the gods for Skype.”

There were a few other firecrackers tossed at us over the past 12 months that have taken their toll, the most recent was the discovery that Tam’s bank account had been hacked. It would explain why money was so damn short all the time. I mean, we know we’re poor, but we didn’t think we were THAT poor. Turns out, we’re not. Now we get to go about getting her money back and pressing charges.

In some good news, we discovered that taking Omega 3 capsules helps us with digestive issues surrounding gluten intolerance, as well as working on other important body parts. Considering the cost of gluten-free foods, it was a refreshing break to discover this neat little trick.

I’ve made progress on the 2^nd book, progress which entails rewriting the whole damn thing. But it’s worth it. I think the story flows better and it ties into the first book. I had really hoped to get it finished before… well, before the end of the year, but we can see how well that turned out.

All in all you’ve been a pretty good year, and to be quite honest, while I’m looking forward to a brand new year, I won’t be painting 2013 red and nailing it to a cross. It will be a year that I’ll hold close to me, a year where I did a lot of emotional growth and even more self discovery. I’ve learned that I’m a lot stronger than I once thought, but I have times that will even surprise myself when I’m falling to pieces.

I’m learning to recognize the signals of the arrival of the dark horse and while I’ve not yet mastered the art of heading it off before it kicks down the door, I’m discovering ways to hasten the beast’s departure.

So, farewell 2013, and thanks. You’ll forever be remembered as the Year We Bought the Hat Shop.

And the year I grew up a little more.