Happy New Year to You

Happy New Year to you, dear readers.  I wish you health, happiness, contentment, and a wealth of blessings in this new year.

I wish you success in all your endeavors, especially those of a genealogical nature.
May you find at least a few of your most elusive ancestors in 2016.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Knowing that you've come is a pleasure and your comments brighten my day.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

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[The rest of this post is a non-genealogy review of 2015 and the events that have caused me to call it a "train wreck of a year."  I won't be the least offended if you stop reading now.]

As I sit writing this post on January 3, 2016, (and set it to publish on January 1) I reflect back on 2015.  I began the year with enthusiasm, energy, and anticipation.  I knew I needed to find paid employment to fulfill several required social security credits but no other commitments were on my schedule.  (I found job-hunting for temporary work very draining.  I knew I didn't want permanent employment so applied for only temporary positions.)  And then toward the end of January our "train wreck of a year" began.  Problems, challenges, and/or catastrophes seemed to pile up on each other before the previous one had been repaired, solved, settled.  What a year!

• My computer crashed toward the end of January. (Yes, I had a back-up and yes, a friend revived it).
• I began an 8-hour/day sit-at-a-desk-all-day job that was grueling (more for the work itself than the sitting, but that was pretty bad).  The job lasted from mid-March until May 20.  I was thrilled when it was over.
• In mid-April my computer was struck by lightening.  A friend determined that only the power supply had been damaged and he replaced it.  It worked for awhile -- into July -- but in the end, I decided to buy a new computer, which turned into a fiasco all its own when the company lost my order.  I realized how much I love speaking to native-English-speakers on the phone.
• Later in April my phone crashed to the floor and the hinge broke.  A little thing, but one more thing.  Fortunately it was the side without the wire connecting the top and bottom.  (I'm still using a flip phone....  I am a dinosaur, you know.)
• In early May we had plumbing problems:  the washer drain backed up.  Because of the strange configuration in our basement plumbing, water spilled from nearly ceiling height, cascading over everything beneath and around.   I spent the day washing and drying things that were wet and my husband "repaired" the problem.  The next day we learned the problem wasn't repaired when water again cascaded over the same area, requiring that I wash and dry everything the second time.  We called a plumber but were unable to use the washer for nearly a week.
• In June car problems began.  There were bouts of tows to the repair shop, rental cars, and car shopping.  I think we're particular because we didn't find a car we wanted to buy.  (In my opinion, car shopping and going to the dentist are about equal ordeals, except that car shopping usually lasts longer.)  Diagnosis was tricky because there were about a dozen things that could have caused the problem but the mechanics finally determined the cause of the problem and repaired it.  It's still working.  (If I were superstitious I would knock on wood.)
• In late August there were appointments with the doctor and tests; surgeries in October and November; the diagnosis of a cancerous tumor; and recovery through December.
• There were other challenges during the last months of the year -- slow recovery from surgery, another smaller illness, work for a friend with a candy store, preparing for the holidays, etc.

I say, "Good riddance to 2015.  I'm glad to see you go."

Welcome 2016.  I'm once again beginning a new year with hope, enthusiasm, and anticipation. 

If you've read this far, you're a real trooper!  Happy New Year to you and yours!

--Nancy.

Copyright © 2016 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
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