The year of the Wood Sheep in review: Triumphs, places, people, books, products

Why not just 2015 for goodness sakes?

The Feng Shui year typically runs February to February.

Triumphs:
*Cured of kidney disease! (Endometriosis-trapped uterer)
*Labs like I’m 18 again
*Overcame PTSD (job loss)
*Slept well without drugs
*Retired! (no longer in pain at desk)
*Found meaning of life (my “little chickens”)                                              
*Painted again (“Ode #1”)
*Paid off the ranch
*Found a retirement house
*Listed the ranch for sale
*Rode on the “wrong side of the road” in NZ. Never got used to it.
*Finally created a Legacy list
*Cooked lots of gourmet meals:
     Lemon chicken
     Lambburger sliders
     Scallion Cream Sauce
     World-class pork chops
     Sugar-free ketchup

Someone wise said “in 5 years you will be the people you meet and the books you read.”

The People I met:
*My “little chickens” of FB groups Endometropolis and Adenomyosis– they are my daughters, granddaughters
*Jon Acuff
*Dave Ramsey
*Chris Hogan
*New dentist and assistant
*Family of our good Chinese friend, sharing Sunday dinner
*Chinese police officer in Beijing who helped me find Forbidden City
*Netherland friends who helped us plan NZ trip
*New Zealanders who make great coffee and showed us Hobbiton, but need help with mixed drinks…
*Australians who appreciate  graffiti
*Chinese of Chongching and Guilin who are appreciative of Westerners attempting Mandarin
*Miss Josie at the beauty school who keeps my hair lookin’ great
*Dr. Vital, who set us up with the Allergy “rush immunotherapy”
*Our Real Estate ELP in AZ, Brandon Stockbridge (who sent brownies ?! Brandon did!)
*Wally, mixmaster at Tapastrie in South Bend, IN
http://tapastrie.com/
*Judy Ferrara, gallery owner, who is hilareous and introduced us to the great paintings and sculptures of Robert Winslow
http://www.judyferraragallery.com/

The books I read:
(Most were free or via eBay.com)
*Do Over (Acuff)
*The Legacy Journey (Ramsey)
*Smart Money Smart Kids (Cruze)
*O’s Little Book of Happiness (Winfrey)
*Recipe Bible (Sommers)
*Knockout (Sommers)
*Get Skinny (Sommers)
*A year in Provence (current via Overdrive app)

The places I went:
*Houston: South and North Street via Bcycle to discover the beautiful Night Herons
*Texas: Museums galore- I learned about furniture prestige, that I could watch opera in my pj’s, that Fort Worth has a great contemporary museum, that the Rothko Chapel is so peaceful, that seeing Rothko at MFAH was incredible.
*Beijing – Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, subway
*Chongching – The Seattle of China hiding buildings and 30 million people with constant rain
*Guilin – The stunning karst mountains and caves (where the Wookies live)
*Canyonlands – a 24 year dream come true with our French friends
*New Zealand – breathtaking
*Melbourne – artistic, musical
*South Bend, Indiana – idyllic. Think “John Hughes movies”

The Funniest things:
The snow parrots of NZ chomping the rubbery bits of our rental car.

How to weigh yourself in 10 easy steps according to Mr. W.

Meeting Miss Judy and comparing our now old-fashioned first names, ‘Janet’ and ‘Judy’. “My name is Juuudy and I’ve fawlen and broken mah hip…”

Best products:
*Berberine-lowered Mr. W’s A1c
*Overdrive app
*Plant Nanny app
*Oven thermometer
*Tramotina cooking pans
*Dr. Gross daily peels
*Cordless teeth water flosser
*Silk drops for hair Sally Beauty
*Walmart equate blackhead scrub with salycilic acid.
*GABA for sleeping well
*Suzanne Sommer’s haircut with bangs to cover my forehead lines

Worst products:
*Coin – they just didn’t see chip and PIN coming
*L’Oreal Revitalift-unless you like the feeling of drying latex paint on your face
*Botox- has stopped working on my forehead, I got bangs instead
*Amerejuve laser skin neck tightening It’s time to roll out the big guns…
*The adhesive neck band things-itchy and too big for my neck

So, there you have it- amazing year. Looking forward to Year of the Monkey (me and Mr. W.)!

Yes, a houseful of monkies is fun!

Image modified from susanlevitt.com