This is Me: Take 2!

This is me.  I am 25 years old, married and have four rescue pets.  In 2012, I had a terrible year surrounded by death, financial devastation, job loss and toxic friendships.  Hoping to turn my life around, I spent my last $10 on a planner and started up this blog right before Christmas.  It was everything I wanted 2013 to be: A blank slate.

So how did 2013 fair for me? Let's take a look back at what I made of it.

I worked a bunch.

I exercised with my friends.

I organized my life.

I started volunteering to help dogs get adopted.

I went camping.

I moved my best friend in with us from Chicago.

I spent time with my friends...

... a lot.

I began volunteering as a Cat Caregiver.

I lost a ton of weight.

We moved.

Despite having to move into different apartments, we stayed in the same complex.

We had a housewarming.

I came out of the broom closet as a Pagan of 11+ years.

I shared my birthday with awesome people.

I developed my green thumb.

I became obsessed with tea...

... and teapots.

WARNING:

The image below may be medically graphic to some.

I developed Autoimmune Scleritis

and was nearly-blind for three months.

We found a 6-week-old kitten under a walkway

and named him Apollo.

(This is really how I spent some of my time laid up.)

That makes four fuzzy babies along with (left to right) Hermes, Artemis and Zeus.

My husband bought me that camera I really wanted.

And that brings us to now!

Phew!  What a year!  So, was it better than 2012?  Even with the Autoimmune Scleritis, I can say, without a doubt, absolutely.  I achieved some pretty big things this year, and forged new friendships after a year of loneliness and anger.  My small business grew leaps-and-bounds and I picked up some new hobbies and habits!  Over all, not too shabby for 2013.

So let's get back to my chart for 2013.  Here it is from January:

Shading in what I accomplished, here's how the year ended:

Despite everything, that's some significant improvements!  If 2013 started out at an average of 52%, it ended at an average of 85%.  That's a solid B, and I'll take it!

So where did I stumble?  Financially and health-wise.

Financially, moving took a huge chunk of our savings.  We didn't plan on moving until February-March of 2014, but the company selling the house we were renting wanted to put a lock box on the door.  This meant they could come and go as they please with strangers looking to buy the house.  Concerned for our pets and our belongings, we made a tough decision to move despite not being where we wanted to be financially.  It was for the betterment of everyone involved.

Clearly, on health, I didn't lose any of the weight I wanted to.  Honestly, that's not quite true.  As of the beginning of August, I was 153 - the lowest weight I'd ever been since I graduated high school.  However, during the move, I developed a corneal ulcer caused by dust scraping my eye.  Two weeks afterward, I had Autoimmune Scleritis.  In layman's terms, my immune system didn't understand that my eye was healed so it began attacking my eyes.  To say I was in an immense amount of pain is an understatement.  Because my sclera (the white part of the eye) was inflamed, it started bending my lens and cornea and my vision started going crazy.  I've been +5.5, +5.25 my entire life. Slowly, my vision started blurring until it finally settled at +3, +2.25.  It was disturbing.  I spent a lot of time in and out of ophthalmologists and hospitals trying to figure out what was going on.  To make matters worse, I couldn't see to drive, work or even workout.  I spent most of my days on the couch unable to make heads or tails of what had happened.  I couldn't see to cook, much less read food labels, so I relied on other people around me to help.  In the process, I gained weight.  A lot of it.  I ballooned from 153 back to my original weight of 172.  Perhaps more.  I really haven't weighed myself in disgust.  I now have stretch marks I didn't have from my original weight loss adventure and am incredibly disappointed that the clock rewound.  I had made it so far only to take back all that hard work.

Who knew an eye thing could continue to affect my life months after it cleared?

I can get over the finances.  Clearly, the weight is going to take some work.  In the meantime, now that I can see, I need to get back on the diet and make it a habit again.  That's the first step in the road to recovery.

The second is to start planning out my year for 2014.  

To my audience:
What are your 2014 resolutions?