So how did I fare in 2011? There were certainly ups and downs. Let’s start off by looking at the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year.

Top 5 Things I Want To Work On For 2011

• Improve my time-management skills.
• Take more trips with my wife and son.
• Make more home repairs/improvements.
• Spend more time with friends.
• Try and cut out big chain restaurants from our eating habits. If we do eat out, make sure it’s a locally owned establishment.

Out of all of those goals, I am very proud to say I accomplished 2 1/2 of those. I took more trips with my wife and son this year then I have in the previous 2 years combined! I also made more home improvements by remodeling our living room with new moldings, paint, restoring vintage door hardware, and new laminate flooring. As for the 1/2, that would be eating at less big chain restaurants. When it comes to pizza, we eat 100% locally owned. However, when it comes to other food, we’re about 50/50. Not too bad considering the mide-boggling amount of chain restaurants in our area.

As for 2012, I am not setting any major goals. There are lots of projects I want to accomplish, but I’m not assigning them like you would a goal. What gets done, gets done.

As for 2011, it was a certainly a year of ups and downs. In my opinion, here are the top 5 best things about 2011.

• Taking Jackson to see the ‘real’ Thomas in Phillipsburg, NJ. Not only did he get to see him full size, but he got a 20 minute ride as well.
• Taking not one, but 2 trips to the beach. Why? On our first trip, I got to show my son the ocean for the first time. On our second trip, I got to show my nephew the ocean for the first time. How often does one man get to do all of that within 30 days?
• Seeing my wife finally realizing her dream and being hired as a music teacher. Of course, this story has a pretty shitty ending, but she was at least able to live her dream for 6 months. How many of us get to do that?
• Watching my son grow up. Yes, I know this is something we all get to do as parents, but it amazes me to no end how smart and ingenious he is. I love him more than anything else on this planet.
• Last but not least by any stretch of the imagination, I am grateful for my wife threatening to leave me this summer. That single act motivated me to seek help for my anxiety/depression that I have lived with almost all of my life. I was always able to keep it hidden, but after 25+ years of doing so, I could no longer do it. I am now on daily medication that let’s me appreciate the ‘little things’ in life rather than being a nervous nelly all of the time. Yes, I still have my bad days, but the good days greatly outnumber the bad.

Oh, one last thing. 2012 is the 10th anniversary of this site. I have some pretty cool things planned to celebrate throughout the year. If you’ve been a reader for a few years, I think you’re going to enjoy what I’ve got planned! :’)

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