Good riddance!

So long 2016.

Can't say I'm sad to see you go.

It was a rough year. Not all bad, certainly-but not all great either.

Lost my dad this year.

Jon lost his job.

I got to take a fun (or not) emergency visit to the E.R for pancreatitis and removal of an offending gall bladder. Wiled away four days at the hospital. Lovely vacation😝. Can't say it was actually worth the accompanying $95,000 hospital bill. But then, I am still alive, so.....

Silver Linings:
Well, when my dad passed away in June, I got to go to Palm Springs for his funeral, and I got to see many family members I haven't seen for more than a few years; most notably my sister and her kids.
It had been ten years since we'd last seen each other.

Jon still hasn't found a job, but I put my trust in the Lord and I know things will work out there. He did receive a decent severance package and at least can collect unemployment until he's able to find something. Hoping that something comes along soon.

I certainly don't miss my gallbladder. It had given me more than one or two bouts of pain in the past couple of years. Honestly, it's something I should have had checked out before it became an emergency. So the silver lining there is that it is gone and I don't have to suffer from one of those episodes again. Also, the fact that Jon was still employed at the time and we were still covered by his insurance when it happened is a huge blessing. Our actual bill is a fraction of that $95,000 bill. Still more than I can afford, but definitely better than that HUGE bill.

And Christmas was lovely this year.
I love that it fell on a Sunday, so we got to attend church and I like that it gave us a moment to pause and reflect on the reason we celebrate. Jon even went to church with us, a nice gift.

The world lost some favorites. Quite a few actually.

And then there were the elections. 2017 will surely be interesting.

I just hope it passes a little bit slower.