Well, it's time for the annual O'Mara State of the Union Address, and a belated holiday greeting as well!
First of all - I truly am looking forward to an incredible 2007, full of family fun, good friends, healthy living, and meaningful, engaging work. We wish you and your family a wonderful 2007 also, however YOU define wonderful!
For me, a wildly wonderous year starts with a vision, with some specific and lofty goals! And a healthy dose of passion and positive intention to make it all real. Looking back at 2006, and the goals that I wrote down on index cards, it is amazing how many of these were accomplished. I am most proud of (watch out, this could be boastful) switching all of our investments (except my 401k) to socially responsible investment funds, and starting (finally - not boastful - way overdue) college funds for all three kids - also in socially responsible funds (used the DC College Savings Fund, which has Calvert SRI funds). I am also proud that a large percentage of our food, household purchases, and gifts were organic and/or fair trade, or used/refurbished. We did switch to windpower for our electricity - through the National Grid GreenUp program. We replaced most of our windows also, we had real issues with wind noise, heat loss, mold, and basic function of our original Lincoln windors. SO... we really made a lot of changes around here!
Many of my goals are pretty personal, more focused on my relationship with the kids, and Dan, as well as my passion at work. I feel good about supporting the family in 2006 through some challenges, and yet I always know there is room for improvement. One thing that I'd like to really focus on in 2007 is good old-fashioned fun, and I firmly believe we have significant power in creating our own reality with positive intentions, and conscious choices aligned with our values.
As I look back on 2006, I am not sure where to start! The funny thing is that as I re-read last year's holiday letter, I realized that on the family front, much seems to be the same - in a good way! So let's start there...
Dan had a really solid year, except for a couple of significant blips/bumps or whatever we want to call them! He had a very serious, scary case of pneumonia in April, which started on spring break with the kids in Myrtle Beach. We decided to make a mad dash for home, pulling in late on a Friday night. I took him to the hospital in the nick of time on Saturday morning - he was experiencing severe dehydration, renal failure, and low blood pressure, and sepsis, and pneumonia. He came through it all - truly amazing!
Also on the medical front, his liver functions continue to be above normal, although they are much improved. He was diagnosed (with my help) with iron overload - high ferritin levels - due to his many transfusions. The treatment is weekly "bloodlettings" as Dan likes to say. His ferritin is now back in the normal range, and his liver functions did improve as his ferritin came down. By the way, this is a condition that everyone should be aware of, because it is quite commonly undiagnosed, and symptoms vary greatly.
There are other medical updates, but you can see Dan's Caringbridge site for all of that. Overall, Dan's doing pretty well. He's recently taken on the cooking for our household - which is awesome! He's in remission - permanently we believe! And his sense of humor is definitely intact - which we all appreciate.
The kids are doing well overall too. Ryan continues to be an avid Runescape player, and has read 13 books since September. Favorites include Artemis Fowl, and basically any fantasy/adventure series. He plays soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. I think he's ready for 7th grade! We have dealt with some health issues, and school attendance issues. We're still sorting through all of that. Nothing that we can't work through, I trust. It will continue to be an important focus in 2007. Ryan's teachers love him, and can't say enough about his academic and creative talent. He's near the top of his class, and we know that he's pretty special.
Kelsey is in 8th grade, and just got her braces off! She continues to be extremely social, and is learning how to better balance school and her social calendar. Yes, she's on My Space, with a private site. Yes, we talked at length about sexual predators, appropriate pictures and posts, and NO, we do not agree on everything! The teenage years have started... Overall, I am still confident in Kelsey's ability to navigate these waters, and I am close by, ready to jump in whenever necessary for a mid-course re-direction.
Erin... hmmm... well, other than the fact that she is completely potty-trained, and her verbal arguments are much more sophisticated, she is pretty much the same as last year, only older! 3 and a half with a mind of her own, a love of anything princess, anything with dancing, Polly Pockets, Barbie's (ouch - although I like the Barbie ballet movies - like Barbie Nutcracker). Kelsey says she's bi-polar, and she certainly can flip on a switch from an extreme angel to an extreme devil! Charming, beguiling, frustrating, frustrated, all of it! She provides much entertainment, and requires much energy. AND we ALL love her dearly!
And me, well that's a complicated topic, and I am already about 3 months late getting that posted. I have a great new role at IBM since September 2006, back in Industrial Sector Sales, focused on IBM's value - Innovation that Matters to IBM, our clients and the world. Suffice it to say, that's a pretty big playground for me, as I work with our sales team and their manufacturing clients on how we can help them to deliver on that promise of innovation that really matters. I love my work, and I love my family, and I will continue to grow and learn in 2007.
So I will post this, and maybe send out a note to a few of you to let you know to come and look! Happy 2007, may it be a wondrous year of positivity and purposeful, joyful living.
Melissa
