the State of the Me 2013

Mr. Reader, Mr. Husband (who will never read this), Children, members of the universe, distinguished guests, and fellow bloggers:

I am going to attempt another year of the State of the Me.  Apparently, I was in no place to be remarking on the State of the Me in January of 2012.  You  may remember me from previous posts such as: 
The State of the Me 2011
The State of the Me 2010
The State of the Me 2009

It always feels a little overwhelming for me to try to sum up my current brain status but, "We can do this.  I know we can, because we’ve done it before."

"Let’s remember how we got here."  Long before blogs, Facebook, digital cameras, or even cell phones, somehow my life was documented.  Periodically, I would make entries into a big thick journal.  Many times, I carried around scraps of paper or small notebooks that held my odd or even thoughtful thoughts.  "Technology made businesses record keeping more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete.  Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up."

Although I was against it, even less than five years ago, I am a blogger.  It's how I capture my thoughts and experiences much more for myself rather than to share.  Each year, I have the posts printed into a book for my records.  Since then, I have been a less-than-diligent journal keeper.  So easily I went from thinking trite thoughts about bloggers to becoming one.  "It was wrong.  It was irresponsible.  And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hardworking Americans holding the bag."

Now, onto the 2013 State of the Me ....

The economy:

"Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion."  No really, we have some work to do.  Fortunately, {and unfortunately} Wal-Mart is where we do our main spending.  I try not to think about and try to never enter Target.  That's in my past and holds memories I can't responsibly recreate at the time.  

"The state of our Union is getting stronger.  And we’ve come too far to turn back now.  As long as I’m Joey, I will work with anyone in this house to build on this momentum.  But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.  (Applause.)"

Why does money have to be such a huge part of our lives?  I went from liking it to a near hatred.  Does money make the world go 'round?  I submit that it does not.  So many stories and heartaches people carry have to do with finances.  I will not and refuse to allow the economy to have a space in my daily worries.  With or without, close management, careful spending, smart savings, and preparations for purchases and goals can remove the fear money attempts to put in our minds.

Moving on to better things...

Education:

Jake has been involved with school every month of 2012.  And, we forsee another 12 full months of school with an impending graduation date.  In addition to his school work at Utah State University, he has completed hundreds of hours of certification training and passed tests that have benefited him in his work.  Jake works so very hard with his job and school work.

Just a couple of days before the school year started, we learned that after eight months of waiting, Abbi finally made it through the waiting list for the local charter school.  Jake and I were seeking a better learning environment for her and although we weren't 100% sure what the heck a charter school was, we believed it had to be an improvement from the public elementary school we are assigned to.  Abbi and I had already done the back to school shopping but we set out again for uniforms.  We are all so happy, most importantly, Abbi is so happy at her new school.  The change in her and in her school work is amazing.  She has confidence in herself and is interacting so well with the students and teachers.  We LOVE the school and have been so pleased with their performance and we are ECSTATIC about the happy Abbi who comes and goes everyday.

Noah and I set off on a new adventure and started a preschool in our home.  Little Duck Preschool has been a fun experience, starting off with fourteen children, four years old and under!  Little Ducks will not see another academic school year but we are enjoying it for now.  Next year, we'll be outsourcing his preschool education. 

Immigration:

This past year, we made an effort to emigrate but were unsuccessful.  Indeed, we press on and will attempt to become immigrants in a place Jake doesn't consider "the city."  2012 saw only two animals immigrate into our home.  Tank {who has left us for another home} in March, and Daisy in May as my anniversary/Mother's Day gift.  Furthermore, we are hoping for another human or two to immigrate into our family in the future.

Innovation:

I have attempted, but remain unsuccessful, to become a competent housewife.  I have pretended {at best} to organize, to set a routine, to clean, to cook, even to do activities.  My desire is to be or even act like I am innovative in my endeavors.

"But challenges remain.  And we know how to solve them."

This year I am hoping to improve in my housekeeping, mom, and wife skills.  I have a plan to try out this month and hope to improve it and me over the course of the year.  The problem is that I have a really hard time with follow through.  I'm sorry to those of you who already know that.  I know it's my weakness.  

"That’s a bargain worth making.  (Applause.)"

Energy:

We are experiencing an off-kilter balance of energy in our household.  Jake somehow has enough energy to work a million hours, I have a conservative amount, Abbi has the most energy of any of us, and Noah has a ton of energy but has an energy crisis when his schedule gets screwed up.

"That doesn’t make sense."

the Great Recession:

You may call our 50% decrease in household income part of the Great Recession but it was self-inflicted.  2012 was the year I became a stay-at-home-mom.  I looked forward to that day, literally, my entire life.  I've never wanted anything more than to be a wife and mom at home.

So technically, I don't think our loss of income could be categorized with any sort of recession.  I would say, though, that my brain power and memory is suffering from some sort of recession.  While it is common knowledge that Noah owns property rights to my sanity, I'm not certain were my brain has gone.  I would have to label my brain/memory/soul victims of the Great Recession.

"With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.  (Laughter and applause.)"

Government:

I'm not sure who is in charge around here.  Four out of four believe they rule the roost but there in no discernible democracy.  Generally speaking, we don't have many power struggles other than when two stubborns {almost always male} go head to head.  And I'll tell you, that's a lot of head going at it.  Haha.  I'm the funny one.  

"The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective government.  And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress."

I think it goes to say, we are a happy family.  I find myself often thinking about how blessed I am to be married to Jake.  We may not have everything, but we are so grateful for what we do have.  Being able to have Abbi and Noah in our home makes us the luckiest we could ever hope to be. 

"There are plenty of ways to get this done.  So let’s agree right here, right now:  No side issues.  No drama.  Let’s get it done.  (Applause.)"

"How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain.  But we have a huge stake in the outcome."

Security:

Uh, we're all good here, but 2012 was my poorest performance year security wise.  I have never, before 2012 had any car trouble.  This year, it was necessary for us to put a battery charger in the van for the many times we find it dead, due to the number of doors and lights we {I} don't check.  Furthermore, twice in one week my dad came to the rescue because I locked the keys in the van.  One of those times, the van had both mine and Jake's key inside.  In addition, it happened at work, too.  Good times. 

When I wasn't locking the keys inside, I was leaving the keys inside, or the garage door open, or the garage door opener exposed.  I lost my garage door opener privileges for a time and once, Jake brought my keys in from the front door at 3:00 a.m.  My bad, really.  In the last two weeks, I really have improved, though.

"I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed:  That government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more.  (Applause.)"

"Yes, the world is changing.  No, we can’t control every event.  But our house remains the one indispensable home in world affairs –- and as long as I’m Joey, I intend to keep it that way.  (Applause.)"

"No one built this family on their own.  This family is great because we built it together.  This family is great because we worked as a team.  This family is great because we get each other’s backs.  And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard.  As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong."

"Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)"

{Please refer to the President's speech to find out that I used it, hopefully not illegally.}