Weighing 2007

2007 was mostly a good year. I guess the biggest event for me personally was the successful teaching assignment in Tajikistan. I did a good job, had a great time seeing an exotic country, and made a few extra bucks. I also managed to survive a full year in the Instructor Development Branch (basically, I now teach teachers). But my drive to write basically just shut down. I'm not too worried, but I am a little embarrassed. Physically, my head and back are better, but my right hand is damaged and painful. I lost, then regained weight, ending up pretty much where I started at the beginning of the year.
My wife had a great year. She had an exhibit, sold more art than ever, had a very successful tour guide stint in November/December, helped the boys do well in school, and stayed her usual healthy self.
As a family, we've done really well. We picked up two dogs! Toma is a Corgi mix and a good fit into our family. Vera rescued him while I was in Tajikistan. I don't really like dogs, but have to admit I like Muttchik (my name for him). Then later this year Vera rescued Maia, a Doberman mix. She's not a good match for the family, but we couldn't abandon her to the streets. She stays in the backyard during the day, then sleeps in the garage at night. The boys had an awesome year. Misha is now an honor student and ready to give a 4-year school a try. He finished 4 courses the second semester, which will give him a lot of confidence when he transfers. Gabriel finished with 2 A's and will take German in January. He only wanted one course so he could work on archery a little more. Gerry got his black belt in Tae Kwan Do, and got his green belt in judo. He works hard on school, too, and has said he wants to be a writer.
So what do we want for 2008? I need to write. I need to lose some weight. I MAY start school again in the fall. If I don't go to school, I'll probably start putting in for overseas assignments that look good. I'd really like to go to Mongolia or eastern Europe or back to central Asia somewhere.
It looks like Misha will go to University of Houston in the fall. He needs to succeed.
Gabriel can take it easy, but should still finish with another A. He'll take the PSAT this fall, then the SAT's later. He seems to be content with the idea of finishing more courses at SAC, then finding a good computer graphic arts program. Gerry just needs to keep on keepin' on. He grew a lot this year, so he's no longer a little kid.
Financially, we're still struggling. We haven't slipped into debt yet, but paying for college next year might push us into it. An overseas assignment would take care of that, though. I guess mostly I'm entering 2008 fairly uncertain about what I'll be doing and about prospects for my family. My biggest goal is getting Misha through college. It will be a major family accomplishment when he walks across the stage and receives his Bachelor of Science degree. But that's 2 or 3 years away, and I'm not used to being in limbo for that long. Oh, well, such is life.