A good week

Well, despite the Ducks' sad loss on Monday and the really, really cold weather we've been experiencing, it's been a good week. The biggest factor in my good week was receiving my second consecutive negative hcg blood test result on Tuesday. This means that I can now move to monthly blood tests (my bruised inner arms would cheer if they could) and, more importantly, that my doctor is confident that my mole (tumor-like object) is gone and they just need to monitor me for a few months to make sure it doesn't come back-- the odds of which are extremely low now that I've registered negative for two weeks in a row. So that is a huge, enormous weight off my shoulders. I am just exceedingly grateful that everything cleared up so quickly and without the need for heavy duty drugs (chemo.) I have no idea if or when we'll have children, but this is a huge step in getting to the point where it's even a possibility.

It's also been a good week in terms of feeling diligent and disciplined in working towards some of my goals. I have some lofty professional and financial goals for the year, but have decided that instead of just making a bold New Year's resolution (which will inevitably fall by the wayside in a few short weeks), I am going to focus on a series of small mini-goals each month that lead towards my larger goal. I've always been motivated by the thrill of checking things off of a list, no matter how mundane, so I think this will help keep me accountable and engaged in pursuing my goals throughout the year. This particular week I didn't accomplish anything enormous, but I've been diligent about a few small things, such as menu planning and making dinner at home every night, and doing some work on developing a portfolio of my writing. Here's to small efforts that build momentum.

And, finally, it's Friday and I have absolutely nothing planned this weekend aside from making a slow-cooked pot roast, opening a bottle of wine, and getting some serious mileage out of my Netflix subscription. Can't wait!