TWO THOUSAND TEN!

2009 was a pretty hard year for me - having to go to the emergency room twice and having surgery was not so fun. Also, the constant stomach trouble sucked.

I was pretty much constantly sick to my stomach after recovering from gallbladder surgery, and even when my diet consisted entirely of Saltines and canned soup, I still felt terrible. I finally started reading every single ingredient in everything I ate and mapped out when I felt bad.

Finally, I think I've gotten things figured out by doing an elimination diet. I'm 90% sure that I'm soy-intolerant. I didn't even know that was a thing. But Saltines and canned soup have a lot of soy in them. As does almost every type of bread. So does everything that I would eat and then feel crappy.

I've spent the last month and a half without eating soy and I feel awesome. The only times when I feel bad I go back and track down what I ate, and it usually has soy in it (this includes store-brand nasal decongestant, btw.)

It's such a relief to finally figure out what was going on and not feel crappy all the time. It makes me so much more optimistic.

Even though I'm sick now (with my usual winter cold) I am anticipating a much healthier year in 2010. Here's what I'm up to:

- Be more careful of what I eat, and eat lots more vegetables
- Run 3x weekly
- Spend some time each day de-stressing - either meditating, or just listening to quiet music
- Stop stressing out about stuff no one cares about, like housecleaning or finances
- Cut down on social activities
- Finish up the front room and take a year off from home improvement projects

Outside of health/well-being resolutions, I also want to do more art - I got a jump-start with the Plush a Day Challenge, but I want to produce more, sell more, and have more shows. Which means I have to actually do the following:
- Get my business license
- Set realistic financial goals
- Probably up my prices
- Put together two art shows and shop them around
- Get new business cards
- Make SPX reservations

And finally, most importantly, I want to do more things that I *want* to do, instead of constantly doing things I feel I *have* to do:
- Go to Mardi Gras in NOLA
- Take a vacation with Will that isn't family-related
- Clean out stuff we don't want and donate/give it away

Sometimes, it's really hard being a grown up, but I think I'm getting a handle on it. Here's to the new year!