2014 in Review

I know I did this backwards. I already posted my 2015 resolutions, and now I want to do a year in review. Oh well, deal with it.
All in all, 2014 wasn't the best year. For the few years leading up to it, life was going pretty steady. Nothing overly good but nothing bad. I knew it was bound to end. And 2014 is when it started to turn. But I'll be damned to allow it to continue in 2015. I need the steady calm back!

Winter of 2014 wasn't very eventful. We were in a lull of friendships, and the weather was horrible. It seemed to snow every week. And I am deathly afraid to drive on snow, so if the roads are covered and its night time, you will find me in my house.  Then in February, we hit the Philadelphia Auto Show, to browse, because we knew we were on our path to a new car soon. However, that day is forever etched in our minds as the beginning of it. Brian was having trouble walking, and having trouble explaining to me why. On the way back to the car, walking through the city, he collapsed. leg gave out under him and he fell to the ground. No pain, no break, no clue why. However, it didn't happen again.

Through the spring, he realized he was having more and more trouble walking for long amounts of time, but was plowing through his full time work hours anyway. 

In May, he was due to have a new MRI done, from November 2013 during a trip to the ER for high blood pressure. They confirmed he has Multiple Sclerosis. At the same time, he was in the middle of his first "flare up". Of course, this happens, right after diagnosis and you panic that the disease is progressing really fast. He did a treatment that kick started him out of it, and was able to manage it again.
Again, right about the same time, we find out that his 25 yr old son finally graduated college....via Facebook. Brian was informed that this was happening (mind you the kid has been in college for 6 yrs and barely speaks to his father), wasn't not invited, and we also found out his mother was here for the event, from Florida.....did not try to see her granddaughters. WELL WELL WELL.  After speaking with his ex wife about stopping the child support now, she gave him the run around, which ultimately ended with us getting a lawyer. No other choice. She was now playing us and the system...FOR A 25 YR OLD!!!!  Meanwhile we have 3 elementary age kids at home. I'm done...no more Mister Nice Guys.

In the meantime, at the end of summer, we DID get that new car. We needed to. our cars were getting too old and needing repairs that, now with Brian's medical bills piling up, we could not longer afford on a whim. We needed something reliable. So that was a nice fun break from it all there. then it was back to real life...back to school, back to dance, and back to court!

WE WON!! Finally!!!!  Judge ordered the child support to end effective Dec. 15th. But all the excitement, didn't last for long. Brian's health started getting bad again. He was having to call out of work more, and leave work early more, and pretty much crawling in the door when he got home. Ended up on another steroid treatment - which did not do ANYTHING but put his blood pressure through the roof, which lead to doc visits every few days for monitoring, which also lead to a forced weeks vacation - which later we found out was put in as short term disability aka not his full real paycheck. That spiraled into, him not making enough to cover his weekly child support obligation.   Then after Thanksgiving, he ended up in the ER again with a new side effect from the MS - vertigo. Great.
After that, he decided he needed to step down from his manager position, and go part time. Mind you....ITS DECEMBER WITH 3 LITTLE KIDS. Ya know what I mean.  So, December pretty much sucked for us. With the child support still coming out and his hours not being enough to cover it, he pretty much was working for NOTHING. but the part time hours, are helping him feel much better. Still can't walk very well, but he is not paralyzed every day and I feel OK leaving him alone. We just live day to day with his disease, as it can change from hour to hour too.
On New years eve, we found out that a close family member was in a car accident with his kids. They kids are OK, but he did suffer from head trauma. He is home now, but is on a road to recovery.

On a good note, we think the child support is finally and completely DONE!!!

Point blank....2014 can kiss my ass!