I have been having one of the most difficult years of my life. The good: I'm down 100 pounds, and I've inspired a few people to follow similar journeys of self-improvement. I've been very open about my gastric bypass, and I'm happy with how much better I feel! The bad: I lost my mother in April, and then lost a dear, dear friend in September. And another high school friend in September to COVID. I'm about to head to Germany for five weeks in November/December, which was supposed to be to visit my friend; now it will be to mourn her, and spend time with her husband, supporting him and working remotely from Germany and Norway (where we will hold her funeral, since she's from Norway).

Thus, I have been inactive on reddit for the most part. I've been pretty self-absorbed this year, barely holding on, but very, very thankful for the love that many of you have shown me! Here are some thank-yous below.

The following are in this Instagram post:

u/lonelytwatwaffle, for recognizing my outdoorsy nature and love of cute dog heads. :) And being just a generally badass motivational force of nature. <3

u/JschexxyOG for unicorns, bleppy pups, and a sweet note. My sincere condolences for the loss of your cousin in June; it's always hard to experience this type of loss, period. Thank you for being kind. And I'll be sending your birthday love-box soon! :D

u/kweenllama for the sweet card about grief and the grieving process. It was beautiful, and I am so sorry it took me so very, very long to properly thank you!

u/56thorns for the inspiring postcard. Agreed: life is too short, and while the first two mantras (Love deeply, Laugh often) are easy to remember, the third (Forgive early) is a very good reminder. Thank you.

u/purplemoonsong for the lovely planner stickers! I love happy planner stickers, and these will be put to good use. Thank you so much! Even though the post was on RAoHM, it's okay to post here, I hope?

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And these are in this Instagram post:

u/lonelytwatwaffle again (x2) for the card AND the postcard! ...have I told you lately that you're awesome? Oh yes, I have! Thank you for the tea; it was delicious!

(and I met lonelytwatwaffle in person last weekend - she's delightful! And awesome.)

u/mikepenpal6 for the lovely card. You really do know how to send epic mail of epicness. :) I LOVE your craft-fu! Needless to say, my summer plans ... weren't. :( I'm still a mess. But I'm thankful for cards from you and others who have kept my spirits up. Thank you. <3