Thought I'd drop in and just say hi. I read this when you first posted it and wanted to respond then and say how well articulated your goals are. They show an excellent understanding of where you are and where you want to be. Well done.
Hope your girls are doing well. Feb's their birthdays and when you were planning to spend some time with them, right ?
----
I too need to learn how to validate properly. I try, but it always ends up sounding like preaching.