I’m glad you haven’t had Diet Coke.

I would also try to combine “eat more good food” with “cook more for my parents”–both of them should be opportunities for you to feel more confident with cooking. That way your next no-iodine diet won’t take you by surprise so much–you’ll totally be able to handle it, because you’ll look at a bunch of raw ingredients and think “man, there are TONS of recipes I can do with these vegetables alone!”

I could do a list of goals too. . . . I’ll think about it and let you know.