It’s Christmas Eve and our house is quiet. My mom is drawing in the kitchen, K is off with a friend on a last-minute shopping expedition, M is also out and about — probably hunting for gifts as well. I am sitting by our tree, candles aglow, marveling at the snow that is drifting gently outside.

It’s been quite a year, my friends. I launched one book, completed another (out next September!). I had so many adventures near and far. There were ups and downs, joy and sadness, ebullience and exhaustion. Overall, however, it was a far better year than the previous one, which was one of the toughest. I feel lucky that everything turned out as well as we could have hoped for — there were some touch-and-go moments in 2016 due to some family health issues, and I’m so grateful that 2017 kept improving each month.

I haven’t been around much in the interwebs arena for a long while now. Part of it was intentional; I wanted to slow down and experience life directly. I was also taking care of many things and many people that I didn’t feel I could discuss on a blog, and it took all my focus to juggle the projects I had in the background.

This will be my last post of the year until January, when Ute and I will get the 2018 Secret Valentine Exchange rolling — our fifth year!!! Last year blew us away with over 400 participants. So very many kind souls all around the globe! More details to come so stay tuned…

I am incredibly excited for 2018. I don’t know if I’ll post more here, but I would like to. I would like to start making lots and lots of things for the sheer fun of it. A variety of things in addition to books. I feel my energy coming back, and it’s lovely.

I am also profoundly appreciative of all the people I’ve met (in actuality and virtually) through this blog. Thank you for taking the time to stop by, comment, send emails, connect. Thank you for being so wonderful. Again, I feel so lucky to have such regular contact with uplifting, generous folks. M tells me it’s crazy magical and really rare, and I would have to agree.

Happy holidays to you and all your loved ones, and cheers to another year filled with more adventures! Let’s do this. xoxo