After last week’s goal setting blog, I set some pretty big goals for myself. And then I looked at my schedule to see when I could work on those goals. And it hit me…I have a real problem!

I have not scheduled any time to work on things that are important to me, because I’m too busy running my business, managing employees, putting out fires, paying bills, managing my health, and keeping active in the community. I have craft projects that have literally, been sitting in a bin waiting for me to get to them for YEARS. What’s wrong with this picture? Maybe those projects aren’t as important, but I still have them. The problem is I have never scheduled time to complete them because I’m so busy trying to make everyone else happy.

These popular lyrics are often sung by those bringing in the New Year. Auld Lang Syne is from the Scots language and means “old long since.” In practice, it means “old times, especially times fondly remembered.” Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotlalnd wrote those words in a poem published in 1796. However, he took a fragment of a folk song that he heard and built more lyrics around it. Auld Lang Syne became synonymous with New Year’s Eve when Guy Lombardo and his band, the Royal Canadians sang a song with those lyrics every year on his broadcast from 1929 - 1976. He became known as “Mr. New Year’s Eve” as a result.

Ahhh...the holidays! They're here! And now, it's time to figure out what the heck is next. You've rushed around for weeks shopping, preparing food, baking cookies, and wrapping presents. Your family is on their way and it's time for the festivities. Whether your traditions are set in stone or you're looking for new ways to enjoy your time with family and friends, check out our 12 ways to make your holidays extra enjoyable.

The holidays can bring out the best…and worst in people. For some the holidays are all about reconnecting with family and friends. For others, the holidays are a reminder of family and friends that have passed on, or pissed us off. Here are a few tips on how to make the most the holiday season…

I know it’s been quite some time since you’ve heard from me, but all I can say is that it’s been quite a year! In May of this year, I announced to the world via Facebook, that I had been diagnosed with Hashimoto's, a form of hypnothyroidism. A friend of mine told me of all the illnesses anyone could get, at least mine had a cool name! After being officially diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in April, I have spent the better part of the last 6 months focusing on healing my body, naturally. I had to make many adjustments in my schedule to accommodate my new health regimen, but the time and effort was well worth it. My follow up blood work came back, and I am feeling the best I've felt in years.

Maybe you haven’t missed my newsletter for the last 2 weeks, but I have! I’ve been insanely busy these past few weeks. I’m not complaining…but sometimes it gets in the way of writing my blog. I added teaching two, 6 week courses to my schedule. The courses are 2 hours each, so by the time I prepare what I’m going to teach, teach, and then edit the videos of what I just taught…I’ve lost about 10 hours a week that was normally used for marketing, writing, and planning. Those two weeks I was at or near a full client load. The little spare time I have left used to prepare us for another move.

I’m tired of Covid. There, I said it. After two years of masks, vaccines, quarantines, and “science,” we are no closer to “flattening the curve” than we are to seeing Dolly Parton wear an AA bra. I’m not going to quote all kinds of life and death stats, survival percentage rates, and why you should or should not get vaccinated. Nor am I going to recommend taking supplements, losing weight, quitting smoking, or any of those other things your doctor would tell you. You’ve formed your opinions about Covid, and so have I.

Every year, my boyfriend Doug decorates our house with Christmas lights. It’s not quite the over-the-top caliber of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, but it is amazing display. Doug has enjoyed doing Christmas lights for years. He uses a special computer program that coordinates music and dancing lights. The music is projected through a small speaker so you can hear the display if you’re in front of it, but he also uses an FM tuner so you can hear the music should you decide to stay in your car to watch. Over the years of doing this, Doug has programmed 90 minutes of music for the lights to “dance” to. Each minute of music takes about 4 hours to program.

The life I am living right now is very different from the life I had less than 6 months ago. And that’s very different from the life I had a year ago. And that’s very different from the life I had 2 years ago, 5 years ago, and 10 years ago.

I’ve had to make some tough choices about the direction my life was going in, and I’ve made them. I had to say “goodbye for now” to several activities I enjoyed, in order to spend that time learning new ways to do what I do better and to communicate that with the world. I still have a lot of learning to do.

Doug and I celebrated the 3rd anniversary of meeting each other this past Friday. We met through OKCupid.com, which is not all that different from how millions of others meet potential boyfriends and girlfriends. What was different about us, was HOW we went about it.

Yesterday, was an amazing day. Doug and I began our day having an amazing breakfast buffet with our “chosen family” at Paradise Lakes Clothing Optional Resort. We then we headed to the pool area to relax. At 1pm, the owners of the resort and several guests poured several bottles of Mr. Bubble into the conversation pool.