Happy New Year's Everyone!

2014 is going to be a great year.  Can't you just feel the excitement of a new beginning?  I can, and I am gung ho to get started.  What about you, are you feeling the optimism for this New Year? 

As I look out my office window and see the clean, pristine snow, I am grateful to be in the warmth of our home.  There are so many things to be thankful for.  Hubby is on the mend after getting pneumonia and having it through Christmas.  Now, he has a head cold, but he'll get over that, too.  The only thing I have had this winter is a head cold, and I am mostly over it now.  I gave it to hubby.  Wink!

Do you make New Year's resolutions?  I do, but I don't know why as I hardly ever make it through the year sticking to the promises I make.  I think we make these promise hoping to start out the New Year better, but knowing we won't get through the whole year keeping them.  The intentions are good, but most of us are weak.  Smile!  What about you; do you intend to keep your resolutions?  Usually, I keep one or two of them, but not all of them. 

My New Year's resolutions:

1.  Exercise  (I'll start)

2.  Clean my office  (Attempt)

3.  Spring clean  (half-hearted, thinking of getting someone in to clean for us)

Professional resolutions:

1.  Finish edits on short story  (Definitely)

2.  Finish short story I'm writing now  (Definitely)

3.  Start short story I have an idea for  (Yes)

4.  Start novel for short story I'm writing now  (Maybe)

5.  Revise novel I have written  (It's hard to go back, but I hope to)

For those of you who want to know what 2013 was like for us, I'm posting our Christmas letter.  Some of our friends and family received the letter in different stages and others didn't receive it at all. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm finding I'm running out of time.  Gifts are bought, but not wrapped and the Christmas letters aren't ready to send.  I have two blog tours running consecutively starting December 7th through 14th for the Addiction, the second book in the Riverboat Mysteries and December 15th through 21st for the last book in the Riverboat Mysteries.  So you know a lot is not going to get done this year.  I'm even wondering if I'm going to get this letter mailed, or if I'm going to post it on my blog and hope all my family and friends get to read it. 

It's been a busy 2013 for me.  My publisher decided to reissue my books with new book covers, so I had to promote them.  Thank goodness for social media since it makes it easy to promote my books through LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.  I did a blog tour for the first book in my Riverboat Mysteries series, The Catalyst, and now I'm doing tours for Addiction and The Deceived. 

In August, Ron bought a 2008 Burgman 400 SA motor scooter, and we tooled around on it until the weather got too cold to enjoy riding.  We hope by March or April to ride again.  We are the adventurous types.  Wink!

Ron turned 78 this month and next year I'll turn 70.  We are both keeping extremely busy, and that's the reason I didn't have time to send off Christmas letters.  Maybe, I'll do better next year.  I will send cards to those who have already sent us cards, but that's about all I can do.  lol

This year Ron has had several injections in his right eye for his macular degeneration, and it helped him considerably by giving him more peripheral vision.  He's due for another injection December 20th. 

We are going to our youngest son's house for Christmas, and we are looking forward to that a bunch.  No cooking this year.  Smile!  Oh, I forgot, I do have cookies and bread to bake.  I do intend to get some baking done, so I can give them as presents to family and neighbors.

Okay, since I started this letter, Ron has developed walking pneumonia and has been in the house for days.  Most of you know Ron can't stand to be cooped up, but this illness has gotten him down until today.  He decided he had to get out for a bit.  lol  Ron ended up having side effects to the antibiotics and had to quit taking them. 

This year, our great-granddaughter, Olivia Marilyn Marshall was born, and she is such a cutie.  We haven't seen her in person yet, but we've seen pictures of her, and of course, we have to brag about her. 

My cousin, Gary and I are going to the Christmas symphony at Kaufmann Center on December 22nd.  We have gotten together several times this year.  My brother will be spending the holiday with us as our youngest son and his wife were kind enough to invite him, too.  This activity was cancelled as hubby was in ER. 

My sister and brother-in-law were here in May/June, and we had an excellent time with them.  We got together with lots of friends and family to celebrate my 69th birthday.  We all met at Famous Dave's in Lawrence to celebrate.  It was a fun day with a lot of ribbing. Smile! 

This is about all I have time for now.  Some others may get longer letters as I continue to add to it.  Smile!  I hope all of you are healthy in the New Year. 

Love to all and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Thank you to all who follow and read my blog every week.  You have no idea how much I appreciate your comments on my blog and to me personally.  Be sure to check out the last blog of 2013; it was on December 15th.

 

See you next Sunday.  Have a great week and stay warm. 

 

 

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.skaymarshall.com