2012 brought me good and bad, ups and downs just like in priors years. I’m not surprised. Instead of complaining about the bad and the down moments that unfortunately were thrown at me, I am going to say how grateful I am. Why? Well, the bad and the down moments made my mind and soul tougher and stronger. Year after year I continue to develop thicker skin. Life isn’t getting any easier. It just gets harder from here. The only way life is easy is if you take the time and energy to make the best of it.  In regards to all the good and up moments thrown at me, I will say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I am blessed.

Instead of writing in details about each negative and positive of 2012, I am going to list just a few things that either put a frown or smile on my face.

The Good:

1 – Gained new friendships because of my book A Second Chance

2 – My book was a hit among friends and individuals who related to the book.

3 – I got a NICE raise at work.

4 – I received a response to one of my tweets regarding Hurricane Sandy from celebrity Joey Lawrence.

5 – I had the honor of talking to the legend Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quinones through Facebook, Twitter and Skype. He is absolutely sweet, kind, intelligent and talented. I hope we can maintain communication in the near future.

6 – My husband and I had a meet and greet with Bret Michaels this past September. Bret is one of the few people who always thanks the 9/11 first responders, NYPD and FDNY during his concerts. He said he will never forget. This means a lot to us especially since my husband was there during 9/11 and is a first responder, along with one of cousins and uncle. Bret was charming and sweet and down to earth. It was a pleasure meeting him. Ignore my cheesy smile…lol. I was excited. Can’t you tell?

7 - I gained the courage to finally make the decision of publishing my first short story (coming in 2013) as oppose to just writing it and leaving it in my drawer.

8 – Having an amazing family and husband by my side no matter what.

9 – Last but not least, Health.

The Bad:

1 – My grandfather had to be put in a home. He cannot fend for himself the way he once did. It is still very painful seeing him in a nursing home environment, but I rather see him there than not see him at all. He is being taken good care of, and I am forever grateful that he has nurses and doctors who treat him with respect and love.

2 – Living, witnessing or hearing about the tragedies such as Hurricane Sandy, the Connecticut shooting, China stabbings, people pushing innocent individuals into the train tracks, etc. These were true nightmares that put a damper in me.

3 - The countless rejections from publishing companies; giving an opportunity to write for people, but at the end the chance was given to someone else; certain facilities or individuals not taken A Second Chance seriously even though I have an important message in my book.

4 – Spending a whole year TRYING HARD to transition from accountant to writer, but not being very successful at it. Changing careers shouldn’t be that hard, right? Perhaps soon. Who knows.

5 - Having to ax “friends” from my life or at least limit them due to lack of trust. Friendships can sometimes be deceiving.

Well, here you have it. There’s so much more, but I choose not to continue boring you all.

Many people are so excited over the fact that 2013 is around the corner (well, actually 24 hours away) and things are going to be different, better. I don’t necessary agree with that 100%. A tiny part of me believes that some unwanted baggage from the year before will still be dragged into the New Year whether we like it or not. I am excited for the New Year, however, because I hopefully plan to celebrate it in the comfort of my home among family and friends with a lot of

I want to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year.

Don’t drink and drive!!