THREE YEARS!!!

Happy blogoversary to me! :)

If you're reading this, then the world did NOT end last week. Guess it means we still have to be productive after all.... Still, after hearing Rebbetzin Jungreis tell us we're all doomed, I'm paranoid for what the future holds. :P But at least the Mayan calendar was proven wrong.

This year has been slow in terms of blogging. I think the one thing anchoring me was the blog project. We're going on almost TWO years. I love writing about the different topics and coming up with my own topics every few weeks. We're a fun and diverse group. I do hope to write other posts for this blog, as I remember writing it in so frequently in the past. I even e-mail one of my friends and seem to have a blog post to share with her about almost everything we discuss!

It's also been a hard year for people in different parts of the US. While the events didn't personally affect me, they still left their mark. While I was trying to keep my son from being born on 9/11 (after the fact), ironically enough, a tragic event on a smaller scale took place on my birthday this past year...the shooting at the movie theater in Colorado. Then there was Superstorm Sandy, which we prepared for after we lost power for almost a week in July. Thankfully, our preparations were in vain, but I can't even imagine living the horrors that people did in NY and NJ. I'm hoping that things are coming back together now, but it still sounds like a long road for some. I'm just glad our community reached out to offer their homes and meals for some Shabbat weekends. We signed up too, but our community outreach was so huge that our help wasn't even required. And finally, there was the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I spent most of Christmas (not that I celebrate it) thinking about the families who didn't get to spend it with their children and loved ones because of one horrible act. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

On the positive side of the past year....my daughter's speech development has been flourishing since she got her cochlear implants. She repeats what we say and also sings her favorite songs. It's so cute to hear her talk and definitely something I don't take for granted. Chick Lit Central is flourishing too, with over 900 followers. And we have interviews scheduled through February at this point. Plus, a lot of great books have come my way for 2013. I already enjoyed Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster and The Girl's Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate. I'm excited to read the others waiting on my shelf! I'm currently reading One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern, which has given me a great idea for something new to do on my blog. More on that later!

I've made some great new friends this year. Mostly online, but some in person too! One is a debut author, S.B., whom I've gotten to know via e-mail and has become a special part of my life. She's so sweet and easy to talk to. She's also told me about an impact I've made on her life, which means a lot to me. Then there's R.S., another blogger who doesn't live too far from me. We met in person last week and I enjoyed chatting with her. There's also a woman from my community, with whom I connected at the Jennifer Weiner book signing this past summer. I didn't know she liked to read (chick lit, no less) and this new discovery has helped us become better friends. Before, we just said "hi" in passing, but now we e-mail more often and we got together for tea last month. I hope we can hang out again soon. And finally, there's J.D., who not only let me read an early draft of her novel, but also has become a big part of Chick Lit Central. (I was not responsible for choosing her to do reviews, that was based on her own merit and skill.) We've met up for lunch a few times in the past and have discussed musicals, movies, TV shows, etc.

My husband and I got into The Big Bang Theory this year and are currently on season five. It's so funny and definitely appeals to my geek side. I don't watch much TV, especially after saying goodbye to Desperate Housewives and giving up on The Office. Thankfully, I have a close friend in the neighborhood with whom to watch 90210. Aside from that, there's Glee, Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother. I'm excited for Smash to return in February, as well! I haven't really been blown away by any movies this year, but I'm hoping I'll like Les Miserables better than some people who were let down by it. I loved Wreck It Ralph though. Everything else was built up to me a lot and I wasn't super impressed.

I'm hoping 2013 will be a good year for everyone. I would love to get through a whole year without hearing about any violence or gearing up for major storms. Time will tell, I guess....