Here it is, New Years Eve, and my agoraphobia has kicked in, so I’m chickening out on going to the wedding of a beloved niece. Really crappy way to end 2018. With a few exceptions, the year was one big disappointment, and I’m glad to see it go. We lost a puppy, unsuccessfully tried to sell our house, and alienated some family members. I hope to the Divines that 2019 is better than the last few years have been.

2018 did have one major bright spot. We adopted Harley. The Great Dane puppy was 17 pounds when she was 12 weeks old.

She had her first birthday on November 13, weighing in at just over 110. She is the world’s biggest lapdog, and she takes up more of the bed than the hubby and I do. She and the others get along great, and they bring us a lot of joy and laughter.

The sad part is we lost one this year. Gambit was about 17 when he died in the spring, and I miss him so much, but it was his time. The vet referred us to a veterinary funeral home and they took good care of him. They gave us ashes, pieces of his fur (not creepy), footprints, and a beautiful throw with his picture on it. A great way to remember him.

So I’m officially old now. My daughter Aspen graduated from college last spring, and the other two are hot on her heels. Max will graduate this spring, and Michael should graduate the next. It’s unsure with him because he started college as a junior (he’s a genius) and is majoring in more than one thing.

Social media also been a bright spot for me. I hit DeviantArt, Twitter, Enjin, Facebook, and Discord every single day. I’ve found new friendships, developed existing ones, helped a few in need (I hope), and celebrated their successes. I’ve also developed friendships through ESO and here on WordPress (love you, Karine, Pyrelle, and Elspeth). My online friends make it easier to get out of bed. I have also made amends with a brutal enemy, and we’re on the way to being good friends again.

So. While I was sitting here pondering seppuku over missing the wedding, I was working on my latest photomanipulation. I needed to find some stairs, so I started browsing stock on DA. And then realization hit me: I post so few manips because it takes me forever to create them. Why? Because I’m so fickle when looking for stock! I had a manip 85 percent done when I discovered a couple of great stock artists I hadn’t seen before, and suddenly I’m like, “Oh! I have a better idea! I’m going to replace this component altogether!” This was a component I had been working on for a couple of weeks, copying and pasting pieces from several stock images and getting them just right. Woo hoo! I may still be working on this piece in February, but when I finally finish it, I’ll be happy with it. Or I’ll start all over again and post it in April!

In 2019, I plan to lose weight, get out of the house more, fix the house up so we can sell it, post more artwork and stock images, write more (including fanfiction and hopefully getting Book Two closer to publishing), and play more ESO. My faith is evolving, and I hope to learn more and channel my new beliefs into something useful and uplifting.

In the meantime, Sugar, Harley, and Bob say Happy New Year, as do the hubby and I. Love to you all.