I'm going to be an aunt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In August!!! I can't telll you how excited I am!

And my Secret Santa present came today! There was a knock at the door and it wasn't Santa, but one of his helpers disguised as the mailman.

Amy sent wonderful stuff0-- a mix CD I'm listening to right now. A beautiful dragonfly necklace, a beautiful perfume bottle with flowers and the stopper is a dragonfly (purple!) lighting on a flower. Then there were homemade cookies that taste so good. Winnie the Pooh playing cards and magnet and a purple glittery butterfly ornament.

Plus I got some nice gifts from my parents and the original cast recording of Sweeney Todd from my brother so I'm all set. Just have to go to the family thing in a little while.

That's great, askye!

Everytime I see something with a dragonfly on it. I think of you.

oh questor that's cool.

I can't believe it came on Christmas Day, askye! How cool is that?

So glad you liked everything. I had a lot of fun picking it all out.

I'm skipping a hundred or so posts that I'll go back and read to thank brenda for a lovely surprise!

She sent some nummy gluten-free ginger snaps that I had with some maple yogurt for breakfast yesterday. nomnomnom.

Plus, a lovely glass ornament with red and shiny silver stripes. So pretty.

AND.and.and. A huge bag of Charlee Bear dog treats. Bartleby says Thank YOU! I love this particular brand because they are tidy and small so I can carry them in my pocket on walks when we do 'school'. Very helpful and much easier to handle than the broken up cookies I usually carry.

Yay brenda! Thanks.

My secret Santa box is going out in the next couple of days. Yet another apology for tardiness and hopes that the wait will be worth it.

I, too, have a good feeling about 2008. May we all be blessed more times over than we can count.

I had a package with homemade cookies from my Seekrit Santa in the mailbox today. I still do not know who they are. The cookies are yummy.

To my Santee: the items I ordered for have shipped and are on their way to me to be wrapped and sent out to you! My fingers are crossed that you will be gifted by New Years.

I know who ND's Secret Santa is! Not telling until s/he does, though.

I guess I should announce pre-emptively that tomorrow night I'm heading up to the mountains to go skiing. So if anything arrives for me I may not be posting about it until Sunday.

I, too, have a good feeling about 2008. May we all be blessed more times over than we can count.

It's funny, because I do too, and it's the first time in years that this is the case. 2007 was a hard year, but I don't really feel bad about it. And I think it's probable that some major things will go wrong in 2008, what with how things have been going and all, and yet, I feel optimistic.

So, this may be a good point for my rehash. I started out the year with ongoing job issues but the longest vacation I've had since I started my career - over two weeks. While on vacation, changes in my work situation occurred that would effect my job and a close friendship even to this day. I had a rough time with the job situation, even as I had the chance to really do my job, creatively and effectively, first the first time in too long. Then, I grew to regret my long vacation in the spring (ok, not the actual vacation, which was wonderful and included time with Java Cat, JZ, and Katerina Bee, but the leave time spent on it) when I spent much of the summer sick with bronchitis that turned into asthma.

The job and health issues were kind of horrid, but it has been a learning experience too. I was offered a fun and exciting position in another town, where I've lived before and have family, and came to the realization that where I am is the place I'm meant to be, at least for now. It wasn't easy, but it was profound. Also, although turning down the position was extremely difficult, it did feel very good to be wanted. The incomparable Deena added to this warm glow when she asked me to edit for Drollerie Press. I just hope I don't let her down!

A few other things, mostly fairly small but one huge, have also had an amazing impact on my life and how I look at it:

• Just over a year ago, a friend of mine had a baby. I have always loved babies, so I held this one as often as I could. What has surprised me is how this has grown beyond a casual friendship. I love these two with an intensity that surprises me. I get frustrated by some of my friend's choices, but she and her daughter have really become an important part of my life.

• I started posting three things that I was grateful for that day in my LJ. I don't do it every day, but try to several times a week. I'm amazed at what an impact this has had on my life. When I have a crummy day, I'm reminded that there were still good things, and when I have a good day, I'm reminded to savor it. This has just been a huge blessing in my life.

• This seems kind of silly, but I got a MacBook and love it beyond all reason. It is so nice to have a computer that actually works. Plus, I got an AirPort, and it's so much fun to be able to work on my computer while lounging on the couch or lying in bed. I drooled when others here spoke of things like this, but it's even better than I had imagined. I also got a cell phone and a friend has lent me her iPod so I can see if I want to get my own (I do!). Any time now I'll get high speed internet and join the 21st century!

So, to make a long story not much longer, I'm optimistic about 2008. I'm actually working on some health things that I hope will cause improvement. My job hasn't worked out as hoped, but there is an awfully lot of good in it. I love my community, friends, church. I look forward to watching my friend's baby grow and to playing an important role in her life. And I'm so very glad that I have you all to share this with, even when I'm a tad more loquacious than I probably should be.