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I opened my email the other day to find a note from Joe wondering why I've disappeared (again - I'm getting really bad at this). No promises, but I'm not giving up on this blog yet. I hope to write more and maybe this time I'll be able to follow through.

One thing that will help will be the shiny new laptop I picked up last week. I shouldn't have to restart 7 times to get a program to run. This new system has more RAM and runs a heck of a lot faster.

On a serious, sad note, I have been dealing with some unfortunate family events. On January 30, my godmother, Cheryl, passed away. She lived with Crohn's disease since 1967. My mom is broken hearted over it and I miss her very much. Cheryl was a wonderful woman who loved animals, always made anyone feel welcome, and loved a good story. She is missed by many.

The next day, January 31, my grandfather passed away. He had been battling lymphoma for 2 1/2 years. He was surrounded by his children and my grandmother when he passed. I spent much of the week with my dad, my two aunts, and my grandmother.

During that same week, I was doomed to the unpleasant experience of food poisoning. DM and I went to eat and chat one night at a local restaurant and I spent the next day realizing how awful a day could truly be.

It was good when I returned to work but busy. February was a short month to begin with, but missing the first week of it for bereavement put me way behind. I've caught up now that it's March. Thankfully.

The first winter in the new house has been great. I'm learning how to stay warm with blankets and sweatshirts (trying to save a few dollars in the heating costs). My snowblower likes to work a little more often now and I had the experience of finding out what happens when there is a newspaper buried in 6 inches of snow and you accidentally run it over this past Sunday. If you're curious, the end result will be you in the garage - freezing and cursing as you try to cut the newspaper out with a knife. Yes, next time I'll dig in the snow before I run the snowblower again. Yikes!

I cannot wait until the snow melts. In the spring, I'm going to finish off the fence and add a furry friend to my life. A puppy will add adventure to my life. I'll probably have a lot more stories to share when there is a puppy here!

I'll try to update a little more often. Hope all is good in your lives. It will be good to visit everyone.