Hey, good people!

RAISE YOUR GLASS FOR A TOAST. May this new year provide you with the resources and discipline required to accomplish your goals. I wish you good health, travel, time with family and friends, the gift of peace and joy, the gift of touch, great relationships, the gift of life, and unexpected happiness!

(keep your glasses raised) A special toast to everyone who plans for their families or mates daily, and you want someone else to do the same for YOU! I see ALL of YOU! You are appreciated! Cheers

It has been a while, and life has been hectic. I enrolled in a Data Analytics course, and I am stressed!! Please send help 😩 I am new to programming and data science, which is like learning a new language, and I only know English now. 😂 I will hyperfocus on learning this new language to enhance my career. This new skill will unlock many opportunities, and I am READY!  According to the Gospel of Sugar-Free, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready!” I have tapped into other resources to assist in my learning, and this year will be my year to dig deep!

I took a trip for Christmas; I needed to unplug and relax! I had a great time and was tipsy the entire time, haha. I am not a big drinker, so a little liquor goes a long way. I attended the most amazing silent party. The headphones had two DJs; one station was R&B/Rap, and the other was Soca/Reggae! I could not help but giggle while dancing because it was so wild to watch haha. People were partying and singing their hearts out!! What a time!!

Once I was back in town, I was going to a party for NYE, and I had a room at the hotel. I had so much fun!! And the pictures tell the story of how the night started and how it progressed 😆 I have not partied for NYE in years, and I wanted to do something different and enjoyed every minute of it. Then, the weekend was my friend’s birthday celebration and my nephew’s going away party to the Air Force. The weekend included getting new furniture, so I had to purge everything I no longer needed, and I still had furniture I needed to bless someone with.

My Mommy got remarried to her ex-husband after being divorced for ten years! She offered for me to be the Flower Woman, or coordinator, and I was the wedding coordinator. I helped her find her dress and accessories online because there are few stores in her area. My workload can be crazy, and planning a wedding at the same time is insane. I flew into town the day before the wedding for the rehearsal dinner and practice. SO MUCH WORK!  Trying to get the Baby Boomers to listen is hard as hell!  😆Those folks were doing whatever they wanted, and I had to reel them in to get things done! 😂 You would have thought this was a million-dollar production the way I was running around in my heels, making sure everything went off with a hitch 😆 Y’all, we were in a small town in Arkansas, haha (I have watched too many Platinum Wedding episodes). I had to help decorate, assist the DJ, coordinate the wedding party, do my Mommy’s make-up and get her dressed, work with the photographer…WHEW! I’m tired just thinking about it, haha. As long as my girl is happy, I will do it again a million times! ♥️ I flew out the following day with a damn carry-on bag full of sweet potatoes from the farm and had a good night’s sleep. 😂 The man on the plane offered to get my bag down, and I told him it was heavy; he asked, “What do you have in here?” I replied, “Sweet potatoes,” and we both laughed. I am so overjoyed for my Mommy and happy the wedding is over. 🤓

I had a few goals on my list last year that I will have to add to my 2025 goals:

1. Host a dinner or game night – My Place is Ready
2. A new wardrobe – I completed some of this last year ☑️
3. Develop new skills – Working on this now
4. Volunteer more – this is the year
5. Fun dates once a month – I tackled this, but this needs to continue
6. Two-quarters of NO spending
7. Dabble in two new hobbies

I am excited for what is to come and grateful for the lessons learned in 2024. There is so much going on in the world all around us, so make sure that you are a blessing to someone.

Until next time!

What’s next starts now!