It’s actually been a pretty good year. The best part, of course, was the birth of my wonderful grandson, Robin. I think the only thing that will ever be better than that is the birth of another grandchild! No rush, though…I’m content with Robin!

Other good things included a visit from Julia (Patrick’s friend from Canada) whom I hadn’t seen for 5 years. And how fun was all the Burning Man prep and the big send off party the night before everyone left for a week in the desert!

I also have a new office space and an enlarged family room after Patrick helped to clean out all the ‘leftovers’ after moving out in the fall of 2005. I repainted the room that used to be Kevin’s bedroom and it is spectacular as an office/library. And the family room seems huge after getting rid of all the bookcases, filing cabinets and my computer.

At work we finally finished our first audit ever! It was brutal but, now that it’s finally over, things will be so much better and it will be easier each year as we go through regular annual audits. An administrative assistant was hired to work for me, meaning I have much more time to get my work completed. While January/February will still be busy for me, I expect things to be a bit more relaxing this summer–a welcome change from the past few years.

Still couldn’t have a year with nothing bad happening. My best friend, Mata, passed away in July from complications of back surgery. Unfortunately, it seems there’s at least one death a year among friends or family as I get older. Guess that’s something that will continue, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Frankly, it sucks. I could do with a few years off.

We were lucky here in Pasadena not to be affected by all the wildfires that struck Southern California this past fall. It was unbelievable as we seemed to be surrounded by one neighborhood after another going up in flames. How grateful I am that none of the fires came close.

Meanwhile, I’m beginning to look forward to 2008. I’ve already made reservations for my first trip up to Seattle in ’08. I’ll be flying up at the end of March after all the year end craziness is completed at work and will be back in time to handle all those last minute tax filers who’ll be calling. I got a great deal with Southwest ($99 each way) and can’t wait to get up there and see that baby again.

The game Kevin’s been working on for the past 5 years (Pirates of the Burning Sea) will be released for sale at the end of January. A real milestone for him and I’m extremely proud of his success. Patrick is starting off the new year working for Dreamhost at their downtown LA location and I couldn’t be happier. He can take the Goldline train to work everyday, resulting in a huge decrease in the amount of gasoline he needs to put in his truck each month. All in all both boys are doing well and are happy in their jobs.

I’ll be spending New Year’s Day watching the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game (on TV) and eating the traditional pork and sauerkraut. We’ll probably celebrate Patrick’s 28th birthday that day as well since Patrick will be spending his real birthday on New Year’s Eve with Veronica. And then 2008 will be underway. I hope it will be a good year for all of us. It seems to be starting off well.