This I know for sure...

It's hard to believe this is my last post for 2017. The year went by so fast. It seems like the beginning of 2017 was just a few weeks ago.

I had some great things happen this year that I'm so grateful for:

1. A new day job that is considerably less stressful than the old job with a great work environment and co-workers instead of a toxic workplace with equally toxic co-workers who were never happier than when they were tearing someone down. While the commute is twice as long as my old day job was, it's well worth the extra time just to have a job I don't dread going to.
2. A new kitten who follows me around like a little puppy and greets me at the door whenever I come home from work or elsewhere. She was a gift from a family member in an effort to help my other cat and I get over the loss of my oldest cat.
3. I became a great-aunt to a new nephew born in October.

I could go on and list a few more things, but those are the top 3.

I also had some terrible things happen this year:

1. An uncle passed away in October.
2. My cat, Petey, whom I called my grumpy old man (he was 13) passed away unexpectedly from liver failure. 
3. We had a terrible windstorm in my area back in March that brought down a tree in the neighbor's yard which in turn pulled down the utility pole that provided service to our street and the next street over. We were without heat and electricity for 5 miserable days. While the lack of electricity was definitely an inconvenience, the lack of heat when the high temperatures each day were in the low 30's was nearly unbearable. The temperature got down to 45 degrees in the house before the utility company finally restored the service.

I'm looking forward to 2018 and all the great things to come in the new year.