I know right? Fucking craziness! Another post and BLOGIVERSARY!!! Well, as part of my social media call, Deelylah Mullin responded too! And she was all “hell yeah!” And I was like “*dudebro* YEAH!” So here we are! More festivities after Festivus! 😉 You know how it goes.

Celebrations, New Stuff, and All That Jazz

Happy Blogaversary! Thanks for letting me help you kick off your celebration.

I tell my students all the time that I’m old as dirt. I’ve had many years of celebration in my past. Many new beginnings. And many opportunities to fix things I’ve screwed up. I don’t screw up a LOT. Just sometimes. I think I’m allowed, given that I’m not *gasp* perfect.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned about celebrations is that every moment should be celebrated. Every day Mr. VampBard and I talk about our day, celebrating the successes. We have to pick one, even if it was a crappy day. Time with our kids, especially since they’re growing up, is precious. Before long, they’re going to have homes of their own and be working to support us (I kid…sorta). The one thing that I know our kids will always remember is the laughter when we’re together. I’ve been fortunate to have all of our kids under one roof for even a portion of this past holiday. It’s no small feat; we’re a Brady Bunch. Our kids range in age from 22 down to 14. There’s lots of things I’m sure the typical teen would rather be doing, rather than hanging out with the parents, grandparents, an aunt & uncle, as well as some cousins. We didn’t hold our extended family holiday celebration on December 25^th. We couldn’t get everyone together until then. But it didn’t matter. We got together, we made breakfast for dinner, and we laughed. We talked. We shared our lives, or rather, the kids shared their lives with us—the dinosaurs, the old people. There weren’t tons of gifts for every person there. Just my great-nephew (nine months), and my son’s girlfriend’s son, who is three. In a nutshell, we celebrate being together. It happens too infrequently to not be thankful for each event we share.

I’m celebrating words this year. Lots and lots of words. My Goodreads challenge was a miserable failure; I’d hoped to ONLY read forty books. I read 51, and that doesn’t include the books I’ve edited in the past year, nor those I’ve re-read for work. I’m celebrating the 200K words that I wrote. My own stories. I’m celebrating the wonderful manuscripts I’ve edited. I work really hard to make time for words, outside of my day job. I have figured out what makes me happy, and it’s words. That’s something to celebrate. Every. Day. I’m lucky hubby is of a similar mindset.

I look at the beginning of a new year as a clean slate. With the end of 2014, I’m wrapping up all the loose ends from the year and moving forward. This year, starting today, will be my best year yet. We’ll probably have spent New Year’s Eve with the kids that are around, watching movies, playing board games, and laughing. I used to worry about resolutions and share them with my family. An effort at accountability. Yeah. That never worked out too well for me. Instead, I’m going to do new things. One new thing every week. Fifty-two new things in 2015. Every single one should be celebrated.

What’s one new thing I should put on my list for 2015? What’s one new thing on your list for this year? Leave a comment here and enter the Rafflecopter to choose three e-book titles in the format of your choice from the titles I’ve edited or from my A+ rated books I’ve read in 2014. More chances to enter if you find me on Facebook & Twitter!

Stuff-I’ve-Edited:

By Abigail Barnette (Jenny Trout): The Boss, The Girlfriend, The Hook-Up, The Bride, The Ex, or If Ever I Would Leave You (anthology containing A Choice Fit for a Queen). By Sherry Soule: Immortal Eclipse, Beautifully Broken, Shattered Silence, Reckless Revenge, Moonlight Mayhem, Destiny Disrupted, or Lost in Starlight. By Jamie Grey: Athena’s Ashes or Fortune’s Risk. E. Hepner: Deadlines: A Written-to-Death Mystery. Shiloh Walker: You Own Me. J. Dallas: The Virgin: Revenge or The Virgin: Redemption. Gina Danna: Love & Reckoning.

My A+ ratings went to:

Taking it All – Maya Banks. No Weddings, One Funeral, Two Bar Mitzvahs, or Three Christmases – Kat & Stone Bastion. Mercy – HelenKay Dimon. Linger – Lauren Jameson. The Fallen – Keri Lake. Seduced by Fire – Tara Sue Me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bio: Deelylah Mullin is the mom of a Brady Bunch, happily married to Mr. VampBard, and always on the lookout for the best coffee shop for words. She magically fell into freelance editing, and has twenty (and counting) titles under her belt. She plans to have her own novel available in 2015. She can be found online in the following places:

Deelylah Mullin, Editor. Twitter. Facebook.

Remember to comment! Deelylah wants to know “what’s your favorite way to celebrate?” [It’s in the rafflecopter, but in case you miss it… :)]