In no particular order:  A James Joyce stream of consciousness as I ramble through my memories and think of some of the headlines that were part of my 2012.

I survived!  My cancer remains in remission and I am thrilled to celebrate each and every day.

My niece Caitlyn returned to the United States after her exciting studies on the other side of the globe. She graduated from Wofford with honors in May.  Her sister Jasmine has left a most successful position as a manager in the world of retail for a job at ETSU.  She has new responsibilities and better hours to enjoy time with her husband Frank. Currently they are selling their condo and searching for their first house.

My niece Dawn was named Manager of the year.  She does an amazing job of juggling responsibilities at a variety of hotel properties.  Her sister Valarie is incredible, she also juggles.  She juggles being a Mom, wife and job. She is definitely a woman of the millennium.

My nephew Josh has begun his MBA studies at Darden, climbed Machu Picchu and became engaged to the beautiful Annie. Josh's sister, Amber and her husband also named Josh, bought their first house. They sent pictures at Christmas and it looks awesome.

Both my sons reached higher pinnacles in their chosen professions.  Tom received an enormous promotion and Jim's opinions on preventing child abuse and politics were solicited on TV and newspapers.

As for their wives, both are making an amazing difference in the world. Shelia is growing her counseling business helping people find hope and freedom to fulfill God's plans for their lives. She is also making regular trips from Texas to Tennessee to help with her Mom's care as her mom recovers from a stroke. Carol is a pastor at a Methodist Church and is dealing with the many challenges today's economic conditions have created in her community. She helps elevate spirits and works at their food bank and is trying to maintain a church with vital programs when donations are sparse.

As for Grandchildren, 2012 once again was a showcase for how terrific, smart, and multi-talented  they are. Jake began middle school this year.  Jonah began first grade. Hope and Noah moved from home schooling to High School. Hope was able to complete all the credits she needs for graduation before Thanksgiving. Noah did so great on his grades that he was exempt from finals. He also became a member of the Franklin High School Choir. Showcasing still another talent to add to the many sports he plays.  He has even acted in a play in the past so maybe someday he will be on Broadway, American Idol or playing professional sports.

Speaking of Sports, not only are each of my grandchildren avid sports fans, they are talented players. One look at their parent's facebook pages and I burst with pride when I read about the soccer goals Jonah or Jake made or the successes at baseball and basketball. Due to injury Hope has been sidelined from participating in sports however when it comes to being a fan she is intense when it involves the Titans or Lakers. This was an extra special birthday year for her. Hope turned 18 and celebrated with a trip to Los Angeles with her dad where they created lasting memories and went to a Lakers game.

My son Tom and Noah were in an accident this past year.  One of the biggest blessings is that they are okay. Although both are suffering with lingering side-effects and pain. I hope 2013 brings them less discomfort and sees Noah back on the basketball court although he beat me seriously when we played Horse in their backyard.

Our dear friends all seemed to face health challenges this year. Jack had some breathing challenges and Mark broke his leg and Barbara faced more cancer news.  On the other hand each had wonderful moments during 2012. Jack witnessed his youngest grandson marry and Mark used Weight Watchers to lose over 100 pounds and Barbara has had the opportunity to share time and create wonderful memories with family and friends.

My brother Bob and his wife are using their creativity and professional contacts to move forward always mining for new and exciting business opportunities.  My sister Wendy has become involved with a botanical beauty product company that is helping woman find ways to feel better about themselves in a healthy environmentally responsible way. In addition, she has spent much of the year helping the love of her life Alan deal with the health and aging challenges his parents have faced.  My sister Bonnie has developed a community of Facebook friends that have become an extended family for her. She has dared to voice her opinions on everything from the election to gun control and has supporters and objectors.

This year two cousins found us.  It was/is a true blessing to be reconnected with Dick and Stephen Bour.  When we were growing up my Mom and her sister, Aunt Betty would get us altogether for holiday dinners and fun.

Speaking of memories, my brother gave pictures of family times gone by to us for Christmas. Memories are the most special gifts and I was delighted that he included sending the copies to each of my sons. We all miss my parents. They were extraordinary people.

This year I participated in two Color Runs for charity. It was so much fun. I also tried Kayaking and fell in love with the experience.

David Logan worked many, many hours throughout 2012 and missed out on vacations. His choice; however, sometimes when you choose to do what you know is best for the company you sacrifice something important to you. Hopefully going into 2013 things will improve and time needed at work will lessen. It was fun to participate in the Color Rad race with David's brother Stephen and Nora. We also met them in Orlando for a fun weekend thanks to Stephen and Nora's enormous generosity. David's brother Mickey put his house in the market. Mickey and Tanya visited twice and found a house they like in Punta Gorda Florida. Their hope is to sell their home in Tennessee and move to Florida.

My Sales and Marketing book was re-published in e-book format and my cancer book, "My ta-tas were fine. I had cancer down there." was completed and is hopefully going to be published by the American Cancer Society.  Sold off lots of things this year as part of the process of downsizing. I dissolved my company, Ideas Unlimited, LLC. This was hard. It was part of an important dream. Unfortunately, life has detoured me and I needed to recognize that it was necessary that I take this step. It wasn't for someone else to have to take care of.

On a happy note I shared time with my sons and their families this year. It was fantastic. Creating memories with them is my favorite thing in all the world.

As 2012 comes to a close and 2013 is about to begin, I count my blessings. I know that TV will count down the top stories and point out that we all survived the end of the world prediction, the coverage of the Olympics, the good bad and ugly that was the election, the horror stories from Colorado to Connecticut, and the men and women still dying in war. My top stories are personal and I am grateful for every single day. The days do seem to go by at turbo speed but are each special in their own unique way.

I got a calendar for the New Year and there is a great quote for January: " Dare to be wacky. Live a life worth loving.  We all have it in us, a free-spirited, wonderful wacky attitude that makes our lives colorful, exciting and fun. It inspires us to write an upside-down, inside out version of our own wacky fairy tale filled with fascinating characters, plenty of action and plots that twist and turn."  Sounds like my life. If I continue to be blessed, I look forward to more opportunities to dare to be wacky and live my life worth loving.