Hello Again!

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last entry, but life has changed a lot for me (that will be a post for a later time). I told myself that I would get better at writing these blogs and stop leaving readers to wonder when the next "story" will be posted. So, I made a plan to post every Thursday unless something emergent comes up. Hopefully, nothing comes up, so I will be here every Thursday, and I look forward to it.

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get back to "normal"! This year didn't feel too much like Christmas. The weather was different, the environment was different, and I didn't feel too Christmas-spirited, but my family and I had a good time. I orchestrated a scavenger hunt (adult version) packed with multiple riddles to solve. There were teams of 2 that were randomly chosen, and each team had 8 different boxes containing a riddle to solve. After they solved the riddle, if they solved it correctly, they would find their prize (3 contained "Better Luck Next Time"), 2 of the prizes were numbers. Each team had to solve their own 8 boxes but work together to solve the final clue in the end. The final clue was a 4-digit code to unlock a lock to find their main present on the other side of the door; each team only had 2 of the numbers each, so they had to work together to find the correct number. Little did they know that it only contained another riddle first... Had to keep it interesting... The look on their faces to find yet another riddle was priceless. I wanted to do something different, and this just seemed like it was the best option, and I had fun putting it together. After writing 16 riddles, I felt like everything I said was in riddle form. Well worth it though to see the excitement on their faces. Most importantly though, the laughs and memories that we made were irreplaceable. We set off lanterns with messages written on them, which reminds me, I wonder who, if anyone, found them.

I have been working on my candles more and more in hopes that I can make a successful small business out of them. I enjoy making them and being creative with designs and scents; it feels rewarding when someone finds them to be as good as I do. New Year's wasn't anything special, just another day really. I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, but I do want to make my business more of a priority. It's just hard to do sometimes with the discouragement from some and life getting in the way. I will try to stick to a schedule and a little more organization and, most importantly, try to stay ahead of the seasons or holidays; that is always so tricky to do. But this New Year was different in so many ways that I already feel like my plan has derailed, and it is only the 2nd. I woke up on New Year's to hear the tragedy that had taken place in New Orleans and to hear it was terrorist-driven and that it was a military veteran. That not only pisses me off but breaks my heart. The victims and their families were devastated by someone that took an oath to protect them from enemies foreign and domestic but in the end fell victim to a person who had traded sides. Just because a soldier is no longer on active status doesn't mean their obligation to protect ends, but that man harmed so many that he should've been protecting. My heart breaks for those families, they had no idea that the last time they saw their loved ones would be the last. I can't imagine how they are feeling, I do know it is a way they shouldn't be. They should've been able to talk to their loved ones on the 1st to hear the stories of all the crazy people they encountered or the way Bourbon Street smells like a mix of stale beer, piss, and vomit. They should've been able to call their mom, dad, siblings, children, friends, or anyone else they wanted to, but the acts of a cold-hearted monster took that from them. So, please, anyone that is reading this, please say a prayer for the family members of the victims from the New Orleans terrorist attack.

I look forward to interacting more with everyone and staying on a schedule. Please be kind..

Until Next Time

xoxo,

Heather