The New Year

We had a beautiful Christmas this year. Our tree and house looked great and we were so grateful to be able to have Christmas at our own home this year, finally! As usual, Lindsey was a great help to me, especially when it came to cooking and setting up the house for our guests. My mom came over and helped but of course in her Christmas tradition she burned our appetizers, but fortunately we had many more. It almost would not be Christmas without my mom burning something. Don't get me wrong, she is a great cook, but we do not use timers when cooking. Bad habit, I know, and sad to say Lindsey doesn't either.

Duff came over on Christmas Eve to watch Ryley open his presents from the family (not Santa), before leaving on a redeye flight to visit a friend in Florida. And, Michael (the new guy, but not exactly that new) was also there and he and Duff got along wonderfully. It is refreshing to see grown adults act as such in what could have been an awkward situation, but I am pleased to say everyone made the best of it. Our friend John Evans and his daughters also came over to celebrate the holiday evening.

New Years Eve will be fun since we are all going to the Orange County Fair Grounds to launch the Orange for the New Year. Similar to New York's ball drop, us crazy Orange County folk now have our own. We are very competitive to say the least. Nothing compares to New York and never will — I love being in New York during the winter. The OC Angels will be there also, so it is always a blast to spend time with my children, plus they will not be driving on the worst night of the year. Lindsey is making our masks for the party since it is themed masquerade.

My new year's resolution is to "truly do something for myself." I am always concerned about everybody else, so this year I am going to work on my own issues, which include regular exercise (which I have not done in ten years), continuous development of my company goals with Veriya, and helping and encouraging the girls to accomplish their own goals. Lindsey wants to launch her clothing line called LBlake and Megan plans to lose 30 pounds by running with her dogs and eating a lot of veggies.

I hope everyone out there had a wonderful holiday and wish you all the best in the New Year.