You may have noticed that I slacked off on my blogging quite a bit this past year.  After my grandiose resolutions of writing more in 2012, I’d like to be able to say it was because I was working on my novel and other projects.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case.  Life slapped me upside the head with some unexpected turns.  After moving in with us, my father’s health rapidly declined, and he passed away in February 2012.  I had a difficult time harnessing my time productively or feeling creative for a while after that.

In November, I flew to Guam with my husband, two daughters, brother, and cousin.  We memorialized my father and aunt on the island where they were born, spent time with relatives, and connected with our cultural roots.  On the way home, we spent a few days in Tokyo and Narita, Japan.  Overall, it was a restorative excursion that helped provide both a much-needed escape as well as some peace and closure.

Though it felt like last year passed in a blur of emotional highs and lows, I feel as if I am now free to begin this year fresh.  I hope to spend more time writing, traveling, and appreciating life.