I love writing my annual birthday post. It’s a good way to look back on the last year!
This year, I find myself filled with love and gratitude. I’m grateful for wonderful family and friends. I’ve made some new friends along the way, several of the writing variety!
Work has been on the up and up after several months of struggle in late 2021 and early 2022. I’m very close to finishing one long-term project in the next month or so. I will celebrate three years at Sentara in September!
Phineas and Ferb are still grumpy old men, and we love them so. They are almost 13 now.
Al and I celebrated six years of marriage in November. We went at Amedeo’s in Suffolk for the first time, one of the first true date nights we’ve had since COVID began.
I’m still working on my books! I have a solid plan to publish the first one, finally, in November 2022, which marks 10 years after I started writing it. Several amazing people have read it and offered incredible feedback, and I’m grateful for every piece of advice and encouragement. I wrote more than 53,000 words during NaNoWriMo 2021, and more than 30,000 words last month for Camp NaNoWriMo. I’m hoping close out the first draft of my third book very soon. Writing sprints are my jam!
LEGO is one of my favorite hobbies now. After completing the Sesame Street Ideas set last June, Al got me the Stranger Things Upside Down set for Christmas. He gave me my first LEGO Architecture sets – New York and London – today, plus six of The Muppets minifigures!
I still love true crime podcasts. Al and I love For All Mankind on Apple TV Plus. I’m re-watching Cold Case this year too!
We held our 130th blood drive yesterday. We collected 71 units! We have passed 8,000 collected units now in 22 years of drives.
I’m very excited to start traveling again. I’m lucky enough to have a Dad-daughter weekend in September to attend a family wedding, and then Al and I are taking a much-needed week-long vacation later in the fall!
I’m grateful for every single day.
Cheers to 34!
Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂
Hot Shot Headlines 
Happy birthday!
Funny you should mention Lego… I got all my old childhood Legos from the 80s out of my parents’ attic a few months ago and brought them back here. I built some of my favorite sets, and freeformed some buildings with the rest… today, after not touching them for about two weeks, I got the bright idea to build another one of the sets that I didn’t build before, specifically the airport. That required tearing down two of my existing freeform buildings, because they used pieces unique to the airport. But I also had two other planes to build besides the one that came with the airport set. But now I have to rearrange the rest of my little Lego village because the airport’s long runway doesn’t fit in the room the way I had everything before. And now it’s a big mess, and I want to keep fiddling with it so it’s not a mess anymore, but I have to go to bed soon because I work tomorrow… 😂😂😂
I love it! I never had the airport set myself, but I remember seeing it in stores. What a cool experience!
That sounds really wonderful!
Thank you! I’m very grateful.
I’m so happy you’re happy! You have accomplished a lot, my friend!! I hope you had a wonderful birthday
Thank you so much! It was wonderful!
Happy belated birthday!
Thank you! It was wonderful!
I’m so happy to hear that. You deserve a lovely celebration!
It was awesome! A mix of social events and chilling out.