I’m watching Vito Corleone come to the United States on a boat from Italy. All the immigrants are standing tall and are looking at the Statue of Liberty as they come through Ellis Island. Their faces show us what’s in their hearts: fear and excitement mixed together. I know the feeling well. I too arrived in America through New York. Not Ellis Island but JFK. Not on a boat but on a plane. But the feeling is the same. I came with a one way ticket that was taking me to Seattle via New York. I knew nobody in the United States, I had two dollars in my pocket and I was so full of excitement and fear.  As I got off the plane and followed the line of people towards customs, a very big black woman was directing us. She kept ...

I sit here all bundled up watching the snow fall. It looks really cold out but I’m warm, cozy and still nursing a nasty respiratory infection. It’s been a rough end to the year but it can’t really overshadow that all in all it’s been a great 12 months!

What went good in 2013:

I managed to do a little bit of traveling which is my main goal every year. I discovered a lot more of California with trips to Fort Bragg, Capitola, Half Moon Bay, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and the Delta. I saw the sea glass beach and enjoyed baseball at the AT&T Park. Eat great food in amazing places and got to enjoy it all with my other half which made it even more wonderful.

The kids and I skied in Keystone, Colorado and ...