I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I really do. Last night, as Hayden and I snuggled watching a show, I kept counting my many blessings. Each of you are on that list. Truly, there’s a community that’s developed here and I’m so grateful. I feel the support you give each other. That warms my heart when I see you all commenting to each other here and on social media. And of course, I feel the support you give me. Thank you. Thank you. I’ve written little thank you notes before…and my gratitude just keeps growing every day. When dark days have come and I’ve wanted to retreat, you guys pull me back out of my shell and keep me going.

I wanna try to support some of you, too. Let’s do something fun here.

Today is Black Friday and I am all for a great deal so go get ‘em. It’s hard to beat the Amazon deals out there right now. But tomorrow is SHOP SMALL. Do you or someone you know have an Etsy shop, or an online store that we could all access? I want to encourage everyone to shop locally or shop small businesses tomorrow for SHOP SMALL DAY. Many of these business owners started out of necessity, passion or both. I love hearing the stories. It gives our purchases meaning.

Leave the web address in comments so we can all see and I plan on highlighting some! I would love nothing more than to support you and/or your friends!

ps- just had to share something so sweet. My best girlfriends from high school and I try to do a girl’s trip as often as our schedules permit. We have almost done it every year.

This year, we picked Nashville and were so excited. But, life made a dramatic turn on me and I needed to be in LA or multiple reasons. I wanted them to go ahead and not be miss out because of my turn of events. But, they did not.

They all came to LA. And they came bearing gifts. I know, cue my tears. The shirt I’m wearing was one of gifts, which is similar to the wall mural in Austin, Texas, that we love. I’m telling you, my cup runneth over. (Get the shirt that matches the wall HERE— at an Ety store in the spirit of shop small!). And you’ll see a few more tomorrow.

Here’s to lifting each other up!!  

xoxox

AAJ

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reflecting on 2017, MY THANK YOU TO YOU.

As I reflect back on 2017, I realize how grateful I am to YOU.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING THIS SITE and generously contributing ideas. I'm especially grateful for your recent comments some of you left on this post HERE: you really inspired me to want to write more on the blog. You also sparked great ideas for the column in Soap Opera Digest for 2018. Thank you! I hope to make this a fun endeavor for all of us. 

THANK YOU FOR ENGAGING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I enjoyed live tweeting with you all during my first day back on General Hospital, the Lifetime movie, and the Christmas movie. It’s fun to get to go back and forth with you all during an air show. I consider this a privilege to get to be on your screens at home.  Hoping 2018 brings more opportunities to engage and (hopefully) entertain you.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTHUSIASM with the line of soaps I’m hoping to continue. I appreciate your comments in the post HERE and DMs! 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY. YOU all are inspiring. Getting to chat with some of you who called in to donate to the Red Cross for Houston was an honor. I sat next to Maurice Barnard for part of that time and we were overwhelmed by the response. As many of you know, my hometown of Houston was flooded beyond anything anyone could imagine. My grandparents’ house was ruined. My uncle’s house is gone… aunt and uncle’s dental business had to be rebuilt from ground up. I could go on and on about extended family and friends. It makes you reevaluate what really is important.  

Then, Los Angeles felt your support and prayers during the recent fires. I am only discussing tragedies that affected me personally…. the hardships of 2017 around the country and the world are too vast and deep for me to attempt to discuss them all.  How heartwarming it is to see people rally around each other… to those of you that are still recovering from 2017 hardships, may 2018 be a year of renewal and prosperity. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WISHES. When we moved into our first home as a family earlier this year, your well wishes were appreciated. Nothing makes me feel happier and more accomplished than when my husband and kids seem happy in our new home, but it takes a long time to get settled! And your wishes when our children celebrated their 1st and 5th birthdays. When I met my stepson Huck, he was just a little bigger than Hayden. Now, he’s a backpack wearing, money counting, video playing smart little kindergartener. And Hayden… he learns a new word everyday. He takes things apart and figures out how to put them back together (he is his father’s son). He got his passport in 2017, too! And THANK YOU to those of you that tirelessly coordinated the greatest birthday gift for me: donating an incredibly generous amount to Step Up Women's Network, an organization near and dear to me. I'm still speechless! 

Looking ahead, I’m making some spiritual, personal and professional goals right now. Do you all make lists of resolutions or goals for the upcoming year? If you feel like sharing, I think it’s a great way to hold ourselves accountable. I’ll be posting some of mine in the next few days. Still finishing up the list;) Maybe you’ll be inspired to share with me? God Bless. And Happiest of Years ahead.