2018 was a huge year for my family and me and life's lessons seemed to be around every curve. A lot was learned and there is a lot to be thankful for.

Persistence does pay off. After 4 years of trying, I got pregnant with twins in 2018 and am awaiting their delivery as I type. Families come in all kinds of ways and on many different schedules, but our path was reached this year. We could have given up many, many times but our persistence helped us reach our family goals. It can also help you reach your goals, whatever they are. Stay the course.

I have a new found respect and appreciation for Doctors, Nurses, EMT's, First Responders, Firefighters, Flight Medics and anyone who does on-call shifts to make sure we all have protection and aid when needed. These hero's job descriptions include everything from wiping your a$$ to bringing you back to life and everything in between. Take the time to thank them, they fully deserve it.

Our little town can be known for its walls with ears and post office buzz. It can be somewhat endearing and part of small town charm or it can be pretty scathing. This year, I intentionally sent some personal misinformation out to see how it came back to me. Kind of like the old telephone game. Of course, it came back distorted, but here, in print, I will assure you there is not a Target Shopping Center going in on the end of Zulla Road. The crop trees are being harvested and will be turned into 10 acres of beautiful pasture cross fenced with 3-board fencing. But thank you for the concern. Remember, most of the time what you send out there in a small town WILL come back to bite you. On a completely different note, if you do not want Targets or other development in and around Middleburg, you should probably attend town or county meetings before earth is moved if you want to make a difference.

Some of you may know, my family has spent the past 20+ years breeding Irish Horses. We stood 5 stallions at one time, had 15 of our own foals a year and bred an additional 20-30 outside mares a year. We also spent months on end, year after year in Ireland at horse shows, inspections and judges training courses. I feel quite confident in saying that we **know** Irish horses. What amazes me is that with the popularity of Irish horses locally, when folks want to import their very own, world-renowned Irish Hunter, they don't look at the pedigree. Quite often what happens is buyers really pay a bunch of money to import a Continental Warmblood that happened to live in Ireland. If you want an Irish horse, make sure you get one. There is a difference, folks.

I've observed this year that the kind folks that generally post photos or warnings of accidents or traffic do so while driving. Everyone is appreciative of your warnings, but who is sending warnings out about the driver texting and driving? Be smart and safe, people.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2019.