Your dog ran over my karma.

I'm pretty sure I must have been a megalomaniacal tyrant in a past life, because how else could 2006 have been so insanely...insane?

This year has been one of numerous surprises, both good and bad.

Let's start with the minus column (in varying levels from minor irritant to devastation):
-Finding out that my boyfriend of 3 years is living with/engaged to another woman, and is juggling the two of us
-Getting mugged on Bourbon St. in my beloved New Orleans by a short man named Fernando, and setting a stiletto sprint record down Bienville St. into a dimly lit parking garage to recover my Burberry purse
-That pesky near-rape experience in downtown Ft. Lauderdale
-The Psycho Bride incident
-Mom's coma in August
-The death of my uncle yesterday from an aneurysm
-A Florida vs. Ohio State matchup in the BCS
-Fisher DeBerry retiring from his head coaching job at Air Force
-And easily the worst thing that has EVER happened in my 27 years on this planet, the untimely passing of my wonderful dad 15 days ago

But there have been definite highlights in 2007, such as:
-Spending a wonderful long weekend in Colorado with Dad 3 weeks before he passed, including our stint heckling evil Notre Dame fans at the Air Force-Notre Dame game
-My job - stressful as corporate PR is, I enjoy the chase
-Moving away from the soul-sucking environs of Boca into the far less wrinkle-inducing Broward County area
-Meeting Paula Deen's lust-worthy sons, Jamie and Bobby
-Adopting the wonder collie, Jake
-Meeting the most wonderful Big 12 fan - tall, funny, and incredibly sweet (y'know, the type of guy who picks up and flies to his girlfriend's dad's funeral, enduring The Meeting of the Family all at once) - and falling madly in love like I've never been before
-Jeff Bowden's resignation from FSU (sweet mercy, it took him long enough!)
-The Saints showing that NOLA is a place of resiliency and grace
-Oh, and then there's my tattoo.

I have to figure that 2007 will be amazing - hopefully, it'll see me helping my mom get back on her feet. Maybe my brother will finally find happiness. Maybe I'll leave south Florida - whether for New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago or Colorado Springs/Denver. Who knows?

The important thing - the thing that has gotten me through this year - is faith. Faith begets tremendous, almost tangible grace and strength. I should be a broken woman - but while I'm incredibly devastated about losing the most important person in my life, I know that life will go on and that while there will always be a little sadness surrounding me, I'll have a long and happy life wherein I can share my father's amazing legacy with my children someday.

So that's my roundabout explanation for why I haven't posted in a while. Sorry 'bout that, but I'm sure y'all understand that my family comes first.

So...yeah. Tell us your thoughts on the upcoming bowl season, NFL playoff hopes, and your own year in review. Inquiring Nole bloggers want to know...