Life has a way of smacking you in the face, doesn't it? Back in the fall of 2010, I was all set to jump into this stuff called social media. I was really excited to be bringing my designs online - using my blog, Facebook, and my website to sell. Then my dad had a heart attack and was in rehab for 3 months and my mom passed away suddenly right after he was released. I unexpectedly found myself caretaker for my dad and my business was put on the back burner. No matter, the business can wait because family is more important. I do a few local craft shows here and there to keep my name out there but can't spend the time I'd like.
So here comes fall of 2012. My dad is living in a senior community and loving it, his health is stable and everything is finally going back to normal. I'm ready to jump back into the social arena - I create a new website, fire up the blog again, and start trying to figure out Facebook. And then we find out my dad's prostate cancer is back and has spread to other areas. He's 82 years old and not strong enough for chemo so there are fewer options. The doctor tells us about this wonderful new medicine that just came on the market last year and is showing great promise. Only thing - it costs over $5,000 a month! Seriously? Who can afford something like that? We find a company that does co-pay assistance and he gets two months of the drug for $10 a month. Yay! But come the first of the year, they tell us they have no more funding, we're on our own. So now we are scrambling to find funding for it again, and the search is discouraging because no one seems to have any money this year.
So I don't know how much I will be around this coming year. I am going to try to keep my routine as close to 'normal' as possible, but it really depends on my dad's health. I have so many new things to play with, new techniques that I want to share - but as always family comes first. Keep checking back, I am going to try to post every week - and I should have pieces for sale in my etsy store. In fact, I am going over there now to put a few online. Yay!! That feels like a small victory!
