What a year.

Samantha Irby made me lose my mind , so I promptly bought her devastating/hilarious Meaty book.

Michael Twitty moved me profoundly with his thoughts on Ferguson, and he keeps me awake with his work in culinary injustice , appropriation, oppression, and racism.

I wish Mallory Ortberg had been my art history professor in college.

Leo Babuta breathed new meaning into my daily to-dos.

I love the way Wendi Aarons delivered humor and good writing advice with humor and good writing.

My very own sister, Rachel Krinsky (CEO of YWCA Madison) in her TedX talk showed me the difference between an open door and a meaningful invitation, and inspired me to take action in my own organization/life and “stay in the room” with regards to racism locally and online.

Lisa Page Rosenberg and Heather King  guided me in everyday life with their light, levity, thoughtfulness and gentle wisdom.

I got to read two books I loved that aren’t even out yet: I found Nancy Davis Kho’s MIDLIFE MIXTAPE memoir of a  music fan and mother completely entertaining, thoughtful, and relatable (despite the fact that I’m not a live-music aficionado). Una LaMarche’s UNABROW made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

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Looking back on some of my own work and writing this year:

A year ago I traveled from Tel Aviv to Disneyworld in 24 hours: Holy City, Magic Kingdom.

I chronicled Husband and my 10 Worst Dates Ever, and then we  turned 15.

I turned 40 at LTYM: Twin Cities and 500 people sang Happy Birthday to me. Whoa.

I was invited to read my parenting humor for a show at The Natural Parenting Expo. I had a role in a webseries. I wrote about my privilege and racism. I grappled with my online life. I wondered about parenting. Still grappling and wondering.

I edited Listen To Your Mother: What She Said Then, What We’re Saying Now which lands in book stores on April 7th. Thanks to my patient and caring agent Elizabeth Kaplan and editor Liz Stein from Putnam & Sons, I’ve learned a tremendous amount. Together we produced a book worthy of the LTYM mission. I can’t wait for you to read it. And you. And you!

With the help of  over 100 creative entrepreneurial soul-sisters, and hundreds more storytellers across the country, LTYM held 32 shows in 2014 and plans for 39 more shows for 2015. I have more help than ever thanks to a superb team of brilliant, incredibly generous, innovative, inspiring, and supportive visionaries on both the national and local level. (I’m not a fan of adjectives in writing, but I’m effusive bordering on effusive-abusive in real life, so there). Deb, Melisa, Steph & Taya, Darcy & Takeyla THANK YOU, you keep me going. You keep me laughing and thinking and doing better.

I’m living the life I want. I wish the same for you.