Best NYE party ever!

2012 was pretty freaking weird, eh? On the 27th of January my Shark Tank episode aired and my world sort of exploded. It’s hard to believe it hasn’t even been a year since that airing. So many people have dipped in and out of my life since that night, and I’ve had to get used to a whole new normal. The phrases “Daddy’s drawing cats,” and, “Baby I gotta draw cats” have worked their way into our family’s vernacular. We added a new baby to the family, we have a new talking family member, we uprooted from Evanston and re-settled in Deerfield. Everything is different, everything is the same… it’s been a dizzying year of highs, lows, and struggling to find routine amid chaos and uncertainty.

My New Year’s Eve celebration was as perfect as it has ever been. Becky and I stayed in with the kids. We made fun little finger food trays and all cuddled up for a movie. After the kids went to sleep, I whipped up a killer shrimp stir fry and baked a couple of two-bite lobster tails. Becky and I had a late dinner, watched a movie, and were both awake for the countdown for the first time in forever. Today we hung out in our pajamas and lazed around between meals. Becky made her traditional pork roast with apples and sauerkraut. Izzie and Jack got along for the most part, and Oliver gave us all a laugh when he spewed ten gallons of baby mush from his mouth and nostrils.

As I stand at the foot of 2013, I’m not sure what to expect. Cat drawing mania has subsided for the most part. I still have a steady stream of orders, but once the holidays passed through the volume dipped considerably. Once I eat through this backlog, I’m hoping to shoulder a more humane workload. Don’t Spit the Water! is making a comeback into my life since our pilot airing in 2011. We’re working on a 2nd pilot taping early this year, and there’s some hope that we’ll continue and produce a whole bunch of episodes. That project will either consume my life in 2013 or fizzle out quickly. We’ll see, eh?

Resolutions? Oh, the same as all of yours. Be happier. Be healthier. Be a better spouse, a better parent, a better friend.

This year I hope to write more. I spend a lot of time thinking of myself as some sort of comedian, but it has been a while since I created something new and worthwhile. Hopefully this year I can really earn that moniker instead of gliding comfortably on projects conceived years ago.

I have jokingly titled this move to Deerfield “The Hermitization of Steve Gadlin” and I hope that’s not a self-fulfilling prophecy. Though I will say – while the thought of becoming a hermit was pretty terrifying leading up to this move to the burbs, spending these last few days wrapped in the blanket of family has been therapeutic and awesome. We are not perfect, but we are home.

Happy New Year to you and yours. Here’s hoping 2013 is full of family, friendship, community, and happiness.