2014

This is the time of the year when we tend to look back and examine what went right and what needs improvement. It is also the time of the year when you count your blessings. So, today I will count my blessings.

Life for me has been just slightly south of crazy for the past ten years, so the less-crazy stuff sticks out like a sore thumb out of everyday madness. There were some very cool things that happened this year (within my tiny micro-ecosystem) that I would like to record for posterity (you never know; 200 years from now someone may look at my blog and make it part of history).

I am forever grateful at the One Above for making 2014 the year when my sister finally got her chance to show how creative and successful she can be. I just hope she realizes how amazing she is and is able to take comfort in that. I love you.

My wonderful book club ladies (both clubs) who provided me with company, like mindedness, and an excuse (not to mention prodding) to read beyond what I normally would read. I have been having so much fun and I am so grateful to finally have someone I can talk to about one of the loves of my life. Thank you ladies!

What can I say about Sippy Cups and Semantics? You guys ROCK!!!! I think I have dreamed of being part of this group since I was a kid. Thanks to you I am writing again, something I had put on the back burner for a long time. I am also for the first time in 20 years actually considering going for publication.

Then, there is NaNoWriMo. I kind of stumbled on it this year thanks to the above mentioned amazing Sippy Cuppers and (I am sure I sound seriously geeky saying this) thanks to it I had the best November of my life. It was the best creative exercise of my life and provided me with a sense of accomplishment I hadn’t felt in years. It was almost like I had given birth again except this time, the baby was a novel. I learned a lot about myself during that month. I learned that I work better with a deadline above my head. I also learned that to be an effective writer (who also works full time and has a family) you do have to make some sacrifices like writing through terrible headaches or staying up way past you have turned into a pumpkin.

So, here’s for a creative year and hopes of an equally (or even better) creative new year in 2015.  Thank you to all of you who made this year a memorable one for me. Happy New Year.