Post-Christmas Post

I beg you to forgive any typographical errors, as my fingers are somewhat frozen. There are two opposing thermal bookends in our home. Our living room is huge, and has a big bay window, so it's extremely cold out there. Our bedroom, on the opposite side of the house, has three heat registers so it's usually boiling hot, especially in the middle of the night. However, for some reason, I'm lying on top of the covers in our room and I'm very, very cold. I've linked this piece of information to the fact that the ceiling fan is on and the closest register is closed. However, my utter lack of desire to stand up and fix these things points to me remaining cold for the duration of this post.

Christmas was pretty low key. We spent a couple of hours with my parents and little sister one night, spent an evening with "the gang" one night, had our Christmas morning alone with the kids, and spent part of Christmas day at Steve's parents' house. We ate too much in general all week long. This is the time of year when I begin making resolutions in my head that I know I'll never keep, so I don't bother to write them down. I'm being published again in the Good Neighbor News, this time about New Year's resolutions. I'm also being published in either MiChild or Family magazine which is distributed throughout Michiana, and I'm pretty excited about that one! I really enjoy talking with the editor, and she's giving me some idea of the direction she wants me to take with both magazines. Right now I just want to get my name out there wherever I can, and build up to something... somewhere... that pays! I'm meeting again with the pastor's wife after the new year so that we can solidify our agreement and begin our real work (which is paid, of course, but I was talking about getting my own work/stories/poetry/ideas published and being paid for it).

Looking back, this year has held quite a bit of heartache and hallelujahs. I lost my grandfather in February, but my family is closer than it has been in years. I had my hours cut at work, but I've gotten some writing opportunities that I never expected. Approximately 479 of my friends had babies while I've remained frustratingly infertile, but all three of our teenagers are healthy, well-behaved, and have good grades. We racked up some rotten debt, but God's provided for all of our needs and most of our wants, we have a roof over our head, clothes and food, and we're making a dent in the debt as much as we can... should have it taken care of when we get our tax refunds this year. I gained weight but... well, if I'm looking for a bright side to that little nugget, I guess it makes my chest look better when I'm kinda tubby.

I highly recommend a movie called "Easy A". It was comedic, intelligent, and poignantly true-to-life.

It's official. Unless someone brings me 48 Little Golden Books STAT, I will not make my 100 book goal. I'm only slightly perturbed at that. I prefer to think positively. This blog was to reinvent myself, and I certainly like myself more at the end of the year than I did at the beginning. There are a tremendous number of things I'd still like to evolve where my personality and such are concerned, but it's not like this blog expires... I still own the domain (technically, my friend Ben does, but he's my techy guy) so I can just continue in January doing whatever feels like the next best step for me as a person and as a writer.

I think it's time for me to immerse myself in a hot bubble bath with a nice cup of tea and a magazine. I'm hoping I get a chance to post again before the new year, but we'll see.

Until Next Time,
SJS