Requires Ice Cream #1

So, funny story.

One of our local papers put out an ad looking for a creative story writer to do a weekly column, the description of which sounded a lot like blogging with a local spin. I was terrified but I decided to apply. A friend helped me comb through the archives on my blog and we chose four samples to tweak and submit and I spent an entire day emailing my mom back and forth in the quest of the perfect cover letter. I finished it, printed it all, got dressed up, had Hugh come home from work mid-day so I could drop it off in person rather than email it and....the editor wasn't in. The receptionist put it on his desk and even though I didn't get to speak to the editor I walked out feeling very good about my submissions.

Early the following week I wanted to call and touch base and just make sure the editor had seen my application so I went to the yellow pages and looked under newspapers and had a minor stroke. See one of the things I thought was so great about my cover letter was how I showed that I read the paper in question by commenting briefly on how much I have enjoyed their Ask The Experts section. What gave me the minor stroke was seeing Ask The Experts in the phone book. With it's own number. On a separate line. As in not a section of the paper I was applying to.

So.... Not so much funny ha-ha....
They could still call right? Right? To slightly mangle Shakespeare, "the road to publication never did run smooth."

2010

In elementary school I read a poem about New Years that went something along the lines of: exercise books half-full, pencils half their size, erasers down to nubs, backpack straps are broken but Happy New Year anyway. I remember coming back to school every year from Christmas break and feeling like what's so new about this year? Now, as an adult, I love a new year. Is there anything more exciting and inspiring than a calendar full of blank pages? It feels like anything is possible! A new calendar is always another reminder for me to be intentional about what I do (and don't) want in my life. I am, as always, determined not to simply react to the world around me. At the end of this year I want to be pleased by how my calendar filled up - pleased at the growth, friendships and fun I planned into my life. I know I cannot control everything. I know that this year will bring it's challenges but I will take responsibility for every thought, every action, every emotion and carve a learning and growth out of every situation. The definition of responsibility is simply the ability to respond. I have the ability to respond to everything in my life so the greater question is, how will I respond?

All in all I'm starting 2010 off better than I began 2009. I lost the 15 pounds I gained last year not by running or doing my 10-minute trainer but by having an emergency appendectomy being on a broth diet for three days and then being completely turned off of food for over a month afterward. Easy, non? Now if only I could figure out a way to market it...

I have a few things on my "want to accomplish" list for 2010, one of which is getting something published. Which should be no problem since breaking into the publishing world is notoriously easy. Sigh. Just thinking about all the rejection I'm likely to face in this pursuit makes me crave ice cream.

2010 will also bring a whole new dynamic to our family as Tristan and Ava will start full-day, five days a week Kindergarten and I am determined to make these last months count, these last days special. The years of having young kids at home go as fast as everyone says they do yet I remember clearly days that seemed to have no end, nights when morning came all too quickly and I didn't know if I had it in me to begin another endless round of feedings, bum wipes, and baths. It really has gotten easier as my children have grown and I am thankful that I also have a wealth of memories of adventure and laughter and fun but there are still things I've never done with my kids that I always thought I would. So this is the year I'm going paint outside with the kids, do treasure hunts and tea parties and maybe, just maybe find a fairy.

What about you? What do you want out of 2010?