Summer Projects...Accomplished?

This has been a really good summer.  I haven't done much writing, but I've worked on a few other projects which haveft me feeling quite accomplished.  Here's a bit of what I did project-wise:

*Blurb book for Provo years (almost done)
*Blurb book for California years (almost done)
*Year one scrapbook for Alexander (almost done)

Okay, so that wasn't a long list, but you see that I've made some progress, right?  In addition to that, I've read a few books (see my goodreads site or the sidebar of this blog), organized a lot of our home, and at least LOOKED at the book and articles and various other writing projects that I've been neglecting!

Despite nothing being 100% finished, I feel surprisingly accomplished.  Oh!  I just remembered one other thing I started:  piano lessons! That's right.  I'm 37 years old and I'm learning to play the piano.  Yeah for me!

My Novel

My current project is a novel about a girl from Chicago who finds herself---and true love---in China. 

But how cliche is this? 

This IS the miracle!

This may not make sense to you.

It occurred to me tonight that what I have---a husband, kids, a teaching job, a community, friends, and a fairly normal life---is miraculous. This, in and of itself, IS the "happy ending".

For so many of us, "this" isn't enough. We are looking for something else, something major, something significant to give life meaning and to give us something to write about! I am always wondering what it is I'm truly passionate about. It's sort of a wierd obsession of mine actually and it often bothers me that I can't define my passion. I'm always on the look-out for it.

But guess what? This "normal" life, for a girl who has experienced so many things that are anything but normal---this IS pretty exciting. I need to remember that. I need to write about what got me here. There's the story.

Dusting off Those Old USB's

So prior to having my gorgeous kids, I spent a considerable amount of time writing articles and that "book", which I haven't done much with.  I posted my 2010 goals when I started this blog so you'll have to keep me accountable.  One step this week will be to get out all the writing i've done from the 4 corners of the earth and organize it.  I need to put it in one place---a place I can easily access. 

I am the advisor for our school's Literary Magazine.  They have a section for teacher submissions in this year's mag.  So, I found a piece I'd written just after my Dad passed away about a pattern of prayer.  I'll post it here tomorrow.  If it gets published, that would count as "one". Granted, it is a high school literary magazine but it would technically be my first published piece of work :)

Should I use writer's market?  I used to...

Tara, I loved your advice about not making goals that involve other people's decisions more than my own.  Point well taken---beautiful advice.  However, the reason I am saying I "must" be published this year is to kick myself in the pants.  I know what I wrote, though rough, is decent and marketable---I just need to put the work in to make it better and to present it in the right way.  I know that if I do this, there is no reason that some publishing house somewhere would not want it.  So, if I don't get it published, it really will be because I didn't try.  Anyway, please check on me periodically in relation to this!

I will begin to post snippets of my draft and see what advise you all have.  I guess it's in the narrative non-fiction category.  It still needs a lot of work, but the core story is there.

Thank you for checking in with me, and please share the goals and projects you're working on.  I hope we can all support each other!

Are You In On "The Secret"?

Okay, as is typical of me, I am about a decade behind on this "new" book, The Secret.  I rejected it outright when my sister, Barb,  mentioned it to me years ago.  It just sounded...stupid.  And boring.  And way too over-the-moon-touchy-feelie-self-help-mumbo-jumbo for me.  However, I picked it up in Malaysia yesterday....(sorry, but how cool did that sound?).  Anyhoo, I did  happen to be in Kuala Lampur  yesterday and I bought it.  I read the whole thing on the plane, save about 10 pages.  I found myself thinking..."Hmm..."  And I'll leave it at that.  I'm dying to know what you all think of it.  So, spill it!  Is there a secret?  Is this more than simply positive thinking?  Is it wacky?  Have you tried any of the principles described?  I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please share.  After I process more, I'll share more of my thoughts, as well. 

Working Mama

Such a touchy issue, this is, so we all try and avoid it.

I never thought I'd be a working Mama, but I am. I have decided to stop beating myself up for it. I've also decided I don't need to justify it. Don't you ever get tired of explaining things to people, or hoping others won't judge you? I do.

I have spent so many years worrying about what my friends will think, what friends of friends will think, and how I'll explain to them why I work, or why things are "different" for me. I've systematically lined up all the differences between my life and their lives and all the differences between their husband's lives and William's life. I've accumulated examples of "stay-at-home-Mom's" who wear it like a badge but spend their time doing x, y, and z. I've written journal entries about how I actually see "the world" by being in it and am therefore that much more prepared to teach my kids, blah, blah, blah.

You know what, though? I have never, ever, not once worried about having to explain it to Heavenly Father. I've never worried that if the prophet himself came to visit me, he wouldn't understand the choice I've made. NEVER! I have always known, without even thinking about it, that they know my heart and my situation, and that they don't feel the need to label, judge, or condescend to me.

Why, then, if I haven't worried about what God Himself thinks, have I spent years worrying about what other frail, imperfect, mortals think of the choice I've made? It does not matter.

The power of that realization, I cannot begin to tell you. It. Does. Not. Matter. Go Ahead. Label me. Patronize Me. Congratulate yourself for being perfect!

We truly do not know what others are going through or why they make the choices they do, so why do we put everyone in a category? As "sisters", in particular, as women---we have SO much stacked against us as it is. We should be building each other up and giving one another the benefit of the doubt.

Am I mad? No, just a bit sad and also a bit relieved. I feel like a tense little jack-in-the-box, who has been wound and wound and wound and just hasn't popped yet. The opinions that matter most to me belong to my husband, my kids, and my God.

As always, and despite my tone, I absolutely welcome--and appreciate-- your comments.

"Animal Farm", by George Orwell---what do you think of it?

Did you read this in high school? In junior high school? I didn't read it as a student, but have read it since becoming a teacher. I don't consider myself very political, nor am I an expert on history. Therefore, the book didn't really appeal to me at first. However, as I have started researching the Russian Revolution along with my students, I can see that it is objectively a brilliant book. What do you think of it?