Left Behind

Currently Reading: Am on Ch. 30 of Runaway Jury (there are 43 chapters, fyi:)

Cue the music...'All by myself...don't wanna be....all by myself....'

Okay; so I'm not exactly alone. I'm at home; the family is here, and there are other authors who couldn't go to Ohio this weekend either. And to be honest, I'm going to be too busy tonight to even think about what's going on over there.

Tonight is the highly anticipated Senior Night at our high school (yeah, I know you're sick of hearing about it!). My child will play, providing we score a touchdown, or even get into field goal range (fingers and toes are crossed, prayers have been issued!). The grandparents will be returning, and I've even been granted permission to wear the Senior Shirt. Unfortunately, it will be hidden under my rain gear and no one will even CARE that I'll have his picture button pinned to my chest. Yes, when the temp dips below 65 degrees, Momma says to hell with looking good/fashionable/sportsmanlike/insert whatever adjective you want and goes for warmth and comfort. According to the weatherman, the rain will be out of here by game time, and hopefully his poster won't be too soggy for me to bring home and photograph.

Am I Really Project-Oriented?
I guess I am. It has become a way of life, dealing with one disappointment after another.
-After the move 3 years ago, I first focused on getting the house 'toddler-proofed', and ready to house 5 people, where normally there were two or three. Five in the early 80's, but that was before I knew them, and they were only here for 3 years (hey, same as us so far! Does this mean....No.)

-Writing. Yes, it has always consumed me when I'm 'in the zone'. I've been too busy this past week, and hopefully life will slow down again next week.

-Last year, I focused my attention on proving to the hubby I could succeed with the publication/sales of my second book. After convincing him to give me gas money, booth rental money, and paying for not only the website (found out we were being waaaaay overcharged for that one) and promo items, I hit the promo trail. And lo and behold, managed a teeny tiny profit margain. Which was later deemed a slight loss by the IRS when you factored in gas mileage, but my figures showed a profit, so I was happy!

-Publication: Edits took up much of my time last spring and I went 'No Mail' on nearly every chat loop, as to cut down on the email distractions. While I don't miss the mail, I sort of feel 'out of touch' with people I used to touch base with, at least on a weekly basis. I'm hesitant about jumping into conversations, but as sales have been absolutely horrible this year, I'm going to have to at least start the online promotion again. So look for Molly and Kenzie promos popping up a few Promo Days. Especially if Kenzie gets the 'green light' on her latest submission:)

-Getting My Son Through His Senior Year: Football is winding down; his next projects are to get accepted into either Purdue or Rose Hulman (He's already been accepted to VU, our local university, so worst-case scenario, he can go for a semester or one year before transfering); Fulfilling one more requirement for his Eagle Scout rank; Graduation. He's also sponsering a family friend as he goes through Confirmation (two-year process in the old parish).

-There's even a remote possiblility of a trip to the Winter Olympics up in Vancouver. My sis is in the process of going through Volunteer Training, and we're hoping K will be able to fly out with Grandma to attend some of the festivities. I'd like to go also, but don't see the finances cooperating. Unless it arrives after tax season, but I think the games are in February, right smack in the middle of when our refund arrives. Waaaay too late for a cheap airfare! And...oh crap...gotta get K a passport. I just remembered that. We didn't need them in '04; we could still cross the border with just the ID's and birth certificates. One more thing to add to the 'Mommy-Do List'...(grrr....)

(Deep breath) Time to get off of here and go get dressed. I've one more load of laundry (K's football practice clothes) and hungry rats to feed. Gotta make a trip to the pet store. I'm also nearly finished editing a friend's story, and I need to go through my own work to submit a sample for the pamphlet our Laptop Society is putting together. For several weeks, I've been asking the members for samples; have I chosen my own yet? Oops...

Have a great weekend and if you are traveling, be safe and post many pictures next week!

((((MEGA HUGZ)))) to all my online friends whom I'd really hoped to meet this weekend, and hopefully next year will be better for everyone.