Where January Went

It feels like it ought to be March. January seemed to last forever and the tulip trees are blooming already. It's a good thing I didn't make any New Years resolutions. They wouldn't have lasted. So, here I am trying to catch up again.

My hubby and I left for Oregon on New Year's Day. We spent a lovely week with my daughter and son-in-law in Eugene and Portland.

Hubby and Son-in-Law at the Oregon U track. Yes, we were there when the Ducks won the football game.

Sculpture on the architecture building when Son-in-Law is a student.

We had a lovely dinner at a winery in the Oregon countryside.

A lesson in architecture at the Oregon U art museum.

I left Oregon on Friday and flew to San Antonio for my Delaney sales conference and spent several days with my grands before moving to the hotel for three days of publisher presentations.

Now aren't those babies beautiful?

The kids came to the Riverwalk one night after the conference. We had ice cream and then hung out at the Rainforest Cafe.

And there's number five. Such a sweetie.

By the time I got home, around midnight on January 11, I was on the verge of one of the worst colds I've had in a very long time--head, chest, nose, the whole works. I spent about 5 days in bed or sitting in front of the TV wrapped in blankets and another week trying to function. In other words I did only the absolute minimum, then came home and slept again. I watched three full seasons of Burn Notice. I've always liked spy stories, never tried to write one though. I decided Burn Notice is a bit like Scarecrow and Mrs. King on steroids. Went through a full round of antibiotics, two boxes of Mucinex, and who knows how many gallons of chicken soup. Like I said, it was a long month. Finally this last week I'm feeling mostly human, although the cough is still not completely gone.

This last week I signed up for a class at writers.com, called 40 Days and 40 Nights. It's taught by Laurie Wagner. Here's the blurb that sold me:

     After 10 weeks and 40 assignments you will see a difference in your work.

     You will: feel more comfortable writing; find a looseness in your voice; take more chances, more risks;        develop a relationship with writing that is comfortable and familiar. You might even get to know the sound of your own voice.

 That's what I would like to find in these next weeks, and it's probably one of the reasons I didn't make any resolutions. I knew I'd lost touch with something in my writing life and I didn't want to just mask the need with new goals. Instead I want to recharge, rediscover my relationship with this thing we call a writing life. I'll keep you posted.