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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

January 2018




2018 has started with a bang. After completing my seasonal life review on December 30th, I realized that my level of satisfaction with various aspects of my life were low and needed attention.


In need of attention in 2018 include
Creativity - Ranked 3
Dreams - Ranked 3
Do Gooding - Ranked 6
Nesting/Home -  Ranked 3
Self Care  - Ranked 5
Mindfulness  - Ranked 4
Work  - Ranked  6
Style  - Ranked 8

So I set about planning my dreams for January 2018 and managed to achieve quite a few including. 

Month in review:
  1.   Updated my personal blog
  2.    Volunteered for the Oakland Museum of CaliforniaWhite Elephant Sale #WES X 2 : Once was a preparation day Saturday January 6th when I went in to price items in the Linen Department and the other date  was the big preview sale day Sunday, January 28th  when folks pay $20 for an opportunity to purchase items before it is open to the general public.  Volunteer for the Oakland Museum was one of my mother’s favorite activities and she really wanted us to continue her legacy there. Many of her friends from the sale attended her memorial and spoke so highly of her. It is nice to be there with her friends. 
  3. Signed up for a Savvy Authors class Speed Dating for Critique Partners. Class is still in progress. I hope to get a critique partner out of the deal.
  4. Four days off of work. Two bed days before surgery for me. I was super stressed and worried about hubby.
  5. Beloved husband to hospital for major surgery. Back and forth visiting for 5 days. 100 miles round trip to the hospital.
  6. Purchased new refrigerator for kitchen.
  7. Had son take 2 truckloads of old furniture to the dump
  8. Purchased new sofa
  9. Ordered new dining room chairs and had them delivered
  10. Purchased and arranged installation of new garbage disposal for kitchen sink.
  11. Purchased new area rugs for kitchen at Ross.
  12. Personal doctor’s appointment
  13. Attended 1st and 2nd physical therapy sessions.
  14. Mammogram
  15. Neck and shoulder x-rays to diagnose shoulder pain
  16. Groupon massage purchase. Visited 2 X for full body massage.
  17. Scheduled acupuncture appointment for March. First available.
  18. Manicure & Pedicure
  19. Listed 7 items on eBay for sale.
  20. Packaged and mailed one item that sold.
  21. Got son back to college for Spring Semester. Sigh.
  22. Stopped drinking caffeinated coffee to decrease blood pressure
  23. Researched RWA writing contests to enter.
  24. Cancelled gym membership to save the money since I was not going.
Whew!
Anyway, I feel like I made an effort to improve nesting, do-gooding, self-care, and creativity.



Dreams for February 2018
·         Earn $100 or more with eBay sales
·         Enter Great Beginnings RWA Utah writing contest
·         Purchase rose bushes for memory garden in back yard.
·         Plant at least 4 rose bushes.
·         Replant at least one orchid in backyard memory garden.
·         Hair appointment. New Style ??

Sunday, January 7, 2018

2018 Personal and Professional Writing Goals


Welcome 2018! Me in Santa Monica, CA

2018 Writing Goals
  • Write or edit daily/ Minimum 500 words/ day or 3500 words per week
  • Check SinC and SinC Guppies Yahoo Group Loops at least weekly
  • Post to Goals for Guppies loop weekly
  • Attend Left Coast Crime Conference in Reno, Nevada March 2018
  • Join Savvyauthors.com Premium 
  • Complete at least 3 writing courses this year
  • Identify at least 2 critique and or writing partners
  • Complete at least one 70,000 + word cozy manuscript
2018 Personal Goals
  • Continue Volunteering for Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale - 10 Hour per month
  • Continue Orange Theory membership - Visit gym 5 a.m. at least 3 times per week
  • Continue to clear clutter
 2018 Home Improvement Goals
  • New dining room chairs
  • New living room furniture
  • New refrigerator
  • New front door
  • Plant memory garden in backyard for mom
 

And then she was gone...

My beautiful and kind mother, Marsha Grigsby Anderson passed away on Thursday, May 4, 2017. It was unexpected. She was 79 years old.


2017 Year in Review & 2018 Goals

2017 was a difficult year for me personally and for my writing career. 
I hate to summarize the difficulties but I need to in order to wrap a bow around the year and move forward into 2018.


Mom and Uncle Charles
My brother, cousins and nephews

Low Points for 2017:
  • My mother passed away
  • The house next door burned down.
  • My husband was hospitalized for on-going health issues and procedures
  • My 15 year old cat had to be euthanized
  • My older daughter got in a minor car accident, she was sued and my car insurance premium increased.
  • My son's car broke down
  • Got stuck in the snow on the way to pick son up from college
  • Joined RWAOnline but couldn't access website
  • Joined Faith, Hope and Love Chapter but didn't receive any meaningful content
  • Failed to take advantage of the Sisters in Crime membership or Guppies Chapter
There were a number of high points and successes for 2017
  • Graduated my son from high school
  • Planned son's graduation party
  • Financed son first year in college
  • Visited 3 universities with son
  • Enrolled son in major university
  • Joined a gym program - Orange Theory
  • Visited the gym at 5:00 a.m.
  • Found a new mechanic to keep the Red Benz operating
  • Attended the Grigsby family reunion with moms family
  • Planned mothers memorial service
  • Visited Baltimore, Maryland with Darryl on business trip 
  • Set up a home office with adjustable standing desk for writing
  • Began volunteering with Oakland Museum Women's Board White Elephant Sale 
  • Visited Disneyland for the first time in 14 years
  • Attended the play Hamilton in Los Angeles
  • Watched Mariah Carey perform at Shrine Auditorium
  • Visited Laduree Beverly Hills for tea party with daughter
  • Ended term as Membership Director for CIMRWA chapter
  • Reached out to  five RWA members and exchanged manuscripts to identify critique partners
  • Tried various subscription boxes:
  

My writing goals were high and ended up taking a back seat to the various issues I dealt with during the year. 
Laduree Beverly Hills Tea Party

Laduree
Tea with my daughter, rose water cake



2017 Writing Business Plan 
Finish 3 in progress novels. NOT ACHIEVED
Submit to beta reader NOT ACHIEVED
Find developmental and/ copy editors. Pay for advice & editing. NOT ACHIEVED
Query Agents NOT ACHIEVED
Query the following digital publishers:

  1. Kensington  Lyrical Press  NOT ACHIEVED
  2. HQN - Carina Press NOT ACHIEVED
  3. Random House - Love Swept and Flirt NOT ACHIEVED
  4. Avon - Impulse NOT ACHIEVED
  5. St. Martens Press - Swerve NOT ACHIEVED
Maintain membership in RWA ACHIEVED
Renew RWA Online chapter ACHIEVED
Renew RWA Kiss of Death Chapter membership ACHIEVED
Join RWA Passionate Ink Chapter ACHIEVED
Renew Sisters in Crime membership ACHIEVED
Participate in online critique group ACHIEVED

Write daily. NOT ACHIEVED

Ultimate Writing Goal for 2017 
Have a contract for at least two romance manuscripts. NOT ACHIEVED
Have a contract with a literary agent. NOT ACHIEVED

Silver boots, silver purse, Johnny Was Kimono to see Mariah Carey at World AIDS Day event in Los Angeles