Dear friends...
And so 2014 draws to a close. My fridge is groaning with enough food to survive the worst Zombie Apocalypse (by the way what IS a zombie apocalypse?). The Christmas tree lights up my life every evening and it is time for a little introspection to reflect on the year that was.
As I publicly declared my New Year Resolutions back in January, here is the score card:
PERSONAL
- Continue the weight loss journey (family wedding in November and I don’t want to be the short tubby one on the end of the row in the photographs!): Total fail... I WAS the tubby one on the end of the row in the wedding photographs.
- Keep up the exercise. 4 days minimum. I have been rather injury prone this year which has slowed me down but I did enter Run Melbourne (with my work colleagues) and managed a respectable time in the "old chook" category.
- Make more time for my needlework. Yes! I finished two quilts and nearly finished a huge cross stitch project. Biggest hindrance to this resolution are my too friendly cats who view my lap as there personal domain in the evening.
- Make space in the schedule for quality time with my husband (who after working hard all his life is taking a "gap year") and family. There is more to life than writing! Hubby worked interstate for 4 months this year so this was a hard ask.
PROFESSIONAL
- Drawing on my corporate background, I have written a "business plan" for 2014 so my goal is to stick to it! All your theory is good but the tree of life is still green...
- Better balance of the need to write with the "busyness" side of being a writer which can mean way too much time on social media. Rolling on the floor laughing...
Oh well - looks like a bit of work to do in setting next year's goals but none the less it has been a fun year:
- I published 2 books (my first indie CLAIMING THE REBEL'S HEART) and my first Escape Publishing title (LORD SOMERTON'S HEIR). Both books have earned some wonderful reviews so I can't complain!
- I signed a 3 book contract with Escape for my Guardians Series coming out in 2015.
- I finished the first of my cosy mystery series set in Singapore in 1910 - not that it is going anywhere at the moment. It needs a good spit and polish before I send it out into the big wide world.
And on a personal note, I experienced:
- The joy of sharing my son's wedding in November and welcoming a new family member (daughter in law).
- The pleasure in my youngest son's engagement.
- Celebrating my own 30 years of marriage.
- Crossing the lifetime dream of visiting the ancient classical sites of Greece and Turkey.
- And only one tiny little sniffle of a cold...
So lots of blessings to count and a life to be thankful for, particularly the many readers and friends who have travelled with me during the year!
A safe and happy Christmas, Hannukah, Holiday season to you all (whatever your beliefs may be!)
Much love
Alison
