Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year! Resolutions and Good Reads...

I don't know how you feel about it, but 2013 went by FAST!  It was cram full of mostly good stuff, so I'm not complaining -just surprised that it's gone already.
Some of the highlights:
  • I let Daughter go to Nicaragua. It's scary sending your 15-year-old to another continent without you. Unnerving to put her on a plane and in the care of others - even when you know the folks she's traveling with are great people. The house was very quiet for those 10 days. I made a point to keep quite busy. She had a wonderful experience, and now has grand plans to travel the world. I'm certain she'll make that happen!
  • We took a family vacation to Hilton Head. It had a bit of a rocky start - major thunderstorm, lots of traffic, a hospital stay... but everything turned out okay. Hilton Head is a lovely place, but crowded. My favorite part was a dolphin tour. It was a small group - only my daughter, her friend, and me. We saw lots of dolphins. This guy came right up to the boat!

And Daughter got to drive!
          

  • Last December I decided I wanted to learn how to quilt. I jumped right in and joined the Ohio Valley Quilter's Guild. Best decision ever! I learned a great deal from their fabulous speakers, and I've finished 2 1/2 queen-sized quilt tops along with a few smaller projects. 
  • This one is directly related to last year's New Years Resolutions. I had lunch every month with my good friend and critique partner, Kathy Wiechman -who, by the way, just sold her first novel to Boyds Mills Press! 
I'm going to keep the 2014 Resolutions simple this year:
  1. Continue to keep a balance in life - work is work, home is home, family comes first.
  2. Continue to have extended lunches with Kathy at least once a month. 
  3. Learn everything I can about quilting, and begin designing my own quilts.
  4. Dust off my most recent neglected novel, and finish writing the dang thing.
  5. Read at least two novels each month. 

And finally... The Annual Good Reads List from 2013! I didn't quite make my goal of two per month, but 20 is close!
THE MAZE RUNNER, James Dashner
DIVERGENT, Veronica Roth
INSURGENT, Veronica Roth
ALLEGIANT, Veronica Roth
THE ENCHANTER HEIR, Cinda Williams Chima
THE DREAM THIEVES, Maggie Stiefvater
TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING, Judy Blume
MERLIN, T.A. Barron
AMERICANAH, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
KILL ME SOFTLY, Sarah Cross
BETWEEN SHADES OF GREY, Ruta Sepetys
THE TROUBLE WITH HALF A MOON, Danette Vigilante
SCARLET, Marissa Meyer
CLOCKWORK PRINCESS, Cassandra Clare
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
FLIGHT, Alyssa Rose Ivy
THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER, Megan Shepherd
CRESCENDO, Becca Fitzpatrick
THE RAVEN BOYS, Maggie Stiefvater
GEEKS, GIRLS, AND SECRET IDENTITIES, Mike Jung

Happy New Year! May 2014 bring you many blessings!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
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