Day 82, Happy Halloween :)

Full moon, daylight savings, horror movie marathons, and trick-or-treaters. It's not very often the stars align so nicely :) Not to mention meeting the Rejection Queen this morning,,,that was a real treat. I can't wait until her book comes out. The party at church was fun, Ron won first place in the chili cookoff. Know what the prize was? Candy corn :) How did they know?
Time for me to post... and get back to my scary movies. The ambience is perfect. The ghosts and ghouls are still out haunting the streets.

Day 81, I've been slimed

Today is Friday, as you know,,,it's my favorite day of the week,,,but this one came with a bit of a twist. I attended my very first expulsion hearing this afternoon,,,quite intimidating I must confess. There are these really cool women out there who are so cooooool, that nothing gets to them. They take everything matter-of-factly, and nothing rattles their cage. I, of course, am not one of those women. I do not react well to intimidation or over-sized men who act like bullies. That was the case today. Scary part is, the father of the student involved is a cop....he carries a gun. I have sat in 3 meetings with this man, and he still claims not to know me and does his best to discredit my experience and position. Fine, I can take that... I've had a lot of practice with all those literary rejections this past year---helps strengthen my spine :) But this man gets hot under the collar and out of control. It frightens me to think what he might do one day with that gun. Wow. Having met him, I understand better why his son is having trouble at school. Anyhow, I get to do this again next Friday---so there will be some sleepless nights for me. I will have to take the witness stand next week. So.... that said, my wonderful Fridays now have a damper on them. Moment of silence please for my loss of Friday bliss. Sigh.
Tomorrow, on the other hand, should be a fun day. Not only do I get to play at the Halloween party, but I get to meet the Rejection Queen. That is very cool....Together we can drown our sorrows and plot revenge against the publishing industry. Look out world :) Ooooohhhhh!
RAK? I don't think I have one for today. Hmmmm. Nope. Should I just give up on that goal? I really want to prove that I'm a nice person who is not self-absorbed. That may require brain surgery.
Hey, I haven't done a quote for the day in a while..... I'll go look for one. Hang on.

"Bullies are always cowards at heart." ~ Anna Julia Cooper

There. Take that you oversized meany man.

Day 80, Fogedaboudid

Permission to skip my post tonight?

Hey,,, I've got an RAK... I checked on a substitute teacher in our wing. It was her first experience in middle school, and I went in to her classroom, introduced myself, and offered to assist her in whatever she needed. There was nothing in it for me,,, so it actually qualifies as an RAK... Finally! I got one! I realized a pathetic fact about myself this morning... most of the "kind" things I do for others seem to benefit me as well...so they cannot count as true RAKs. So I complained to my husband this morning...and he offered me his profound words of encouragement.... "You aren't selfish. You are just wrapped up in yourself, doing your own thing." Hmmm. Isn't that the definition of selfish?

I gotta work on that!

Planet "M" --- Gotta participate in an expulsion hearing tomorrow. My first. I admit I'm a little nervous.

Tomorrow is Friday! Music to my ears :)

Day 79, Don't let the door hit you....

Another rejection arrived today...this one was a whole 5 days old. This one didn't even "carefully consider" my proposal; she just said "it's not for me," and of course the "Best of luck" catch all. Eh hmm. Yet another trophy for my box. Who was it that said writers have huge egos? Good grief! I think when I am officially published I shall insist upon having an inflated ego. By that time, I will certainly have earned it.

Planet "M"---Great day for science! Two density demonstrations that had the kids on the edge of their seats... literally! I love it when I see the look of amazement in their eyes. It makes my day :)

RAK? Um, I made chocolate pudding and served it to Ron and Ellen. Well, I guess it doesn't count if I served myself some too. Oh, here's one.... I shared an activity with my team of teachers today, one that saved a couple of them a lot of time and thought. Oh yeah,,, and I lent a listening ear to my partner who was up to her eyeballs in frustration with parent complaints. Ah, parents. That's a sitcom just waiting for a spot...or at least a stand up routine. Here's a message for all you parents out there.....We are not the enemy. We are here to help your child succeed in school. Contrary to popular myth, teachers are not looking for ways to sabotage your child's hopes and dreams of attending an Ivy League college. Believe it or not, we love to give "A"s .... to the students who earn them.

Tomorrow is our Relief Society Board Meeting... I get to talk about grapevines. That will be cool.

Day 78, Is it Friday yet?

Spent today doing parent conferences. Sigh. It sounds like a relaxing, easy day, doesn't it? Nope.

Got two rejections today. Double sigh. Proof that I am still trying. These two came from agents within 48 hours of me sending the query. Ya gotta wonder ... what does "careful consideration" really mean? Because that is what they say they gave my proposal. You know what's frustrating about some of these agents? Well, I'm not going to tell you---because you never know when someone has a spy checking out your blog... Uh hmmmm. Yep. That's right. But not to worry, when I am a famous published author...I will write the book that tells all---and it will be made into a blockbuster movie---and I will sit back with satisfaction and count my money.

Eh hmmm. See what I mean? THAT is what a day of parent conferences does to your mind.

But I can dream, right?

RAK? Are you kidding? Um, I shared my chocolate with Kelly...There. That counts.

Day 77, Failure is not an option

I got another rejection this morning... the agent had my query for all of 8 hours. Of course, "this business is very subjective..." blah blah blah blah blah blah. But I'm okay, truly. No really. No... really.

Planet "M"---I decided that I am not going to accept any "D"s or "F"s from my students gosh darn it. They are going to get so sick of remediation and re-do's that they are going to get it right the first time! They are smart,,, just lazy sometimes. Aren't we all? Well they are not going down without a fight.

RAK---yup. Today I helped a couple of teachers put up their bulletin boards. If you knew how much I HATE doing bulletin boards, you would understand why I consider that an RAK!

I think our dog is mad at us. He's boycotting the family room. Hmmm.

I gotta get some sleep...I'm starting to hallucinate while I write. Hey, maybe that's the trick to landing an agent! :)

Day 76, If pride goeth before the fall, does humility precede a rise to the top?

Went to visit Jane Ellen today. She is such a sweet, beautiful baby. It is hard to see her struggle so much for every breath. She is not strong enough for her surgery yet...she's eating but not gaining weight. Her little body is just working so hard. Please keep her in your prayers...her's is a long, uphill battle. Watching Jane gives me a total sense of humility and reverence for life.

The weekend is coming to a close...and in a few hours I will begin a new week at Planet "M".... Weekends pass quickly, don't they? I just graded the science tests from Friday, and I wanted to cry. SIGH!!! I was so sure they were going to nail it! So much for my ego. :) My students keep me humble.

Sent off a couple more queries today....staying true to my 30-day plan. Talk about humility.... take a look at my pile of rejections! Trust me, literary agents and publishers have humbled me. You might say they have stripped me of my pride---lest I think too highly of myself :)

Humility. That seems to be the message for today.

"Life is a long lesson in humility." ~ James M. Barrie

Day 75, Branching out

Today we introduced the tiger kitties to the garage....Nah, don't panic, we aren't sentencing the helpless creatures to a life of confinement....only exposing them to an alternative lifestyle....It's about branching out. And if they happen to catch a mouse or two in the process, then more power to them. They are the funniest kittens I've ever seen. Yep, I said ever.

Today was almost a perfect Saturday. I helped at the church this morning, went to Costco for my parents(can I call that my RAK for the day? Does it count if I was already going anyway?) ... visited my folks, had a coke (how can it be a perfect day without one?) ... read a chapter in a mystery novel, had a fantastic pedicure---my toes are painted like pumpkins now---had steak for dinner, and now I get to settle in for the evening in my comfy chair. My football team lost---rather, they were massacred.... hence the "almost perfect" qualifier. All-in-all, it was my kind of Saturday :)

As for my 30-day book goal, I researched more agents to submit to,,,, then got sidetracked. I won't go to bed tonight without sending an e-query to at least one of them.

RAK? I helped my daughter put together a very cute Halloween costume for her dance tonight. She looks adorable....the prettiest witch in town. I think she was going for Jenny from Harry Potter, and she pretty much pulled it off.

Oh, and I finished decorating the inside of the house for Halloween... Maybe it doesn't look as cool as when Raechel does it for me, but it's festive. I'm almost ready for next week's trick-or-treaters.

And I'm looking forward to meeting the Rejection Queen next Saturday....my online cyber-buddy-fellow author and partner in drowing sorrows :) How's that for a title?

Day 74, I love Friday

It's my favorite day of the week....There is just something about knowing I can relax in my comfy chair and watch all the taped shows from the week. It's perfect.... until I have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning and drive Elly Belly to her cross country meet. Yikes! I haven't slept in on Saturday for several weeks....but what the heck... I can sleep when I'm dead, right?

In keeping with my pledge to do something every day about my book, today I revised my query letter and sent it out to a large agency. Tomorrow I'll do it again. 30 days.

Happy Weekend everyone :)

Day 73, About Face! Forward, March!

I listened to a talk today about faith and the 6 destructive "D"s that destroy it: doubt, discouragement, distraction, [lack of] diligence, disobedience, and finally, disbelief. I realized that I began to doubt my confidence that my book would be published. When I received rejection after rejection... and very little positive feefback from agents or publishers... I told myself I would not lose faith; after all, I knew I was inspired to write the story. However, with each rejection a seed of doubt was sown--even though against my will and judgement. I have obviously become discouraged or I would be more diligent in writing the sequel. Instead, I allow distractions to keep me from writing. According to the talk I heard this morning, I am headed toward disbelief, unless I do an about face. Now. So, today I wrote to the agent who requested my full manuscript five months ago. She never responded so I took that as a "not interested." But what if that's not it at all? I vow that for the next 30 days I will do something each day toward the process, even if it is to repeat something I've already done. I believe in my book. I believe I was inspired to write it for a reason....and that reason was not so it could sit unpublished collecting dust. It's a good story.

Oooohhhhh, I hate rejection!

How am I doing on the RAKs? It depends on who you ask. At work, I have been making a conscious effort to help my teammates in a variety of ways. I feel good about that. Unfortunately, at home I suck at it. By the time I sit my butt in my fabulous Lazyboy, I lose all sense of RAK-ness. I need to work on that. I'm just so doggone wiped when I get home! NO EXCUSES... I will improve!

"Often we focus on the noble art of getting tasks done; we need to develop the nobler art of leaving tasks undone." It's all about eliminating the non-essential tasks and focusing first on those that are truly essential. My problem is that they all seem essential. In this, I am my own worst enemy!

Planet "M"---Played around with density today while my kids worked. Next week we are going to make golfballs do amazing tricks. Man I love science :)

Day 72, Go On!

4 hours! That's how long it took me to type the incident report and pull together the paperwork for an upcoming expulsion hearing. It is alarming how many legal hoops you have to jump through to expel a student. It is also interesting to realize how seemingly inequitable the rights of victims are when compared with the rights of the accused. And then there was the scary parent. Those are always fun. Hmm. I am definitely gathering some colorful feathers for my cap this year. And by gosh... I WILL write a book about all this some day---some day when I don't need my credential any longer ;-)

Tomorrow we explore density---No, we are not looking inside my students' brains :) Although I wonder sometimes what we would find if we did. You know I won't be able to leave that one alone tomorrow. It's too much fun to tease my classes....especially when they are such great kids.

Oh, the kitties? Funny you should ask. Honey,,,the wild one, ripped a hole in my finger tonight. The kitten is crazy! I thought I'd never stop the bleeding. Good grief! I think she hit an artery.

Random transition.
I was thinking back to a year ago, when I was spending my evenings in a little cove next to the fireplace writing until the wee hours of morning. It was a truly unique experience for me, and a ton of fun to see it all come together. Getting started on the sequel has been a bit of a challenge. The characters are hovering in my head and whenever I sit down to write, they fall right into the setting and begin chattering. The problem is, I can't bring myself to dive in with both feet. ... I know once I do, it's goodbye to the world again, and hello guilt for neglecting my family and other obligations. Too bad I'm not the type who can spend an hour a day on a project. That would be far too logical and sensible. ... Those are two traits I have rarely been accused of, in case you're wondering. I'm more the tenancious and obsessive type.

Still waiting for the votes to come in. The Rejection Queen says go for it...how 'bout the other 999 of you? Speaking of the RQ...I'm looking forward to hitching up for Halloween :)

Hmmm. The house just became deathly quiet. I shudder to think what the mischievous little tiger terrorists are up to now!

Day 71, To Sign, or Not to sign?

It's time to make my decision. Do I continue to send out query letters and mail my manuscript to publishers in hopes of landing a true book deal,,, or do I sign with the small publisher who has agreed to publish my book? It's a limited release publisher---only 950 copies at first print. Sigh. I've been mulling this over for five months now, during which time I had hoped to find an agent to represent me. Patience has never been one of my strengths. The worst thing that could happen is that after I sign the contract, I receive an offer for representation from a legit agency and miss out on the opportunity to work with a large publisher. On the other hand, I have to start somewhere. Is it better to just go for it??? Get my book in print and see if I can generate a local following that builds into something more? If that were to happen, then my odds increase that an agent would pick up the sequel.
I so hoped for a whirlwind success story.... ahhhhhh. Why not?
No whining. Man up girl! So, all of you who read my blog (all 1,000 of you----yuh huh!) tell me what I should do. If I sign the contract, I'm mailing it on Halloween. So vote! C'mon, you can do it,,,, POST YOUR COMMENT... and tell me what you think I should do. I'll be waiting for you.

Day 70, If at first (or 2nd or 3rd or....) you don't succeed...

Okay, the dork tried again... I rule! I'm nothing if not tenancious!

Proud grandparents. Babies always silence me with a sense of awe!

Isn't she a doll?

No, really. Isn't she a doll?

Grandpa, Aunt Ellen, Momma Jen, and baby Jane. More awe!

Our latest additions... tiger kitties Topaz (left) and Honey.
 

It's been a hard day's night..... after scouting out (and terrorizing) their new home, it's time for a long nap.

Who said it's a dog's life?

Ah! My short term memory has returned. It's amazing what comes to me in the middle of the night. I am no longer a dweeb---I have shed my dorkness---at least for today. (Okay, there is an argument in the sidebar that I am still a dweeb. I'll concede for the moment, but I am NOT a dork.)

Happy Monday everyone. Back to Planet "M" for me.

Day 69, Technology! Grrrrr!

Okay,,, I'm a dork again. I thought I knew how to put pictures on my blog... and I've now spent the better part of 3 hours trying to upload pictures of Jane Ellen and our new little tiger kitties, but all attempts have failed. Thought I was doing the same thing as usual, but nope. Technology!
For now, visit my page on facebook to see the latest pix.
Tonight I'm enjoying another Inspector Lewis episode...they are always great mysteries about "muuuduh." There is nothing like a great English mystery to top off a Sunday evening. My ultimate goal as an author is to write a book good enough to make it in the British world of publishing. Meanwhile, I am still pressing forward in the American publishing industry. If it doesn't kill me,,, it WILL make me stronger...and hopefully famous :) Sure sure.

Day 68, New Additions

Welcome the latest additions to the Morgan household.... Mouse-chasers Honey and Topaz :) This morning we adopted two kittens from the animal rescue group. Sorry Raechel. I walked into the garage the other morning, and the minute I turned on the light, I caught the fleeting of a tail scurrying across the floor. I screamed. And first thing this morning, we took a trip to Pet Smart and bought two rescue kittens. The dogs aren't too crazy about their new siblings,,,they are pouting right now...... Mick doesn't handle changes to his routine very well.

"A dog, I have always said, is prose; a cat is a poem." ~ Jean Burden
"Watch a cat when it enters a room for the first time. It searches and smells about, it is not quiet for a moment, it trusts nothing until it has examined and made acquaintance with everything." ~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau

If nothing, they are definitely entertaining :)
This afternoon we went to the BYU football game in San Diego...it was great. BYU won--of course.
Then tonight we visited baby Jane. She is such a little beauty :) Pictures to follow.

Day 67

I remember my first year of teaching---within six weeks I was reduced to tears, convinced that I had gone thousands of dollars in debt for nothing. Enter my hero....my night and shining armor...and the man who eventually became my husband :) This is an anniversary week for me.... albeit one that no one would recognize or even consider noteworthy...and yet it was a week that transformed me. It was the week I fell in love with teaching...and realized that even veteran teachers struggle with their students sometimes. It was the week I came to Temecula to observe Ron for four days in his classroom. Whenever I meet new teachers, I try to remember how much I struggled in my first year, and how I longed to have the edge of an experienced teacher.....without having to wait for years to gain it. Now,,, here I am, ten years later, and still in love with teaching..... the difference is, now I have the edge..... And I have Ron :)

"When a person with money meets a person with experience, the person with the experience winds up with the money and the person with the money winds up with the experience."~ Harvey MacKay

I just threw that quote in for fun.... no pun intended.

Happy weekend everyone.

Day 66, Good Times

Today I was the principal again. My morning began with a case of the trespassing student and the bag of marijuana...not to be outdone by the afternoon's case of pre-teen sexual harrassment. Ah! Middle school. Never a dull moment. And then there was my underlying goal for the day---to make sure two very hostile boys could make it through the day without getting into a knock-down-drag-out fight. I think they both actually made it home without killing each other. Mission accomplished.

Time to put this day to bed. Thank goodness Friday is just an hour away :)

Day 65, HEY only 300 days to go!

Today I met with a group of 7th and 8th grade science teachers to facilitate a planning session for a concept learning sequence. At the beginning of the program, we whipped around the room and shared professional and personal updates. Listening to many of them share stories and frustrations about raising small children made me emotional. In less than four years, my youngest will be gone---and my nest will be empty. I'm not ready for that. I always thought "empty nest syndrome" was a joke; I was wrong. Wow,,, what I wouldn't give to go back in time! I've said it before---probably more than once---we should cherish every moment with our kids while we can. And we should figure out what is truly important,,,good grades? clean rooms? good friends? sports? I mean seriously, what is the big picture here? For me, it's cementing a forever relationship, rooted in memories and rich traditions that bind us together forever. It's about teaching them how to make the important decisions in life and how to believe in themselves when the whole world seems to be against them. Did I teach my children these things? What will my kids remember about their childhood?
What do you remember about yours?

You see? This is why we have grand kids! They are our second chance to get it right :)

Good night John Boy.

Day 64

"Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away." ~ Marcus Aurelius

Time is our friend, our enemy, our accomplice, our alibi, our entertainment. There's always too much and never enough. Sometimes I feel like I am a mere by-stander trying to stop a run-away train. Welcome to October.... I sing the same sad tale year after year as Fall arrives. That seems to be the time when I find myself longing for rainy days, fires, pies in the oven, music on the stereo, and nothing on my calendar.

Am I missing the finer things in life?

Day 63, Here's to Your Health

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~ Mark Twain

So much for the saying, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die." Apparently, that is true after all.


I suppose that means that the pile of candy corn I happily nibbled on tonight was a bad idea. Hmm. I was looking at my 10 goals I set when I first started this blog,,, oops. I'm not doing so well. Not to worry...there are still ten months to go. Hey, that's 2 pounds a month.... I can do that, right? Sure sure.

Today I found out my oldest daughter has the swine flu. Ugh~!! Poor thing. She is 700 miles away from home, so there is nothing I can do for her. That's one of the down-sides when the baby chicks leave the nest. My mom has a sure-fire cure for all colds and flues...Grandma's homemade stew! There is nothing like it in the world. I have finally figured out how to make mine taste like hers, much to the delight of dear ole Dad :) Get well soon, Raechel....---I promise, no pig jokes, really. ... Cuz that would just be wrong. Oink.

What can I say?

Raechel

I wanted to add this to my 10/6 blog, but I'm a dork and don't know how. Here is 22-year-old Raechel. How I would love to travel back in time and relive treasured moments with her. I wonder if in Heaven we get to do that? That would be cool.

Get well soon, daughter, okay?

Day 62, Super Saturday

Today is traditionally one of my favorite Saturdays of the year... it's the day when a large group of us--all friends--get together and make "stuff." Maegan taught us how to make brownies out of pinto beans and powdered milk. Yum. Lisa taught us how to make paper cones for doorknobbing treats. Interesting. Chanin taught us how to make a NOEL garland that was so simple I actually completed 5 of them. Don't have a clue why I made five....I was just so excited to actually be able to complete something, that I think I might have over did it. Huh. Who would believe... me...doing something like that? Bah!
The event was a lot of work for the ladies who put it all together---great job girls! You rock!

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." ~ Anaïs Nin

I have no idea what that quote means. I read it like nineteen times (did that for you honey :) and it still doesn't make sense.... so I thought, what the heck, I'll throw it in there. Why not? Maybe you can explain it to me.

I think it is saying that friends are a good thing.

Day 61

"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it." ~ Margaret Thatcher

I don't know,,,it's been a really long time since I lounged around doing nothing; right now it sounds quite tempting. I am no stranger to being busy, and I admit that I prefer having too much to do to having nothing to do....(there is never nothing to do.) But let's face it, there has to be a limit. In the past 9 days, I have facilitated two TLC days, celebrated my daughter and my husband's birthdays, went to my 30 year reunion, planned and carried out the program for our staff development, celebrated the birth of our new granddaughter,,,,taught my classes, and did it all while suffering from a cold. It's no wonder I had a brain warp and told my kids to wish their dad happy birthday---when his birthday isn't for 5 more months. Yeah, I'm losing it.

It's time for an extended weekend in Big Bear. Lounging.

Update on baby Jane--she came home today. She has a long, uphill climb ahead of her, be we are all glad she's home for now.
Got a disturbing call from Raechel,,,seems she might have a case of swine flu. Wow. Please keep her in your thoughts.

Planet "M"---I was wrong. They did care. A huge thanks to our staff for a great day :)

Day 60, 2 months down, only 10 to go....

There it is. I am now 1/6 of the way through my year. Cool. I'm too grumpy to write tonight, because I've been working non-stop since 3:00 to prepare for tomorrow's inservice. I want it to be meaningful and engaging for our staff. Truth be known, the majority of them won't care. This ain't their first rodeo.

Ah, but to Jenny---you are too kind. Thank you for the cyber-hug :) It made me smile. Please look me up when you're in Temecula. I will keep you persona non-grata---or whatever the heck that word is.

Gonna wrap it up and get to bed.... gotta be to work by 7am (a near-impossible task for me---as most of you know.)

Tomorrow is Friday. The word Friday has a magical ring to it, doesn't it?

Day 59, The fog rolls in...

"Faith is like radar that sees through the fog." ~ Corrie Ten Boom 

Hey Jenny, are you listening? (I say listening because you are a writer...and writers don't just read the words on a page, they hear the words in their mind---ah, those wonderful voices in our heads!) Don't you dare throw in the towel. You know in your heart that you were born to write--and write you should. No matter what it takes, get your book in print. I don't care if you finally resort to the new fashion of self-publishing, but do not quit on yourself. I received a very nice letter from a publisher in Florida who encouraged me to start small, even self-publish, just so I could go through the process and be able to say I've been published. In her words, "If your book does well, you won't need to query for agents, they will come looking for you."
If you believe you wrote a good book and that people will enjoy reading it, then stand by it. You owe it to your characters to share their story with any and all who are willing to read it.
Right now, you see nothing but the fog, yet cloaked in that fog is your path to success. Keep pressing forward. Always.

Can I get an "Amen"?

Planet "M" -- Tonight I created "Harry Potter and the Subordinate Clause." I figure a little bit of magic and a wizard's wand couldn't hurt.

Happy Birthday to the man of my dreams :) I love you honey.

Day 58, 22 years ago...

22 years ago.... in a galaxy far, far away.... a beautiful, perfect little baby girl was born. I will never forget the feeling of complete awe that swept through me as I held her for the first time. I remember the excitement I experienced when my parents saw her for the first time. My own (then) 25 years melted away in a flash, and for a split second I saw what must have been in my parent's eyes when they saw me for the first time. That fleeting moment was priceless, and something I shall treasure forever. Raechel is everything a mother could hope for a daughter to be; she is beautiful, healthy, intelligent, funny, and tenderhearted. She has been my daughter, friend, confidant, helper, and on occasion, advisor. It is my privilege to be her mom. My prayer for her is that she will be happy and fulfilled in her life. Always.

Also celebrating a birthday today, is my soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Jen, who only five days ago, brought beautiful Jane Ellen into the world. Jen now knows the feeling I had 22 years ago tonight when I held Raechel in my arms for the first time. Our prayers are still with Jen and Ryan--that very soon they will bring their little girl home for good.

"Real birthdays are not annual affairs. Real birthdays are the days when we have a new birth." ~ Ralph Parlette


What will the "new birth" be in your life this year?

Day 57, Ying/Yang

The pictures are rolling in on Facebook from the EHS 30-year reunion. This one is Allen Aragon and me. He's just as nice now as he was waaaaay back then :) We first met at 6th grade camp in 1973. It was great to see him again and to meet his beautiful wife.

Update on baby Jane... Today she will be transported to the hospital where she will remain for an undetermined length of time. Jen and Ryan go home...an empty trip for sure. Together, they face an uphill battle, yet they are strong, and Jane is special. She comes from a long line of inner strength and determination. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Day 56, and counting

BLUH!!! Thanks to my adorable and generous husband, I now have a major cold. Thanks for sharing honey :) Well, what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Hmm. So dow I dalk like dis. And I popped Dayquil gels all afternoon, which, by the way, are not supposed make you sleepy, but they put me into a coma. The joys of the dribbles. Why can't modern science come up with a cure for the common cold?

"For every ailment under the sun, There is a remedy, or there is none, If there be one, try to find it; If there be none, never mind it." ~ Mother Goose

That's easy for her to say.

For authors out there, I highly recommend having your manuscript professionally edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Yeah, yeah, I know. Duh! Well, my manuscript had been edited by me 1,900 times (okay, that's hyperbole, but you get it,) and then by at least twelve different readers....Not to mention the grammar check I enabled on my word program. I was preparing to submit it to Daw Publishing, when that little voice I mentioned previously told me to have it edited first. Mind you, this manuscript was my final final final---the one I deemed as perfect as possible. Boy, was I humbled. There were approximately 50 flaws found--that equates to nearly one mistake for every ten pages. Makes me wonder what would happen if I submitted it for content editing. Yikes. The good news was that the person editing claims to have really enjoyed the story. That is always music to a writer's ears.... Now I just need to find an agent who feels the same way. Oh yeah, THAT. The process is long and painful... if you don't believe me, check out the Rejection Queen's website that I linked on my front page. Her story captures the reality of trying to land an agent...and it does so with humor and whit.

Day 55

Gotta hurry and post before midnight.... I just arrived home from the big night... The big 30 year reunion for the Eisenhower class of '79. What an interesting evening... cool to see what became of some of my classmates after high school. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. The highliight of the evening was spending time with Joni Jean & Alex, getting to see Allen Aragon again, and hooking up with Kevin Barnes after all these years. I enjoyed myself more than I thought I would, and there were several nice surprises along the way.

Now it's back to reality...back to the present...back to baby Jane. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. I am looking forward to the day she can go home...and for the time when I can hold her. My heart goes out to Ryan and Jen right now; I know they just want to take their little girl home.

Day 54

Tonight I am calling on everyone's prayers for baby Jane. She was born with a defective heart; it is missing a ventricle and the arteries are twisted; also, her heart is turned. There is a fear that the hole could close, and she could go into heart failure. Please pray for her and keep her in your thoughts. She is such a little doll.

"Prayer is translation. A man translates himself into a child asking for all there is in a language he has barely mastered." ~ Leonard Cohen

Check out this site:  http://web.me.com/mtbowman/Site_8/Jane_Ellen_Morgan_~_Oct._1,_2009.html

Day 53, Jane

Welcome the arrival of Jane Ellen Morgan, 7 pounds 9 ounces, 18 1/2 inches long, and absolutely beautiful :) Congrats to Jen and Ryan... Good job Jen :)

Eclipsed by the miracle of birth, nothing else I did today warrants a mention. Jane is a little doll.