Tag Archives: New Year

Happy and Prosperous 2015!

08 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in and Other Topics, Faith, Relationships, Writing and Pursuing Publication

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2014-12-28-McCauleyMcCauleys-202A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9

It’s the second week of the new year, and I hope you are still as excited about your goals and resolutions as you were at the beginning. I know I am.

2014 ended with the blessed commotion of travel, family, laughter, and lots of food. The new year started with a flu-like illness that put me out of commission for the better part of a week. At least now I don’t have to work off holiday pounds, just keep them off :-).

My goals for 2015 aren’t lofty, but they’re ambitious enough to stretch me and leave me a little daunted. Good thing I started the year with Christine Caine’s Undaunted: Daring to do what God calls you to do, a book I highly recommend.

Now I’m ready to excel in areas of faith, family, and of course fiction. While I’m currently doing more editing than writing at the moment, I am committed to finishing a third novel by September of this year. My biggest writing goal for this year is to acquire agent representation.

For my precious family, the goal is to continue to make time in our busy schedules to be present with each other. Cooking and reading together, as well as more dinners around the kitchen table, are just some of the ways we plan to stay connected.

A dear friend and I are committed to going even deeper with God this year, and are starting a Romans Bible study through Precept Ministries by Kay Arthur. The workbook looks intense, and I’m excited to get started.

Though fitness is a goal I added to my list with a grim scowl on my face (because I despise anything remotely resembling organized exercise), I am committed to exercising regularly this year. With three young children to take care of, I need to take care of myself, and that includes heart health from elevated heart rates, bone health from bearing weights, and yada-scowl-yada.

So that pretty much sums up my outlook for 2015 on a grand scale. I’ve got my plans broken down into doable chunks so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the lot of it. And I’m leaving room for the Lord to interrupt where He will, because at the end of each day it’s all about Him anyway.

So what about you? I’d love to hear what your plans are for this year, and how 2015 is going for you so far. Whatever this year holds, I pray it brings you closer to God and walking the path He designed specifically for you.

From my family to yours, Happy New Year!

Dancing on a Cloud…of Relationships

04 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Writing and Pursuing Publication

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

dancingonacloud

Dancing on a Cloud. It’s not what I’m actually doing, just the name of the tea I’m drinking; and how I feel after spending a few weeks wrapping gifts, eating good food, reliving past times, and driving the open road.

roadtripping

And though I love being home in Arizona, there’s a certain euphoria to zipping my jacket all the way up because winter is actually cold; and a near manic joy to being able to stick my hand under the bed and look for a kid’s shoe without having to worry if a scorpion will finally get me.

But more than all of that, it’s just being with family. Being the middle sister in a set of three girls all a year apart, and big sister to the coolest, tallest little brother ever, I’m like a kid at Christmas–especially when it is Christmas–when we’re all together again. Add a grandma, a set of in-laws who are like extra parents, old friends, and some of the cutest kids on the planet, and you’ve got yourself one happy writer.

nieces

It got me to thinking about relationships and how they are pretty much the core of our lives the short time we live them. They are also the inspiration behind what we read, watch, and listen to. And because much of what I write deals with relationships between people–parents, spouses, strangers, friends, enemies, siblings, and the like–a short series on the topic seems like a great way to start the year.

So for the next few weeks I’ll be highlighting relationships in my posts. I’ll vary it up with some exposition, video, fictional short stories, and maybe a poem or two.

If something strikes a chord, or you have a relationship topic you’d like to see, by all means chime in! That way while we’re relationship exploring, we can get some relationship building going on at the same time.

Stay tuned, and Happy 2013!