I’m writing this 2018 recap post from my dining room table the morning after driving cross-country with my husband and dog. A tidbit of advice for you—doing this in a Ford Focus is not advisable. We finally arrived home at 8pm local time—almost fifteen hours after we started our journey that day, which was only part (albeit the majority) of the total distance. Last night I was exhausted. But today, I’m excited. Because I’ve been constructing this post in my head piece-meal for the past few months and I’m super pumped to finally share it.
It’s New Year’s Eve 2018 and so much happened during this year I’m having trouble deciding where to begin. A chronological explanation probably makes the most sense. So, let’s go back to June, the last time I managed to update this blog, and the first big change I made in 2018.
Employee to Freelancer, Again
At the beginning of June, my husband and I took a trip with two other married couples who are some of our best friends from college. Our cruise to the Bahamas was just what I needed in order to refresh. Five days without email or work of any kind helped me figure out what I truly wanted to do professionally.
Over the next month, I talked it out with my husband, and we decided I would quit my job at the innovation firm. I originally took the job back in May 2017. Then, it was a part-time, make-it-up-as-we-go kind of position. Blind faith and a gut instinct told me to accept this less stable position over the full-time offer I’d received, which would have been more in line with my past work experience and training. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn how to self-publish a book, which was the main item on my to-do list at the innovation firm. My boss had written a children’s book and it was my job to make it a reality.
Fast forward a few months and that children’s book was in the world, available for purchase, and even available for check-out at the local library! For having zero knowledge of the industry at the start, I’d done something super big and cool. And I had so many ideas on how to take it further.
But my boss decided he was content with that project’s progress and gave me new, non-publishing related tasks. My responsibilities grew and changed monthly from then on, and while I relished the opportunity to learn new skills, I also defined for myself the kind of career I wanted to have. As of this summer 2018, I couldn’t see myself getting there at that company. Equally important, the compensation opportunities just weren’t there. So, I had to decide what to do.
In August, I transitioned from an employee relationship back to a freelance one with the company, and after finishing my project commitment in October, I said my final goodbyes. I’d learned a lot, but it was time to move on.
From Renter to Homeowner in 7 Days Flat
During this ongoing career debate, my husband and I decided we were ready to buy our first home. We’d saved up a bunch of money and were tired of renting, especially in our un-air-conditioned half-duplex. The process was a whirlwind and only took a few weeks from start to finish. In fact, we hired our realtor on a Saturday, and by the following Friday (not a full week later) we had a house under contract. And then we got a surreal opportunity we never thought possible—the chance to be on HGTV’s House Hunters. A rigorous application process followed in a short span of time, and then we were selected. Five full days of shooting split between two visits in late July and early August gave us a peek behind the curtain of how reality TV really works, and then we finally settled into our new home. As of this writing, the episode hasn’t yet aired.
And Then There Were Three
As if a job change and a new house weren’t enough to contend with, we found out in early September that I’m pregnant with our first child. The first trimester I was nauseated and tired constantly. It was all I could do to finish my work projects (which, blessedly, had slowed down) and I couldn’t even think about writing. A few weeks ago, we found out we’re having a girl, and we’re thrilled. We would have been just as excited about a boy. Honestly, we’re just pumped in general, and now that I’m into the second trimester and am feeling and eating like a human again, I can truly enjoy it. I’ve never really eaten sweets before, but this baby sure wants donuts. Like, all the time.
We’ve spent the past few months making preparations for our daughter, and there’s more to come. We’ve started our registry, and I’ve got to say, researching all the baby stuff could literally be a full-time job. We’ll be ordering furniture soon and then the transformation of office-to-nursery will truly begin. This means I’ll probably end up doing my writing and work projects from a desk in our very open front room, but that’s totally okay. Eventually we’ll finish our basement and shuffle the rooms so the spaces once again make sense. That, however, is for another time.
The Manuscript That Finally Ends
As alluded to above, my writing life suffered quite a blow from July-September with all the job changes, house buying, and baby growing. But, I did something incredibly exciting in mid-August: hired a professional developmental editor.
I have plans to write a more in-depth post on my experience working with an editor for the first time, so here I will just say that hiring Fiona was worth every penny and was probably the smartest thing I could have done to advance not only this book, but also all the ones to come.
I ended up making some significant changes, basically rewriting the back half of the book in a couple weeks’ time. And I finally finished those edits a few days before heading out to visit family for Christmas.
My next tasks are to proofread the manuscript and to hire a cover designer, which will be happening in the next few weeks.
And then I’ll be prepping to launch!
It’s crazy to think that this book I’ve been working on for almost three years will be a real and tangible product in a few short months. The goal is to finish it before the baby is born, because I know tht once she’s here, my schedule is going to implode. There’s so much to do, but I’m excited to see it out in the world.
A Year of Grace
2018 has been a year of best laid plans and new beginnings for me, both personally and professionally. The proverbially “they” always say not to take on too many life changes at once, but I’ve learned that no matter what I plan to do, something is always going to alter my direction. The difference this year is I’ve finally accepted that as fact and embrace it. As a reformed perfectionist and a habitual planner, it’s been a year of intense internal work for me to get to this point.
When I started this blog and newsletter, my goal was to publish a post once a month and a newsletter once a quarter. That didn’t happen. But it’s okay. I did manage to finish and edit an 81,000 word manuscript that I’m proud of.
As for 2019, I’ve seen a lot of people choosing a word for the year, something they aspire to or something to govern their goals. For me, I think 2019 will be a year of Grace. Every new year brings opportunity and challenge, and I think the coming year especially will brim with both. Publishing a first book and learning how to be a parent are going to push me to the end of myself and beyond. With that will come highs and lows, and the best way I know how to get through it all is to recognize and aim for my goals but to allow myself grace when I inevitably don’t quite get there, or when I get there in a way I didn’t intend.
My goals for 2019 are going to have to be fluid and forgiving. Maybe I’ll finish a first draft of another book. Maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll write that short story. Maybe I won’t. What I’m taking into next year is the knowledge that as long as I’m moving forward a bit each day, I’m making progress. And, for me, that’s enough.
