Taking My Lumps

I wanted to tell my blogger buddies that I miss you all terribly. I miss starting my day reading all of your funny anecdotes and motivating stats and inspiring race reports. I miss hearing about how your bikes and pregnancies and kids and dogs and goats are. I didn't realize how much a part of my day you all had become until I got so busy that regular training and blog reading - not to mention routine eating and sleeping - went out the window. I gained 3 pounds back and it makes me crazy that I want to work out but for the moment, am entirely unable to do it more than once or twice a week, which just doesn't cut it.

It's funny because this is what I wanted - to be a successful writer - but after 18+ months of barely scraping by (not that the money's rolling in yet, just the work, with luck the money will follow soon), there were no way I could predict it would take off like it has. I literally went from, in July, having one sad website the clients have been dragging out for months, to now, when I've got.... (counting, counting... oh dear) six websites, some brochures and a bunch of stuff (PSA radio spots, newsletter, a brochure and website in dire need of an overhaul, etc) for this charity I just joined the board of, plus 2 more sites that are almost guaranteed jobs plus one more that just hasn't started yet plus leads on at least 2 more. And the six websites and one brochure are pretty much all due within a few days of each other (end of next week). No, I'm not that stupid... I get most of my web work from development companies who don't have a writer on staff, and the sites are already in progress and the timelines are already established. So sometimes it just works out like that.

And that's just work.

My mom had to put her dog down last weekend, so I'm trying to schedule a trip to spend some time with her real soon. My Grandma (with the still-broken arm) was just moved from the hospital (after 2 months) to a short-term nursing home situation while she continues to heal and relearns how to dress herself with the newly stiff arm, so I need to travel to see her too. My aunt, who's been primarily helping Grandma, is recovering from back surgery and I feel awful I wasn't there to help (travel). I barely spent 2 hours with my nieces and nephews the entire year (travel yet again). My grandparents-in-law just moved into assisted living and we're trying to help as much as we can - the house needs a bunch of repairs before it can sell. Travelling to Minnesota next weekend to help with that - we want to help the family up there as much as we can, they've been bearing the brunt of this complex and painful process. Was in Montana last weekend for a wedding - our first vacation in 4 years - and Scout the foster monster got extremely upset when we left and freaked out the poor petsitter by regressing after 5 months of good laundry behavior and eating a sock and some underwear. So I got to spend the morning of my one true day of vacation on the trip trying to locate enough of a cell signal to talk the the doctors and stuff to make sure it all worked out (gotta love peroxide!) Walking around the lovely hills in Montana, my calves seized up on me very painfully - guess that injury isn't entirely healed yet! Spent yesterday (and today is shaping up the same) trying to work with a migraine. Just got back from the vet with my dog, found a lump on her the other day. They not only checked that one out, they checked every inch of her and found two more I wasn't aware of (I love these doctors so much) - one of which is so scary (and so hidden! inside the fold of her upper lip - did I mention I love these doctors!?) they want it off immediately to send in for biopsy. So she's going in for surgery tomorrow. I can't think about it too much or I'll lose my mind - I can't imagine losing both my dogs to cancer inside of a year. And there's still the might-maybe-who-knows chance of us being handed a baby in December, depending on the whim of the pregnant child who keeps vacillating. Nothing like 5 years of infertility, followed by getting a nursery ready and lining up adoption attorneys and such but having to remain completely detached because it all depends on the mood of a 15 year old!

Phew! There's more, but you get the picture.

I'm really really, really really really looking forward to my weekend at IMWI in 2 weeks!