What Will 2012 Bring?

A better title probably would have been What Will I Bring to 2012?

I was reading Diana Peterfreund's Blog this morning and saw a detailed list of what she as hoping for in 2012. I thought that was a great idea, so I'm going to do the same here. I'm so looking forward to the new year, and figure maybe if I write down my own bullet list of the things I want out of 2012 I just might achieve some of them.


Work

•  A kind word costs nothing but is worth so much to the receiver. Remember everyone likes to be shown appreciation for a job well done.

•  Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. They won't learn the job if you don't let them.

• Help plan a Holiday Party for 2012. It has been too many years since we had a sit down dinner for everyone. 

• Have fun with the new Newsletter . 

Home

• Set up my craft room/writing room instead of using it as the catchall room.

• Take all of the boxes of crafty items and all of the unshelved books scattered throughout the house and put them way in their proper places in the new improved craft/writing room noted above. (Once it is set up of course)

• Sweet talk ChopSuey into knocking down the wall. Yes that one. 

• Get the forced air vents and furnace professionally cleaned. We've been here 14 years. I guess it's about time.

• Turn the basement into the Family Movie/Game Room. 

• Move AlleyCat into the room off the balcony. It's about time she has a real room of her own.

• Get the other garage door hung. We've had it in the garage for what, 2 years now? This will be the year to hang it.

• Take better care of the yard. It's not going to do it by itself. (Though I wish it would)

Family

• Get our Will set up. I can't believe that we have never followed through with this before. We aren't getting any younger and need to make sure both girls are taken care of.  All parents need to consider doing it, but I think parents with a special needs child/teen has to take extra precautions and make their wishes known.

• Work with Peanut on her communication skills. We got her an iPad for Christmas this year. She has been using one at school for adding to her vocabulary and improving her communication skills and we want to continue it at home. When she turns 18 she will have an opportunity to participate in a school to work program, but I've already been told that her ability to communicate would have to improve. 

• Finding more Me and AlleyCat time. She's at that angsty age of 14 and I'm scared one of these days she won't want anything to do with me. We need to continue to make sure AlleyCat knows just how proud we are of her. She is such a great kid, awesome student and fantastic sister. Book signings is something she loves to go to, so I will have to research what authors will be here in 2012. (It's a win/win for me too!)

• Try to get Chopsuey to go out of town with the girls and I, even if it is weekend trip to the ocean or the mountains or somewhere in between. 

• Spend more time with mom and dad. I hate to hear  it said my sister who lives four states away spends more time visiting than I do at forty miles. (Actually I improved on that greatly since 2010 but sadly it was on account of my mom and a bout of that dirty beast cancer).

Self

• Get to know more online people in the writing community. Make connections. Look for critique peeps.

• Find the time to write. Quit coming up with excuses and continually proCASStinating with Twitter and sit down and write. Come up with a schedule with Corbin and go back to our weekly writing sessions via phone. 

• Be more active. I have got to get this butt off the couch and outside walking. I can't keep going on like this. Something has got to change.

• Go to SCBWI-WW conference this spring. I just saw the line-up and laughed when I realized I already follow about half of the speakers on Twitter.

• Make more items for my etsy shop. Of course my version of  the ClockWork Angel Pendant has been a hit, but I'd like to fill the shop with the other book inspired items I've been making.

• Post more here on my Blog. Maybe it will be my own spin on Field of Dreams - If I write it, they will come.

What are you looking to get out of 2012?

Happy New Year To All!

Where does the time go?

So much for trying to post more often. On December 6th I was so proud to announce that I was back. I'd joined many a social networking site and was ready to start developing my Cassidy Finn online presence, and now? Geez, it's December 27th already. Where did the time go? Well, two things happened to keep me from the Blog.

December 7th - my laptop died. It was a refurb oldie not worth the money to try and fix :-( Though I love my iPhone (and I mean LOVE it) I didn't think it was realistic to try and post to the Blog from it, and my world kind of turned upside down anyway...

December 8th - My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer (1 day after she turned 66). I have spent the last 19 days playing chauffer and meticulous note taker for my mom and dad as we have gone from one doctors appointment to the next. She will be having a PET scan on Tuesday the 29th to see just how far it has spread.

I hate cancer. This is the fourth time it has touched my family. Three of the four are still with us, and the one that is gone beat the cancer many years ago. Both my brother who had melanoma, and my cousin who had leukemia are doing well but they were lucky enough to have early detection and got a jump start in battling the monster. They say early early detection is key, especially with colon cancer. Sadly my mom hasn't been to a doctor in many, many, many years so early detection was not in our cards. The nasty monster is in advanced stages, already moving to her liver and lymph nodes (and who knows where else the PET scan will find it). She will be having surgery on January 4th, and start chemo on January 25th. We've been told that surgery and chemo won't cure her, but her oncologist (who is the same one that treated my brother) says that the treatment will hopefully prolong her life for several years to come. If you are reading this and you feel so inclined, please send a silent prayer, positive thought, or well wishes in her direction.

Christmas was good. Everyone babied my mom like we should have been doing all along.

Books for Christmas. I am proud to say my eleven year old daughter (also known as my mini me) asked for books and (video games) for Christmas. She received 3 video games (1 was educational) and 17 books. Yes SEVENTEEN. She is our little reading machine. I was beaming with pride when I read her wish list this year. My family was so happy to oblige her that between my mom, dad and two brothers, she received every book on her wish list. I even received a book that had been on my wish list "City of Glass" by Cassandra Clare. All in all twenty-one books were given as gifts among my family. As an aspiring writer (and avid reader) I couldn't have been happier to see all those books as they were unwrapped.

As you can see I'm posting again. My sweet hubby interpreted my subtle hints*and gave me a netbook. (*I'll admit, the hints weren't so subtle. I left numerous adds lying around and moaned and groaned about not being able to write because my laptop died, but it worked, didn't it?)

There is a surprise birthday party on January 2nd, for my dad who will be turning 75. This was planned long before mom learned of the cancer, and she's happy that she could put the surgery off until after the party. My sister was already coming home (from Denver) with her family for the party and now she will be here for the surgery too.

I'll be back later. I want to write about a great community of YA writers I have discovered via Twitter and and joined back in November.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cassidy