So, without further ado or apology, here is my 2013 roundup of thoughts (bad news first):
THINGS THAT WERE REALLY CHALLENGING TO ME:
1) From September 2012 until February 2013, I was unemployed. That was really tough. But I never lost faith, and now I'm working at the best company ever, with the best boss ever, in the best working environment ever.
2) In January, a visit to my parents in Oregon revealed the extent to which my mother's condition had deteriorated. Later in the summer, when she stayed with us for six weeks, it became painfully more evident. When Dad decided they would NOT move here to Utah, it was a tough blow, because I know we could do a lot to help them if they lived closer, and Seth would greatly benefit from having his grandparents near. After some initial bitterness, I finally had to come to terms with it and accept it - along with accepting that everything will work out for the best, as I had done all I could do.
3) Although I lost a ton of weight during a healthy living contest in the early spring, I quickly gained it all back, and then some. A lot. By year's end, I reached record high weight for me. I therefore enter 2014 with a serious commitment to reclaim my health and fitness. This will not be a "get thin quick" scheme, though; I will take my time and do it right so the weight stays off and the good habits become a part of my life.
4) Another year has passed without hitting the big time in the fiction world. My writing career basically floated along with no real progress for most of the year. I kept my goal to post a blog post a week at my fiction site, but I wrote almost nothing, until November came along, and I took the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge - and succeeded in producing more than 50,000 words of new fiction in only 30 days. Doing so meant the completion of a draft of a novel I'm working on via a collaboration, the completion of a novella sequel to AssassinWare, and the completion of another short novella. Then, in December, I finally published a new novel - the first thing I'd published in a year, and a project that had been nagging at me for over four years.
5) Despite my dear wife taking a part time job at the end of the summer, we have not made significant strides in reducing our debt. I know it will take some time to make all the budgeting work, but I really look forward to buckling down and making the sacrifices necessary to get on top of this money hole. At least we now have a specific plan, that means being debt-free (except for the house) by February 2018. If we stick to the plan.
THINGS THAT BROUGHT SATISFACTION TO ME:
1) Although I was unemployed from September 2012 to February 2013, I had the great blessing of getting hired by the best company ever, with the best boss ever, and the best work environment ever. Losing my job the previous fall turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.
2) Despite my discovery of the poor mental and physical condition of my mother, the whole experience helped me to gain some peace regarding the spiritual future of my parents. After many, many years of concern, I finally know that it will all be alright.
3) Thanks to some awesome deals I got on equipment from the old gym at work, I have been able to put together a great home workout room. I got it finished in December. It includes a really nice elliptical, my bike on a mount, a Total Gym 1000, dumb bell pairs in 5-40 lbs, a fan, and a TV on the wall with a Roku. Got everything super-cheap. Now there is no excuse, and 2014 will be the year of fitness!
4) Although my book sales for 2013 were pretty paltry - especially the last several months - I did release a new novel, JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, and the sales on that have been pretty good so far. It was a huge relief to finally get that one done, as I had been prompted to write it in November 2009. I never take that long to do a writing project, so it really weighed on me for all that time -especially since I felt I was on an errand from the Lord. Thanks to my successful NaNoWriMo, I got back on the writing horse after what had been a long hiatus. I now look forward to a prolific 2014, with at least five new fiction products planned for release this year. I am once again a writer (because writers write). Now, if I can just get one of my books to score a nice seven-figure movie deal...5) Debt stinks, but I believe we now have a good system in place, and if we can just stick to our goals and not spend too much - that is, make the necessary sacrifices - we should be able to get as much as 30% of the way out of debt (though I am hoping beyond hope for 40%, through some miracle). I believe that achieving that goal this year will help produce a stronger character for me and my family.
6) It's not an accomplishment or anything, but I really did get a lot of satisfaction out of re-watching LOST this fall. I watched the whole series in a matter of only two months (mostly on the train during my commute). I very much enjoyed analyzing it while I watched.
7) I found some GREAT music this year. Some of my new favorites include Madrugada (and Sivert Hoyem solo), and Chameleon. Also very much enjoyed Doctor Who. I don't watch much on the tube, but what I like, I really like. I didn't read very many books this year (scarcely more than a dozen), but the most interesting was probably Democracy in America, Volume 1, by Alexis deToqueville. I recommend it.
8) One of the very best things about 2013 was that while I was unemployed, I got to teach Seth (he homeschooled for the second half of second grade). Loved that time with him, exploring knowledge together. Didn't care much for the stupid Common Core materials, but loved reading Wikipedia with Seth and going off on autodidactic tangents with my little knowledge-sponge of a boy. That time together, forced by unemployment, was a great blessing. But the best thing about 2013 was that I got to baptize that sweet little guy.
MY COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC WISH LIST FOR 2014:
Note: these are wishes, not goals. While some of them may overlap with my goals and plans, much of this is completely out of my control, and thus does not work as a goal...
1) We get pregnant and Jean successfully carries to term, expanding our family to two children (or three, if it's twins). Seth gets that sibling he's always longed for, and I get to expand my capacity to love.
2) One of my books (most likely CANCELED) catches the interest of some big wigs in Hollywood and they offer me a ton of money for movie rights.
3) Because of #2, we get completely out of debt. I also quit the day job and write fiction full time.
4) I lose 50-60 lbs and keep it off.
5) I honestly can't think of anything else I could wish for.
I'll do whatever I can to make those dreams come true, and leave the rest up to God.
Well, glad I got all that off my chest. Thanks for reading.
Happy New Year! What were your favorite and least favorite parts of 2013? What do you want out of 2014?
The best part of ANY year: my family.
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