A True Bait & Switch

When I married my wonderful husband more than ten years ago, he didn't count calories or diet. He didn't regularly exercise or opt for healthy foods. And I was great with that. I've never enjoyed exercising myself, except for the occasional walk or bike ride, and the thought of counting calories was laughable. We were in sync.

Fast forward to last month when my husband pulled a bait and switch on me! Not only did he start exercising regularly and counting calories, but he became what I fondly call "plant man" because of all the veggies he's consuming.

He never insisted I join him in his new choices, but being the competitive person that I am, I couldn't let him be the only healthy one. So I started exercising regularly and longer (on our stationary bike) and eating more veggies than I ever thought possible and being more cognizant of what I'm eating. And though it does pain me to admit it, I've liked the changes in us both. We are in sync.

Have you always enjoyed exercising? Who helps keep you motivated in living healthy? What's your favorite thing to do to get moving?

The Post I've Waited Seven Years to Write!

Before my blog, before I knew how long and tough this road might be, before I began seriously writing, I dreamed of one day writing and publishing a book.

That dream will become a reality in September of this year when my book will be published by Harlequin's Love Inspired Historical.

This weekend has been a whirlwind, to say the least. I received an offer from Harlequin and now have the fabulous Jessica Alvarez of BookEnds, LLC as my agent. I couldn't be more excited for both!

I want to share my journey getting to this point because I love reading other people's stories, but it's hard to know where to start.

Back in 2004, after the birth of my first son, when I decided to write my first novel? Back in 2007, when I finished writing this story that will become my first published book?  Maybe back in 2010 when I went to my first national conference and an agent requested the full manuscript of this book? That was really when I realized I had a viable, fun story.

All of those would work as beginnings - certainly as stepping stones to this point - but I'll save time and fast-forward to 2011 when I entered a pitch contest for Love Inspired Historical. (I wrote about it here.) I was one of six winners selected to do an online chat, and they requested the full manuscript. Though there were things they liked, initially they passed, mostly because my hero was too perfect.

So I took a chance and wrote them back to ask if they would read the manuscript again if I fixed my hero. To my surprise and delight, I got a "yes" response. That began a seven-week task of revising before I sent the manuscript off again.

Then I waited, hoping, wondering what they thought. Last Friday, I got my answer. Harlequin wanted to publish my book. I told my editor it was the best Friday the 13th I'd ever had!

In addition to the sort of dazed state I'm walking around in this week, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the many people who have lent support to my writing over the years - chiefly, my husband and my Father in Heaven. Thanks to all of you - including my blog friends here - for taking this journey with me!

What good things have you experienced lately? What fills you up with gratitude?

A Second Try

I heard a quote in church on Sunday about courage that I'm still thinking about today and hope to remember often. Normally when I think of courage I think of doing something hard but doing it bravely - like David vs. Goliath or me traveling alone to England (blogged about that here) or my husband starting his own business or my kids conquering worry or playing in a piano recital for the first time.

While each of these show courage, I learned this last weekend we're also showing courage when we have to make a second try at something. When we stretch toward our goal and don't quite meet it, but decide we're going to make a second attempt tomorrow.

I don't typically think of myself as a courageous person, so this idea of showing courage through second tries was eye-opening. How many times in my life have I made a second attempt at something? Like trying out for the ballroom team multiple times and finally making it in college. Or becoming pregnant after losing a baby. Or sending out another query after a rejection. Or getting up each day and attempting to parent a little better than I did the day before.

This idea of courage is so positive, so deliberate, and best of all, so doable. It's more than gritting my teeth and "sticking it out." It's making a conscious decision to try again, and again, and again. It's realizing we are and can be courageous not just in the big things, but in the every day things too.

Do you like this definition of courage? What in your life have you courageously attempted a second (or third or twelfth) time to reach your goal? What experiences have helped you gain courage?

Straight from the Horse's Mouth

I won't be talking about New Year's resolutions today - though I did actually make them this year and they're all MEASURABLE, which I'm pretty stoked about. Instead I'm talking about animals.

By and large, I am not an animal-lover. I like cats and bunnies, and that's about it. I believe some of this dislike stems from watching too many tear-jerker movies as a kid involving the tragedies and triumphs of every animal imaginable. (The dog ones were the worst.)

When it comes to horses, the main contributor to my disinterest is one too many bad horseback riding experiences. Nearly every family vacation growing up involved us signing up for a horseback ride. There was the time we were led to believe we'd be galloping along the beach in Hawaii, only to experience about five minutes of riding on the sand and the rest in weeds about as tall as the horses. Another time the horses brought on a bout of allergies.

Our final horseback riding adventure as a family, while in Mexico, didn't go well either. The memory burnt into my mind from that trip is FEAR as my horse maneuvered down the mountain of at what felt like a 90 degree angle.

The irony in all of this is that the man I married trained race horses for several years. He likes horses, has worked with horses, knows how to ride horses. The other ironic thing is that I write historical romances set in the West where people rode - and often adored - horses. Thank goodness for my critique group or the horses in my last book wouldn't even have had names!

Maybe I should enlist my husband's help in creating a positive horseback riding experience. Or maybe I'm content to look at horses from a far and stick to writing fiction where animals and people live in harmony - or pretty close.

Are you an animal-lover or not? If not, why not? Have you ever been horseback riding? Do you like movies/books centered around animals/pets?

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