Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey

August State of the Blog Address

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

If I could hold my fireside chat anywhere, I think this would be the spot.  Hmmm. Definitely.

Well, I’ve complete my second full month of the blog.  And I think I’ve hit my groove.  I have a nice little system going that I am very comfortable with.  I try to have posts ready the night before and post them first thing in the morning when I wake up.  And then there are those days that I have to write additional posts because I’m dying to share some big news.  I can’t help it.  I was born to blog.  I tell the world wide web just about everything.  (If I told you any more, S would KILL me.)

So, here’s how I ended for the month:

Unique visitors: 489

Visits: 2302

That I was SO close to five hundred unique visitors is both exciting and disappointing.  My plan now is to continue to share, continue to post, and hope that everyone continues to read.  With any luck, those other eleven elusive readers I’m struggling to find will stumble over me and I’ll be golden.

Today, I plan on sending a nice update to my agent.  She still has my second novel and I haven’t heard how she likes it.  I’ll admit, it’s a departure from the first, a contemporary Cinderella variant that began as my Master’s thesis.  And it’s very different from the contemporary romance I’m currently working on.  (That’s a loose term.  If I was really working on it, my family wouldn’t be dying for the next chapter.  Sorry, family!)

Still, know that I want to take a moment to thank all of you for reading me.  Thank you for stopping by.  Thank you for coming back.  Thank you for sharing me with your friends.  I crushed last month’s numbers and I couldn’t have done it without your interest.

Have a great day!

Posted in Goals | No Comments »

It’s Monday…

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Well, there’s lots of big news this week.  Lots!  Tons!  And because I’m on a time crunch, I’m going to be short and sweet.

We all know what I care about, what my big concerns are.  And I think I’ve mentioned recently that I’m feeling like I’m finally on the upswing.  Yay!

• I stepped on the scale with no fear this morning.  (This in and of itself is a change.)  I’ve lost 5.6 pounds this week.  I know.  It’s a drop in the bucket towards my goal, but at least I’m moving the right direction.  And, I’m over halfway to my first reward.  (I’ve decided to reward me along the way.  Good plan, huh?)  So, with any luck, next weekend I’ll be getting a pedicure.  Thinner and pretty feet?  Lethal combination.  I’ll be irresistible.
• The squatters are getting the picture, and the eviction hearing.  I have to be in court on Wednesday, September 9th at 9am.  (Yeah, that’s 09/09/09 at 9:00am.  Hope it’s a good omen.)  So, I’ve stopped stressing about that.
• Wells Fargo had the audacity to call me for a payment after having over drawn my account and still not having sent me a check.  This has been going on for two weeks, so I have decided to make collection calls on them.  (Hello, this is Nicki, please be aware that this call is an attempt to collect a debt and will be recorded for customer service purposes and to cover my butt…)
• S and I have never been better.  We spent a lovely weekend together.  We had some time apart while I was coloring my hair with Kimberly on Friday.  (I’d love to say I color for fun, but it’s something of a necessity.)  We joked around late that night while playing pool.  We had some quality time.  We found Bishop (see that post) on Saturday.  We had friends over Saturday night who spent the night and stayed through most of Sunday.  We even went out to dinner with Ed, Laura, and Bailey that night.  It was a fantastic weekend.  The stress is lessening so we are having more fun together.
• The kids still love me.  We’ll see how they feel about me after building the fence.  (And I still love my lazy children.)
• The blog…so good !  Still share away if you like what you read.  I’m getting so close to my goal.  I’m elated.  And my agent should be contacting me very soon.

Have a great day all!  I’m planning to.

Posted in Goals | No Comments »

Okay, here’s the big push…

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

I started this month sharing a few goals for the blog.  It’s gone better than I could have hoped, far surpassed the previous month.  And here’s the thing…now I’m getting greedy.  I need more!

My hope was that I might double the previous month.  That would mean that I would have 346 unique views for the month.  (Ultimately, I need 500 or more per month for my agent to really get me sold…) And I was hoping that I could have 1534 views.  Seems doable, right?

Well, here’s where I’m at…drum roll, please:

420 uniques

1895 visits

Yay!  This is really exciting.  And see, since I’m so close…I might as well go all out and strive for my 500 uniques, right? 

So, please…pretty please with whip cream and a big juicy maraschino cherry on top, and did I mention hot fudge?  I’m all about some hot fudge…  oh, I digress.  As I was begging, please share me.  Tell your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, the crazy lady pacing on the corner (if you think she has Internet access), your dentist, the guy detailing your car, your postal worker, the FedEx guy (mine smells AMAZING!), well, you get the idea.

And many thanks.  In advance.  And since your putting yourselves out there, your reputation for good taste and being cool, I will try to be witty and colorful.  In short, I’ll make it worth their while.  (Or twist myself into a pretzel trying…)

Posted in Goals | 2 Comments »

Monday Morning Goal Assessment…

Monday, August 24th, 2009

I loved this picture, the idea that goals were a long road.  Let’s face it, they are.  Life isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.  And right now, I’m in training.

It has been a tumultuous week. Yet for the first time in a while, I feel ready to face life with my shoulders back and my game face on.  I may be looking at that long road, but I’m headed the right direction.

• I’ve gained a few stress pounds.  Consider it an admission and not an excuse.  I may have self-medicated with too much chocolate and too many ‘ritas.  (S shouldn’t tell me how good I taste after consuming the chocolate and ‘ritas.  Okay, that was an excuse.)  Now, here’s how I’m remedying it.  I finished eating all the chocolate and drinking all the ‘ritas.  (Just kidding!  There is still one emergency ‘rita left.)  And this morning, I started back on the diet and exercise program.  I walked for 45 minutes, briskly even.  I took a diet pill.  I drank a protein shake.   (Chocolate, of course.)  And I packed three of the five small meals I need to consume today.  On top of that, S is going to be getting up with me and jogging, since he, too, has experienced the stress pound phenomenon.  And he had a protein shake.  I shook it in a cocktail shaker so he would feel right at home.  (He’d kill me for saying that, let’s just keep this to ourselves.  And if he ever starts reading this regularly, I’m going to get a lot less interesting.) 
• As for the kids…well, lots of love.  We all were up together this morning, which I really liked.  And we had a great dinner on the patio last night.  S and Keenan played track ball while I cooked.  Rachel modeled potential first day of school outfits for me, since school starts on Tuesday…tomorrow.  *gulp*
• On the S front.  We’re stressed.  We’re tense.  We still like each other.  I even still love him.  And I really like that I never cease to amaze him, surprise him, impress him.  I think that’s what keeps it fresh.  Clearly he sticks around just to see what’s going to happen next.
• And my passion…writing and the blog?  Well, I wish I had more time right now to work on finishing the novel that I’m working on.  (And so does my family, since I’ve been emailing my mom and sister a chapter at a time.)  I think that this new routine will help.  The blog, however, seems to really be catching on.  Thank you thank you thank you.  I’m starting to show some big numbers, which is precisely what my agent wants to hear.  Please keep sharing me.  I’m working towards a major goal here.

Happy goal assessment day!  Have a nice week!

Posted in Goals | No Comments »

The first 100 posts…

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Writing has changed through the years.  We’ve evolved from cave drawings, and handwritten manuscripts, and even the type set presses.  Now anyone and their brother can be a writer with the help of the world wide web.  Look at me, for example.

I have managed to publish over 100 posts to date.  Who’d have thunk it?  Guess that makes me a writer…of sorts.  And there are people who read what I write.  Having an audience makes me a writer, I think.

So, even though it’s a bit early for my state of the blog address, I wanted to mark this occasion.  This post marks my hundred and first post.  (Yeah, I messed up.  The birthday cake post ended up being the hundredth.  But a monumental cake post is good, right?)

I have much to write about still.  Look forward to hearing about our Great Wolf excursion later this week.  As usual, I’m not sure I’ll be able to fit it all in one post.  If you think I write a lot, try having an actual conversation with me.  And S has really gotten involved in the blog lately.  Even last night we had a conversation where he kept saying, “This should be in the blog.”  I love it.  My formerly uber-private man is coming around.

And on this momentous occasion, I did have my 300th unique visitor of the month.  Periodically, I’ll discover I’m being read in some unusual country.  (Trinidad and Tobego?  The Ukraine?  Egypt?)  Not picking up a huge following there.  I understand.  I’m not sure that even with the correct language I would translate well.  I have a couple of readers in Ireland, which S really loves, given his heritage.  Dare I hope that Maeve Binchy has dicovered me?  Ms. Binchy, I’m here!

Those of you who keep coming back, even if it is just to see what kind of craziness I’ve implicated myself in this time, know that I appreciate your continued interest.  And for those of you newbies…all I can say is, at least I’m real.  Come back and eventually you may see something you can relate to.

I know it’s Tuesday, but I was out of town and didn’t make my usual goal assessment post.  Please indulge me.  Here it goes…

• I haven’t stepped on a scale.  I don’t feel thinner.  I do feel bloated.  And that is why.
• The blog is growing nicely.  Thank you.
• The kids still like me, even though I’m pushing their summer reading projects since school is about to start. (And I keep assigning chores.  Oh well.)
• S and I seem to be growing closer.  Only time will tell.

Can’t wait to see what the rest of the month brings.

Posted in Goals | 1 Comment »

Mommy had too many ‘ritas…

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

That’s what I’ve come up with.   Or maybe it was the molten lava cake I had to eat by myself last night because S’s boss kept him on the phone for 50 minutes.  (And it was the fourteenth phone call of the day.  No exaggeration.  They started before we even made it out of bed and the last one ended at ten last night.)

Well, I told you I’d give a weekly accounting of how I was doing managing my goals.  And I’d say it was a week of ups and downs.  Good news.  Now I’m on the upswing.   

• About the weight.  Yeah.  Once again…I’ve gained.  So, here’s how I plan to remedy that:  no more ‘ritas, no more chocolate coffee, no more desserts.  (Who knew just one could be so deadly…)  And I’m upping the exercise.  I keep telling myself that I have to build these habits before school starts again.  The kids go back in a few weeks.  (The beauty of living in the south.)  So, I’m running out of time.  Rachel claims she’s going to get up and walk with me in the mornings.  The earliest that can technically happen is Wednesday.  Determined as I am…I did Turbo Jam alone in the living room.  (Our garage monkey stayed in the garage.)
• Kids still love me.  (Yay!)  And Keenan called me over the weekend to let me know that he has learned to ride a bike.  I know, seems late, but he was a little afraid of them when he was younger.  Now, he’s blooming.
• On the relationship front…it’s been rocky over the past week.  We’re chalking it up to hormones.  (Rightfully so.  I was sitting on the coffee table crying me eyes out for reasons I can’t begin to explain on Friday evening.  He reacted in typical man form…scared witless.  Then…magic hug and Stardust.  All calm once more.  Huge talk, new understanding.  All better!)
• The hair?  Well, in my quest for it to be more hair-like, I discovered this olive oil moisturizing lotion which claims that it helps moisturize, protect against heat damage, and straighten.  The trifecta!  So, at $6 a bottle, it seemed like a bargain.  And…it’s working.  Even S was impressed with the results.  (If you buy it, don’t overdo.  I did the first day and the some sections looked…almost greasy.  As with everything in life: balance is the key.)
• My quest to get published…going well.  My agent was in touch with me on SUNDAY.  And her emails are longer and more personal.  She has asked that I keep in touch more, keep her updated on my writing and the blog.  I think this site really changed her confidence in me.  I’m suddenly sellable.  (Cute, right?)

The most important thing…I’m happy.  I’m determined.  I’m dedicated.  (Whew.  I’m also exhausted.)

And I’m looking to build a support group of others working on the weight loss.  So, comment or email and we’ll get down those nasty pounds together!

thenicknick@ymail.com

Posted in Goals | No Comments »

Yay, me!

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

Sometimes we have to be our biggest cheerleaders.  Sometimes only we know how big an accomplishment something is.  I have a feeling, this is one such time.

Pardon me, I’m a little verclempt.  Today, I managed to add a subscribe link to sign up for my email newsletter.  A little applause?  Anyone?

I fear HTML code. I don’t get it.  I have learned French, Spanish, and even some Yiddish.  Yet ask me to speak computer and I freeze like a deer caught in headlights.

I know, as you look to the right you want to point out to me that it isn’t lined up exactly perfectly.  I plan to fix that.  I simply have to get the online support people to work with me.  And it’s a weekend.  So, within days, I should be all lined up.

Now…about the newsletter.  It’s a monthly deal.  Sign up to have the inside scoop on all kinds of cool things, like recipes, travel deals, special offers, and contests.  I plan to have monthly contest.  No time like the present.  I’m working out the details as we speak.

Look forward to seeing my subscriber list grow!

Posted in Goals | No Comments »

State of the Blog Address

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

Yeah, I realized I’m not that formal.  I’m more of a fireside chat kind of girl.  So grab a weenie and a stick, or better yet, a marshmallow and settle in for a few minutes.

Today I am so very happy…I’m practically giddy.  I find myself giggling, and I caught myself singing in the shower.  (Singing in the shower is a sign that I am feeling truly free and blissful.  Ask S.  He knows me so well.)  And I think I know why.

It’s simple really.  Life is good.  For me, it’s not just one of my favorite companies that makes the coolest shirts, etc..  For me, it’s true.  My life now is so different than it was a year ago, or even a few months ago.

This blog has given me purpose and focus.  I love working on it every day, jotting down topics to share, topics to develop.  I love networking and figuring out how to make it grow.  I love reading and responding to comments.  And all of it brings me back to this quote that I used once by Allan K. Chalmers.

The Grand Essentials of Happiness are:

something to do,

something to love,

and something to hope for.

Right now at least, I have that.  The blog is going so well, growing at a nice steady pace.  And I want to thank everyone for that, for sharing me and talking about me on Facebook.  Please keep it up.  I just submitted my second novel to my agent.  She checks in with me every thirty days and the very least and more frequently now, expecting to see progress on my writing and the growth of the blog.  I love having good news to share with her.  Don’t worry, I’m doing my part, too.

I just joined a great networking site for bibliophiles: Librarything.  (My username is thenicknick.)It’s free.  There are over 450,00 book lovers on there who have registered their libraries and form book clubs and everything book related.  Too cool!  And if I every finish inputting my library, the books I’ve read, I’ll be a networking machine. I had my picture on there.  S told me to leave an air of mystery about myself.  He thinks I’m too open, that I need to leave something to the imagination, which ironically is the exact opposite complaint he has with my attire.  Hmm.

And I also signed up on Twitter.  (My username is thenicknick.)  I’ll admit, I don’t really get it yet.  But you know me.  I’m so cutting edge that I just had to join.  The cool thing is that strangers are now signing up to follow me.  And I suppose a stranger is really just a friend I haven’t met yet.  Unless the stranger is creepy.  Then a little space is a good thing.

So, I’ll keep writing.  (I’ve almost finished my chocolate coffee so that I can be together enough to write the next post in my Miami series.  It take a lot of caffeine and sugar to maintain this kind of enthusiasm.)  Please keep reading.  And I look forward to reading and responding to your comments.

PS.  With your help, I made my goal of  200 unique readers for the month.  Let’s shoot for 350 this time.  Wish me luck!

Posted in Goals | No Comments »

So, I measured…

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Here are some goals that I need to be held to.  Ready?

• Lose 36 pounds.  (Strange number?  I have a goal in mind.)
• Work out five days a week.  (I did Turbo Jam this morning.  Yay me!  Hope those endorphins kick in soon because I’m stupid cranky right now.)
• Earn enough money on the side to quit my day job.  (So far, no good…)
• Build a big enough readership to get published.  (I’m off to a decent start there.)
• Be the best mom I can be.  (The kids still like me…)
• Build a lasting relationship with S.  (Working on it.)

Wish me luck!  (And don’t worry, I’ll still be sharing all the mundane aspects of my life, my silly reflections, my sappy feelings, and all that.  I just need to keep on top of these particular goals.)

Happy Monday!

Posted in Goals | No Comments »