One of the things I was doing in my absence was supporting my daughter in her writing competitions (yes, she has the writing bug, too, I believe she will be more successful than I ever could have been!) She is in a writing group at her middle school that entered the district writing competition and it was a whirlwind after that! At districts she qualified with her team to move on to regionals. At regionals, she achieved a personal triumph when she placed 6th among the entire 7th graders competing in our Northwest Ohio region. From there, she and three other teammates made the trek to state at Wooster College, in Wooster, Ohio where she wrote her way to a 12th place finish overall among 7th grade writers! She was among 7000 writers who entered the competition in the fall, and continued on to state with a personal victory. What a great experience and what a great achievement. We are so proud of her creative talent, but moreso, her true love of writing and literature. Way to go, Kayleigh!

Quote of the Day-"if you don't dream big, What's the use in dreaming? If you don't have faith, There's nothing worth believing. It takes one hope To make the stars worth reaching for.So reach out for something more! "-Emily Shackleton

A Very Long Absence

Okay, I have been MIA for quite some time. I guess I should mention that I went back to work last fall after being a stay-at-home mother (the best job I've ever had!!!) for 12 years!! And then having hit 40 last summer (which, incidentally, is the BEST age I have ever been!!!) I decided to make even more changes in my life and decided to go back to school to finish the degree I never did--FULL TIME. It has been a great challenge, and though there are days when I feel like I am drowning, literally, I am actually SUCCEEDING at this!! Who knew???!!! I hope to begin to visit here more regularly as this is where I feel at home, where I get to use my writing and journaling skills. I will keep more up to date from now on. For those who read it (all 2 of you!) and most especially for me!