Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ?
Nah!
Lots to learn and fondly remember about those days gone by.
BUT…
Let’s not dwell on it people. We’ve got a new year full of promise just waiting in the wings. So incredibly exciting. I love bringing new goals into focus.
Here’s some of the things I’m setting my sights on in 2014…
New Year’s Resolutions
*MOVING! I can not wait for this for a multitude of reasons. I’m super excited about our new home!!! I LOVE it and I’ll be sharing more of that with you as it happens. But I’m also stoked for the arrival of the day when I’m NOT MOVING ANYMORE! This process has officially eaten up most of 2013 and I’m ready to be done with it. Settled. Focusing on my other goals.
*Writing goals aplenty this year. I’m planning on selling book two, finishing book three and brainstorming book four. I’ve also got a little project that I’m dabbling with that I’d love to make more headway on. Getting all tingly for this writing year. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) showed me what I’m made of and I can’t wait to broaden my own horizons.
*I want to keep running. Last month I logged 49 miles of running and today I should break that number for the month of Dec. I’m pretty excited to be running more regularly. By doing that, I’m seeing my running improve and if I can run like that after the holiday season of gluttony is over, perhaps there will be a little less of my in 2014 LOL!
*Back to Workshop in 2014. This is my dance class and it’s way more than dancing, although we do plenty of that. My Tuesday nights are the BEST and I can’t wait to get back to our regular routine. I love my Yanni girls. <3 But why this gets a resolution shout-out is that, for the moment, the inflammation in my hamstrings isn’t bothering me as much as it has the last year, so perhaps I can get some of that lost flexibility back. *crosses fingers*
*I talked about the move, but deep within the move, is the opportunity for me to do a wee bit of clutter purging. As every year kicks off, I always clean and organize, but I am REALLY trying my best to straighten up, fly right and take advantage of this opportunity. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about this in the future too. Such a personal struggle. I blame my father for passing down his unorganized genes. *points accusing finger skyward*
*And lastly, I want to continue my journey of doing things that scare and challenge me. I’ve found that I LOVE what’s on the other side of the hard things I’ve faced. I am a happier and better person for tackling my fears. The only regrets I have are for the things I’m still too afraid to do. So, in 2014 I’ll continue to challenge myself to be brave and we shall see how that’s working for me a year from now.
Your turn. Tell me what you’re focusing on in 2014.
Happy New Year my friends <3
Tags: 2014, Bravery, courage, dancing, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, New Year's Resolutions, Publishing, running, Success, writing
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I’m sneaking in one more post for Random Acts of Publicity Week. I thought this would be an easy post. Silly me. Pick just one book and give it a shout out? Not easy at all. I’ve read so many amazing books that I’ve loved. Even now, I’m tempted to give you a laundry list of the books I wanted to pick in order to sneak in a round about shout out. But I’ve decided that I WILL chose only one and I WILL have a really good reason for choosing it. I will also try to pick something deserving, but off my beaten path.
*wrings hands and sweats*
Nobody said Random Acts of Publicity are easy…oh, wait…they are easy. *head thunk* Since it’s a breeze, don’t forget you still have time to give your favorite book or even a deserving, under appreciated book a huge boost! You don’t even have to pick just one, I’m only making it hard on myself, in order to emphasize why this one, special book should be on your To-Read list.
Okay….*drum roll*…here it is…
THE BOY WHO DARED By: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Just as the Nazis are rising to power, Helmuth Hübener, a German schoolboy, is caught up in all the swashbuckling bravado of his time. The handsome stormtrooper uniforms, the shiny jackboots and armbands, the rousing patriotism all serve to draw him into this bright new world full of promise and hope. In the beginning his patriotism is unwavering. But every day the rights of people all over Germany are diminishing. Jews are threatened and their businesses are being destroyed. The truth has been censored, and danger lurks everywhere. Anybody can turn on you. The world has turned upside down: Patriotism means denouncing others, love means hate, and speaking out means treason. How much longer can Helmuth keep silent? Told in flashback, Newbery Honor Book author Susan Campbell Bartoletti magnificently explores the life of a heroic German youth who dared to stand up against the Nazi regime.
*synopsis taken from Goodreads
“It’s a Tuesday. The executioner works on Tuesday.”
I just finished reading this book with my boys. It was a wonderful experience. My husband and I have talked to them often of the horrors of the Holocaust/Nazi Regime and in contrast, the beauty of the German people. Prior to having children, we both lived in Germany for four years. This gave us a chance to visit two different concentration camps and to also fall in love with Deutschland and it’s citizens. The dichotomy that exists between Germany’s past and present is also seen in this wonderfully written tale of historical fiction.
Susan Campbell Bartoletti does and amazing job of putting the reader in a moment that is too painful to watch, yet too important to ignore.
I hope you read this book. In my humble opinion, Helmuth Hubner has earned the right to have his story heard and his bravery remembered…
Any Random Acts of Publicity that you would like to share with me? Leave them in the comments section. :o)
Tags: Bravery, Nazi Germany, Random Acts of Publicity, Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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