a whole lot of great things

It's been a very busy summer, full of movement and acceleration and there is just too much to catch you up on everything, so I'll do the dreaded list.

* I ran my first 10K! 1:03:03...and I haven't run since. Shameful, I know, but I hope to get back at it in September.

* We moved! We now live in Victoria as my husband has got a skookum new job at the university. We live a block from the beach and I can see America from my house! Crazy.

* I've written a play and it's being produced! This October as part of the Vancouver International Writers Fest! I'll write more about it soon, as it's very exciting, but you can read about Initiation Trilogy here.

* Glossolalia is being published this October! My wives have found a home at Anvil Press. There will be even more about this in the coming months, but to say I'm thrilled is an understatement.

I have a couple of interviews that I started in the spring that I'll be putting up once I've unpacked our books and I hope to be around ye olde blogge a lot more now that we're somewhat settled.

A little bit of movement

One thing I've been wanting to do for the last few years was take up running. I've had a lot of excuses to not start, some better than others (being pregnant, Edmonton winters, embarrassed to exercise in public, not knowing what I was doing), but this year was going to be the year (which partly went into my choice for acceleration). I wanted it and, more importantly, I knew I could do it. So when my sister told me she signed up for an introductory run clinic that also included a voucher for a new pair of shoes, I knew I had to follow her lead.

Last night was our first class and it was great. Only fifteen of us and, as a group, there is a wide spectrum of running experience. We did our first run last night. Very basic--one minute run, one minute walk, eight times--but it was so good. We were in the rain along the seawall and I was so happy. Really, really happy. I hope this joy stays with me as the runs get more challenging. (And I hope my ankles don't always hurt the day after. Any advice on that front?)

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Have you put your name in the virtual hat for the give-away over at Canlit Mama? Deadline is tomorrow.

Exhausting/Acceleration

We spent NYE with my sister and two dear friends who really are family now--they're Auntie and Uncle to my kids. We played three different games, ate a lot and drank even more. We meowed our way through Old Lang Syne. And I spied two racoons peeking through our second floor skylight at 3:00 am. (I think they are a harbinger of something, but of what I am not yet sure.)

I'm not one for resolutions at the top of the year--I am much more likely to do them on my birthday--but I do feel like I need to acknowledge the old year and nod to the new one in some way. As we were setting up Settlers of Catan, I made everyone around the table to give one word to describe 2011 and one which we hope will describe 2012, no explanations. It was very interesting.

For me, 2011 was exhausting-large chunks of solo-parenting, pregnancy and new baby, moving from Edmonton back to Vancouver. There were other things, but those were the largest, most draining.

My word for 2012: Acceleration. I won't go into specifics, but I'm want forward momentum for my body, my work, my brain, my spirit.

If you were at my table on NYE, what words would you have offered?