Looking Back

In 2002 I started this blog with the intention of talking about my writing.

At the time I was working on Dragonborn: The Beginning. It was my first attempt at writing fantasy. Things I remember about that first attempt:

1. I really wanted to tell the child's story, but because I didn't know enough about the world she lived in, I decided I'd better tell her parents' stories first. That way, when I finally got around to writing the story I really wanted to tell, I'd know the political landscape and how she came by her unique magic.
   
2. It was fun to write.
   
3. It seemed to write itself.
   
4. My first online critique partner loved it. In fact, he raved.
   
5. I sent it to Tor with hardly any polishing and still managed to get a couple of hand-written notes on the rejection letter.

I learned a lot from that first fantasy novel.

But after that rejection - the only one I ever risked - I put it away and moved on to something else. Most of what came after that first fantasy novel were more along the lines of character or plot sketches, but a couple actually grew into full stories.

But during the blog's first few years, my topics broadened to include my family.



Look how little they are! Based on the date stamp there, the little man had just turned three, which would put the oldest at 6.

Look at them now!


The Little Man


The Big Guy

But it's not just my two boys that have grown. The kids in my family have not only grown older, they've also grown in number. In 2005 there were 10 kids total on my side of the family. Of those ten, only one was a girl. (She's there...back row, next to my oldest boy.)



The years brought us a couple more babies, one of which was another girl! You can find her on her big brother's lap.



The years also brought our family a new pet, a new camper, and at least two new (used) vehicles.


Cash (a.k.a. Cassius, Poops, Poopie-Puppy)


Camping (oh, how many pictures I have of us camping...)

I'm not sure if I have pictures of the truck and car...but really, who cares about them, right?

Back to more important things. Things like vacations! Since 2002 we've gone to....


Las Vegas


Maine


Munising, MI


Magical Kingdom


Typhoon Lagoon


Hollywood Studios


Animal Kingdom


Disney Quest


Blizzard Beach

And those were just a couple of the things we did while visiting Disney World!



Taquamenon, MI (Not pictured: Indian Lake, MI)

This year..we're going to Chicago! Woot!

Of course, the years have also been filled with more than vacations, new people and creatures, and my writing misadventures. More than anything else, I think we do this...




Soccer


Basketball




Football


Baseball


Wrestling

Our lives are filled with the kid's activities. They keep us busy. Insanely busy.

Good thing we love them so much. Otherwise, they'd be sitting at home turning into couch potatoes like their mother.

What? I own it.

I am a nerd.
I am a little bit geeky.
And I could be happy as a couch potato.

Of course, that's not really an option with these kids. I mentioned they keep us busy, didn't I?
Well, they do.

But they also give Mom and Dad lots of space to do their own things, too. Dad gets to play softball, bowl, hunt and fish. Mom gets to read, scrapbook, play video games, play with her camera and write.

Because despite all that we do as individuals or as a family, I've still managed to keep the writing a part of my life. Perhaps I'm not spitting out a novel every year, but I'm always working on something because I rarely leave home without something to write on. So, while many things have changed over the last 8 years, the writing is still here and really is meant to be the focus of this blog.

I just needed a reminder.