P C S !

For my non-military friends out there, this stands for Permanent Change of (Duty) Station.

In other words...WE'RE MOVING!!!

And *gah* can I take a moment here to vent about what a frustrating process it is? Especially going OCONUS?? ok done

Oh yeah, that means we're moving outside the continental U.S. for those who caught it. South Korea to be exact :)

We've still got two more months before we actually move, but we just finished getting the plane tickets and setting up our shipments of our household goods. So it's finally starting to feel a bit real. Sort of. I expect that it will really hit me when they show up to pack away our express shipment next month.

For now, we are just being crazy busy tackling life. It's amazing how much crazier things get when you add in a second kid. I'll be coming around again though more frequently soon as we get better adjusted.

First Rejection Letter

Another highlight from this past month was getting my first rejection letter.

This is not something that I'd normally say qualifies as a highlight. But when I first got it, it oddly felt good.



Alice In Wonderland (Original Manuscript)

Rejection letters are to be expected when it comes to trying to get published. I hadn't created a full length manuscript, but I have written a few shorter pieces since starting this journey and so I thought I'd take a stab at trying to get one of them published in a Literary magazine. After waiting for a grueling 5 weeks, I finally got a response. Thanks, but no thanks.

When I saw this response I almost felt relief. I had passed another rite as a writer. My first of many rejection letters to come.

I'm sure it feels good to get published. But it also feels good to be rejected and still love the act of writing.
 

Debt Free (#5)

This past month we had something else very exciting happen to us - we finished paying off my student loan! This means we are officially debt free!!!

I know financial stuff can be a bit of a bore to read through. But I am a total nerd and find it exhilarating to read and learn about, especially when I can apply it to my life.

If you're like me and get all giddy when it comes to finances I'd recommend looking up a few fellows to help expand your thoughts on this matter.

You've probably already heard of him, but if you're looking to get out of debt or not knowing where to start with taking charge of your finances, Dave Ramsey is who I'd recommend. He's a great motivator, and his "baby steps" are great for those who feel like they have no idea what they are doing.

If you've already set up your financial foundation and want to stretch your frugal muscles some more, I'd recommend heading over to Mr. Money Mustache's blog*. (Beware you may stumble across some explicit language) He has some great suggestions to help you shift your views on financial freedom and general consumerism along with some good info to help you get started right in investing. The forums over there are also extremely helpful (and free!).

Our plan from now on is to stay out of debt. We have one credit card open that never keeps a balance on it (but we do get rewards points!) which we will keep open and we will probably be looking to buy a house in the next five years or so (depending on our status with the Army). These are our only exceptions to the no debt rule.

Next step is to open an IRA account! We even have the money set aside for this. We just need to sit down and do it. But of course not a lot gets done around here with a toddler and a brand new baby in the house :)


*I'd really only recommend Mr. Money Mustache, but reading one of Dave Ramsey's book is what got me interested in finances in the first place so it feels wrong not to mention him.
 

Our New Arrival

No news is good news right? Well this little cutie is the reason you haven't been hearing from me for awhile :)

Jane decided to join us on January 22nd. We all love her to pieces!

A word on Editing and Revision

I'm over half-way done with my second writing class now and honestly all I want to do is seize everything I've written before and attack it again. It's starting to hamper with my assignments to continue writing new material.

I think I may have found a new drug. And it's called Revision.

I know a lot of people really dread this part - I used to be one of them. I was able to edit very easily; capitalize this, add a comma here. Not a problem. Didn't ever break a sweat. I would avoid revision though like the plague.

I think it was a combination of being too scared of trying again and being prideful. I liked what I originally wrote. If I didn't, I wouldn't have put it out there for people to read. What was wrong with the way it was? Wasn't it good enough?

Because right now I'm living through a blizzard

After going through my last class and forcing myself to stretch a bit I found that there was actually a freedom to admitting to revisions. I liked myself better. I liked my work better.

I didn't always agree on what the professor wanted me to do in my revisions, but accepting that maybe those things did need some work somehow allowed my creative juices to flow. I found alternate solutions to the problems presented to me (and alternate problems as well).

Not enough closure in the ending? But my ending is fine. Let's focus on the climax instead. Can you add to it? Does it need to be moved back? Who's missing from that moment that should be there?

Is your main character a little flat? But I like him the way he is. Maybe the supporting characters need more development instead. Can you create a foil? Can you add depth to a relationship?

I wish I had stumbled upon this sooner. I feel like I have much more control over my work. I feel more like a creator instead of an instrument. This monster who I thought would tie my hands behind my back instead has only opened dusty windows and encouraged long walks in the park.

There's a way to be happier with your work.

Not to mention there's a lot less pressure to get it all right the first time :)