So long 2011...

I am sitting down to finish off my WIP, but had to take a minute to bid farewell to 2011.  Though a lot less eventful than 2009 or 2010, it has brought its share of doubts and joys and mixed blessings.

I've seen my son weather the last gasps of middle school to blossom into an amazing young man in high school. I've always loved hanging out with him, no matter what age, but so many of us approaching middle age get those pangs of missing the babies we once had.  For me, that lasts about a blink and then I am wide-eyed and staring at this witty, wonderful, cultural explorer who has been shipwrecked in a wasteland and refuses to let that stunt his growth in any way.  I love you, Ghost Son.

I've watched my daughter grow into a young lady, excel at academics, process intense grief when her beloved pet died in her arms, and wrestle with the demons of puberty mixed with a processing disorder that has rocked her little world out of focus. We have managed some great feats in the past, and I know we can get through adolescence together.  It won't be easy, but we know that in the midst of all the chaos, our beautiful girl is still in there.  I love you, Ghost Daughter.

I've been surprised by unexpected turbulence in a rock solid man as middle-age hit him smack in the face.  I'll just say that a mid-life crisis can happen to anyone, no matter how steady or logical, and if you keep your head, you can get through it.  He is still and always will be the only one for me.  I love you, Ghost Hunk.  All day long.

As for this Ghost Girl, I'm still discovering who I am as a writer, still fighting to pull it all together.  This novel has taken me longer than anticipated to write, but I'm hoping it will be worth the wait.  So here's to a shiny book deal and phenomenal things all around for the whole Ghost Clan in 2012!