So. Excited.

I'm so excited (and I just can't hide it).

Reason #237384 I'm not a great blogger- I can't plan out things nice and neat time wise, because I just can't keep a secret.

[I had a really great video to post right here, but Max made me promise not to post it. Apparently dancing like a dork on video with your sister isn't cool. Who knew? But, he did tell me I could keep it on my computer for blackmail purposes to use when he is rich and famous, so I guess that is okay.]

I feel like most of us take a break on the weekend from catching up on blogs. I mean, weekends are time to spend with friends and family. Some of yall may not see this until Monday. Plus, I'm a mere three (now two) posts away from the highly anticipated 500. That seems like a great place to make a super big, ginormous announcement. But, that's okay. I just can't wait. I'm bursting at the seams.

Do any of you remember this?

I'm done. I mean...I'M A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!!!! (meaning I have a book and it's being sold on Amazon, so I get this pretty nifty page with my picture on it. not meaning that I have a contract with a publishing company, though that would be pretty sweet if anyone has connections)

I just couldn't wait to share the news. This has always been my dream. As a little girl, being an author was one of those "dream jobs". I even wrote a few little books (but, they weren't really great). In Kindergarten, I wrote a little tale about "How Number 1 Met Number 2" (They met at a grocery store where Number One told Number Two that she was going to have a baby. I was a little obsessed about the little sibling thing. Kind of awkward. I might share it sometime if you're really lucky). In fourth grade, my friend and I wrote a book called "The Boat Trip" about...you guessed it, a boat trip. In those very few short pages, we had pirates, cannons, adventures, and a trip to go see a favorite teacher. But, neither of those were published. Not like this anyways.

Over the last year, I've been hard at work on a book. The other night, I finished it. As I tweeted Wednesday, "I really might just cry. My book is finished. So much went into those 11,000 words (yes, it's short), but it is my heart." I've been a little self conscious over the length. But, I didn't want to write fluff. I didn't want to put unnecessary words on the page. My vision for this book was for it to be as if we sat down for a conversation. Therefore, it's pretty casual in it's tone. You won't find many big words (like eschatology) in this one.

My heart. My passion. Some of my writings over the past year have come from this book, but not the complete story. Not everything. Other portions of the book are from my journal. It's real. It's raw. It's messy. It's not all princesses and sparkles (but, it's not super depressing, don't worry!), but that's how my life is, and I'd imagine that yours is probably the same. There are times of sparkle and times of dimness. This is the story of many, many seasons. I've been stuck on the last chapter for about a month now, but during last Sunday's sermon at church, it all came together and ended in a nice neat,pretty bow.

I'd like to introduce you to my baby now.

Finding Beauty in the Breakdown. You see that name in the small print under the title? That's MINE!! As the description says, 

Worry and anxiety about the future are two of the biggest problems that people face. In an uncertain world, how can we trust that the future is going to turn out okay? We have to learn to rely on God and trust that he can and will provide for our every need. Life isn't worth worrying over, that is just wasting the precious time that God has blessed us with. It's time to take off the shame related to struggling with anxiety and time to start finding beauty in the breakdown.

If you've read my blog for long, you know my story. You know how I'm an obsessive planner and how I worry about everything. This is the story of my journey. It's a little scary to release this baby out there into the world, but I really want to share my story. I really want to show how hope can come, even in the darkest of times, if we just remember to turn on the light. 

So, I know this sounds kind of weird and all. I mean, really...I hate selling myself (that's why interviews aren't really my favorite- I don't like rejection. I mean, look at the book we are dealing with here!). But, I'd be honored if you would read my book. I have this dream of being the next Beth Moore, and girls, we have a long way to go to get there. This book is available on Kindle. I've priced the book at $0.99. I'd love for you to support me in this endeavor- as you've supported me all of this time since 2009 when I first began this blog. In fact, if you just so happened to read this book and you turned to the Dedication page, you might just find something special.

This book is for my “Not Your Everyday Cinderellas”- my girls that have supported me through my blog over the last few years. You girls have seen me through my ups and downs. My good days- and my not so good days. You were there for me after Chicago and you loved on me. I’m forever grateful for that.

Thank you so much for your support. I love the fact that when I'm going through a hard time, I've got all my blog friends to depend on me. I know we don't know each other "in real life", but I really feel like we do. 

An added fact. I'm hard at work on the print version of the book. It comes out to about 70 pages. I had some minor issues that needed to be fixed before the book went to the printing presses which delayed this release a bit. When it is released, it will also be available on Amazon, but it will cost slightly more ($3.99). Currently, we're on a 4-7 day wait to get into the Amazon system, but it is on the way! I wanted a hard copy of my book to remember this momentous occasion, but it will also be available to any of you who are interested. I will post more details when I get them (hopefully in the next few days)! This upcoming week on the blog will be Book Launch Week, so stay tuned for more information! Yay! :)

(By the way, if you're keeping track, I've now completed Goal #2 from my New Years Goals and #29 on my 101 in 1001! Yay!)