Do You Have Goals?

Many thanks to Misha and Beth for hosting this hop!!!

It's been a whirlwind month - although more focused than last month. Last month, I had five things happening at once. This month, I had two things happening, slightly overlapped. 

1. School started. This means that I started teaching three classes at a local home-school co-operative, and my oldest started her second year of a dual credit program at a nearby community college as a senior in high school while my youngest started a combo of online, home, tutored, and public school classes (a little wild for scheduling, but the perfect fit for her). 

2. My kids competed at the Olympic Hopes Regatta in Szeged, Hungary. And I, with the help of some other parents, managed to take a super-fast trip to Amsterdam, Budapest, and Szeged. I put out a few facebook posts via instagam on my phone, but connectivity was spotty throughout the whole trip. I came home to over 40 e-mails from students, three rejection e-mails for short stories, and some other e-mails that I still need to tackle. I also received an ARC in the mail. (It has been fun to read, but I'm still working on the review.)

Words Written: 21,000 (mostly before I left.)

Miles Walked: 47 (over half of this happened on the trip)

Miles Biked: 0 - yikes!

(Short Stuff) Story, poem, and article status: 3 rejections, 1 "on hold for one more month" e-mail, and 18 pending response.

Marketing - none, except a slightly slower automated twitter feed. Sales are down, but more paperbacks sold than normal. 

W.I.P. Novel - complete change of direction and topic. I'm playing with an idea based on King Belos the Blind of Hungary and Queen Helena, his wife (originally from Poland). These two royals don't have mega-statues in any of the big tourist spots that I visited, but I happened across them in a strange cross-referencing kind of way and an idea sparked. (I just have to see if it's going to light an actual bonfire that lights up a full novel.) Or, I might write a story about a girl at the girl's school that was the first group to use the Castle in Budapest. Or, I might change direction . . . again.

Pics from the trip - because you expected them, right?

Picture of the Parliament Building on the Blue Danube in Budapest.

Pic taken from Castle Hill.

Picture of St. Matyas Church on Castle Hill in Budapest.

This is the most beautiful church I have ever visited and I've seen St. Paul's Cathedral, Notre Dame, and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. - St. Matyas Church is worth a visit if you are ever in Central Europe.

The Labyringth of Catacombs under Castle Hill is extensive. In the tourist-friendly portion, there is an exhibit on Dracula - because this is where the historical Dracula was imprisoned and tortured. His grave, or at least a representation of it, is down there, too. 

The steam is natural because Budapest is home to many hot springs.

They have a section that is without lights to give visitors the full effect. My friends and I were bad and turned on our cell-phones so we didn't stumble down any wells (there were two with grates over them) or run into walls.

My youngest daughter's K4 team boat (in blue). The girl in the front is the daughter of a girl I played soccer with in elementary school - we didn't make the connection until we were in Budapest. (Seriously wild. small world stuff.)

2016 OHR Team USA with a camera running low on battery power.

Awesome athletes and coaches.

My oldest daughter, sick with a bad cold, had the courage to go out and race 1000m when many other female canoeists from several teams declined that distance. 

She had her worst time ever, took 9th place, and earned a point for Team USA at the regatta.

I am proud of her for having the courage to go out and race, even in tough circumstances, against girls whose arms were bigger than her legs.

My youngest didn't make any "final" races but raced hard in her heats and semi-finals. She always has her eyes on the finish line, no matter the distance.

We came home, she rested one day, and then started doing body weight workouts the second day home. She's hoping to qualify and compete at the 2017 Olympic Hopes Regatta, which may be in Romania, Bulgaria, or the Czech Republic.

Biggest news for Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Hopes Regatta: two young women took a bronze medal in a C2 (two person canoe) for the 500m distance. 

This is huge. The USA doesn't usually medal at this event.

Our results by the numbers can be found here: "Ghizila and Crocker Win Bronze."

And, a local newspaper had an article: Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team canoeist wins bronze medal in Hungary

My kids both get mentioned by name in there, so it's kind of cool. :)

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/gateway/g-sports/article104974701.html#storylink=cpy