2014 Goals: My mid-year progress report.

The first half of the year is quickly ending... where the heck did the time go? It seriously feels like we should still be creeping toward March, but it's almost July.

Crazy.

At the beginning of the year, I posted about my goals for this year. I thought this would be a fitting time to update on my progress thus far.

1) Bringing home baby Morgen - Having dealt with infertility my entire adult life, SS and I went into our first appointment with our reproductive endocrinologist early this year fully aware that getting pregnant would be difficult for us. We knew it would be a rough journey and we were prepared for that. Or so we thought.

We quickly learned that getting pregnant would not only be difficult, but would be potentially devastating. I have a congenital abnormality with my uterus. If I were to become pregnant again, the risk of additional miscarriage or preterm birth is really high. Having survived one miscarriage, and having experienced the sheer terror of premature birth with all three of my sister's children, SS and I were faced with a decision that broke our hearts. I still need to undergo additional testing, but unless things change significantly, we will not be having babies of our own. Obviously, this was a difficult decision to make, and it's one we've wrestled with a lot. But neither of us want to endure another miscarriage, nor do we want to risk the devastation of premature birth either. We'll be exploring our options for adoption and foster care in the near future.

2) Writing more often - There have been ups and downs with this particular goal. I've finished Ravished and have sent it off on query rounds. It's gotten some great feedback, and a lot of rejection. Apparently, romantic suspense is a tough sell right now. But that's okay. It will find a home somewhere! I've started a website for my erotic and adult romance. It's aydenmorgen.com. You can keep up with Ravished and other adult ventures there.

I've almost finished Stricken. I'm really excited about this. I always forget how much I love this story until I pick it up again.

Fighting FLAME into submission has been an entirely different experience for a lot of reasons. You'd think having broke the Top 100 on Amazon would have made the words flow easier, but it's been the exact opposite. I am still determined to get FLAME out to the world this year, but I've thought about burning the whole damn book a time or two. Fitting, right?

3) Redecorating - I've managed to paint 3/4ths of the den, and decided on new furniture (that I've yet to buy). We made an attempt to get the sunroom in order, but then black mold began to appear on one outer wall. Someone is supposed to be out sometime soon to decide what the heck to do with the room. At this point, I'd be fine with completely tearing down the outer walls. After SS almost died last year because of the fungal infection, I don't do mold of any kind.

4) Becoming healthier - I won't say I've mastered the migraines, but I've certainly made a huge dent in them. We've gone from 10-12 a month to 2 or 3 a month. HUGE improvement! I've also given up caffeine, eliminated a lot of sugar and gluten from my diet, and mostly survive on a steady diet of fruits and veggies and baked foods. This isn't a hardship since I love fruit and veggies.

Exercising is an entirely different matter. I was doing pretty good, but on Mother's Day, I injured myself in the shower. I thought I pulled a muscle. Turns out, I actually tore the muscle and fractured my hip in the process. Don't ask me how because I didn't even fall. I simply turned and something popped and all hell broke loose. So, I've spent the last six weeks on a walker, pleading with the orthopedic surgeon not to make me undergo surgery. So far, he's cooperated, but the hip hasn't. There's still a lot of swelling and a lot of pain and a lot of feeling sorry for myself and crying because I'm way too young and have way too much to do to be down with a fractured hip. It's been really difficult physically and mentally, so I've not quite mastered the stress thing either. I'm working on it though.

5) Vacationing/Lazy Days - Because of the hip, vacation plans have been put on hold for the time being, but on the upside... because of the hip, I've had to learn to do less which means I've done a lot of reading and Netflix viewing. SS has really had to step up to take care of things around the house. I can't remember the last time I swept or vacuumed or actually made it to the den or to my backyard or anywhere, actually. I go to work and I come home. It's pretty depressing, so I've been a hot mess. I'm just not used to being forced to sit around, and I don't like it. I miss being able to do even simple things like soak in the bath or take the dogs outside or climb stairs.

I am really excited that I'll be going to Rogers in July for the Indie Mashup event and Houston in August. I don't even care if I have to take the damn walker (or physical therapist and surgeon!) with me. I don't want to miss these events.

6) Education - I'm still not sure if I'll go back to school or not. I really want to do so, but it's so expensive and so time consuming... and I'm struggling to make the decision once and for all. I seriously think my boss hates me and wants me to quit (I'm really good at my job (even got a merit bonus today, holla!), but I'm very vocal and opinionated and I don't think he appreciates that particular quality of mine), so now would be an ideal time to go back to school, but yeah... I just don't know. We'll see.

As you can see... there has been a lot of progress and a lot of room for continued growth. I'm looking forward to the second half of this year and the good things I'm determined it will bring.

Have you met any of your goals this year? What will you be working on during the second half of the year?

xoxo,

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon | Barnes and Noble | KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million.