It's 2016. A new year full of new possibilities. Looking back at 2015, I had 4 goals:

1. To be a good dog mom. #success

2. To run. #success I ran 1,417 miles in 2015 completing a half marathon, several 10ks, a 50 mile run, and a 50K.
3. To write. #success 3 shorts picked up for publication and a novel ready to send to editors and 2 children's books in the works
4. To be the best version of myself possible. I like to think this is an on-going process, but I'm trying every day.

In 2016 I hope to add  the following to these goals of loving my dog, running, writing, and being a decent human being.
1. Run in 12 new places.
2. Check help someone finish an ultra off of my bucket list. Thanks to my dear friend Cade I should be able to do this. Hopefully if  I blog about wanting to pace him in 2016s Travelers 100, he will for sure sign up and help me realize my dream by letting me help him finish his race.
3. Get out of the #nonewfriends club and network more. I have a goal of getting into a career in non-profit work in the next couple of years. Like a big time goal I need to make happen. I need to start breaking out of my shell and putting myself out there to make connections.

    After years of contemplation--seriously years and years, I used to sit on the computer and Google tattoos for hours in high school--I finally got my first tattoo. I waited so long to get one, because I didn't know what I had done that I wanted to advertise on my body. I always thought my first tattoo would be for my first book. However, as you all know, I've been super slow at that haha! (Update though, I'm finishing my edits on Jaisa's story this weekend--that means it's time to decide if I'm going to try to pitch it to publishers now or ask one of my mentors if I can hire her to read and revise it with me). (Secondary update: the Young Adult piece I wrote for For Books' Sake is coming out in February 2016). Any way, after running Run Rabbit Run this year, I realized that I wanted to wear my t-shirt from that race every day. I wanted to be reminded what I can do every day. So I wanted a running tattoo, but I wanted it to be special and to be me. 
     When I was a senior, I applied for one college scholarship. Not a good idea. I wouldn't recommend putting all of your eggs in one basket like that, but I got the scholarship. And it was huge--full ride 4 years any school in Nebraska. The reason I got this scholarship was my writing. They asked for an essay about my life story. In 500 words. That's like a page--very hard to pack such a lustrous (haha) life into only 500 words. With the help of the wonderful Miss Henre at Norfolk Senior High, I wrote an essay. Miss Henre thought I should use a poem or song or something to thread through the essay that the judges would remember. I used the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. So my tattoo is a crossroads--one side easy and sunny, the other side a challenge. Taking the challenge, be it running 50 miles or making a hard decision or standing up for what's right, in the words of Robert Frost "that has made all the difference" and made me Me. 

Shout out to Katie at Tenth Sanctum for the amazing job she did on this piece. I love it so much.