ooops

"The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.”
~John Maxwell

I slept through the night much better when Unwritten Travels was safely tucked inside of my laptop. As I mentioned earlier, it is currently at the printers, soon to be PRINTED. Along with all of the excitement that comes from "getting it out there" is the terror that I might have missed something important. On more than one occasion, I have awoken in the middle of the night, suddenly realizing that we've repeated ourselves in two different chapters or remembering that we did not thank Jane Doe in our acknowledgments.

And thank goodness! Because the book had not yet gone to print.

Yesterday, the other Jenny asked me if we had caught a particular error before we sent it off to the presses. A GLARING ERROR.

no.

We had not. We had two different names for the final chapter of the book. Darn that Chapter Six. We went back and forth on what to call it. And forgot to change it in the table of contents.
After forty-seven edits. We missed it.

Good news. We still have one more round of edits.
Whew.
That was a close one.

Do you think I will sleep better tonight?

I will.
Not because our mistake can be corrected, but because really, how serious is the GLARING error in the big ole' picture of life? Yes, people might think, who are these silly women who think they can write a book when they can't even keep their chapters straight?

We are two wives and moms who are getting more comfortable every day with making mistakes.
This isn't the first time we have mixed up chapters in our lives. And the more daring we get, the more mistakes we will make.

How do you respond when you make a mistake? Do you laugh? Cry? Confess?
Attempt cover up? Hide under your blankets?

Wrap yourself up in the comfort that mistakes mean you are daring to grow.
Congratulations!

waiting for the kettle to boil

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Yesterday, I spent some time pondering the Serenity Prayer. It is always a relevant prayer, but in this time in my life, in the lives of those I know and love, and in the current status of Unwritten Travels, it is a time of waiting. And it does feel similar to hovering over the stove waiting for a pot of water to boil.

So, I made a list in my lovely little journal. Three lists, actually.

List One: All of the things for which I am asking God to give me oodles of peace. These are the things I can do nothing about. You know I can not do anything about them. I know I can't do anything about them, but the act of confessing with my mouth and heart that they are not mine to control brings me much freedom.

List Two: The things I need courage, discipline or strength to face. I have been give the power to make choices, to stand up and speak truth, to love unconditionally. There are small things I can do today to move my life forward on it's path. As I begin to own these things, I am filled with a sense of purpose in my day.

List Three: the longest list. Dozens of concerns, questions, fears, and hopes that are tightly pulled between the certainty of either serenity or courage.

Grant me the wisdom.

Not only the wisdom to know the difference, but the wisdom to accept that I may never know.

Sometimes, I am simply called to wait.

one winter weekend

3 years ago, almost to the day, the other Jenny and I went off on a little adventure to a tiny lake house for 48 hours.  This is where our first chapter started to take form.  

Who knew that our little get-away would begin a new way of life for us?  We had no idea what we were getting into.

It all started with a plan to meet once or twice a week to work on one of the many ideas we had talked about doing over the years.  We met at bagel shops and bookstores learning the ins and outs of our new mac laptops, brainstorming and eventually creating an outline for what has become Unwritten Travels.  This was a four month process that led up to our winter weekend at the lake.

We came home with a cut and pasted Chapter One titled,

  The Honeymoon: discover your heart's desires. 

(You can see the glue and scissors in the picture above.)  

Every time I have looked over those first pages (it has to be millions of times by now), I still feel the thrill and joy of that chilly weekend with one of my dearest friends.  It many ways it is even more exciting now~the anticipation of getting to share all we have learned from this journey with you.

off to the presses

After 3 years of writing, editing, writing, editing, editing, designing, and more editing, we are on our way to becoming a tangible book.

We are going to press.

Our due date is February 23rd.

Tomorrow we have meetings to set up our web site and credit card system.
Our goal is to be ready to take your money, I mean, pre-sell our book in the next two weeks.

Although the writing/publishing process is coming to a completion, we are just beginning an entirely new journey- Getting Unwritten Travels into the marketplace.

Thank you for all of your encouragement and for your belief in us, especially in those moments when we really thought this baby was never going to get here.

About Unwritten Travels

All women reach a "Now what?" time in their lives - maybe even several. Sometimes these moments follow accomplishments and are expected (what to do after high school or college, empty nest syndrome), other times they are quite unexpected (divorce, illness, even unanticipated opportunities).

Either way, women find a time when they second-guess or even feel the need to totally revamp themselves. Deciding how to navigate through it, determining what to remember or learn about oneself during it, and finding a way to enjoy the new ride is the goal for every woman.

Unwritten Travels is a book that reminds women why they need to take care of themselves,what they are created for, and how they can become bold life learners in the midst of transition. While the authors include some of their own life lessons, Unwritten Travels uses interactive pages to help a woman discover and apply the lessons of her own story. Filled with doodles, reflection, and creative excursions, this book invites women to officially, blatantly, boldly answer, “What now?”

This blog is to give you a peek into the day to day process of publishing a book, as well as to provide a more personal perspective on the pages and assignments in Unwritten Travels.

You can follow along with the book (to be released in February)
or just enjoy the journey with along with us.