Jenny Ann Blogs (for the 1st time)

All of my acquaintances would describe me as a “real people person” someone who has “never met a stranger.” One would think that a person with this personality would be all over blogging, sharing life with others via the internet. The majority of my friends and family have blogs. I have been encouraged by many to join the world of blogging. Yet, I am a virgin blogger.

What only those closest to me know is that as much as I am social, I value my time alone more. I really like thinking and listening to my inner voice and truthfully don’t always want to share myself with anyone else. Jenny Ellen’s daughter says that everyone is her best friend; my daughters state the same thing about me. Why are we able to have many sincerely wonderful relationships? Partly it is because we spend time with and like ourselves first. Sound like a narcissist? I hope not, because part of the motivation for writing Unwritten Travels is to encourage others to be their own best friends.

Thinking recently about the process of turning our pages into a physical thing, I realized why people love their blogs. Elizabeth gave our book art. Don & Chris made it a thing of beauty. Ann helped make it understandable. Kevin worked on getting it printed and Mandy is at the plant making sure that the books get delivered. Charlie is working on the website. Another Don is getting us hooked up so people can buy the book online safely. Yes, Jenny and I wrote the book, but how many people worked together to turn it into a reality? How many people have their fingerprints all over it?

I have started to read blogs and think I am beginning to get it. As I try to turn the thoughts and dreams that I think about in solitude into realities, blogs give me the potential to have many fingerprints on my own life. I can learn from the experiences and lessons others share, the interconnectedness. So, thank you to all of you bloggers. I hope you can be encouraged in your own life by the fact that Jenny and I set out to do something we knew very little about but had a passion for, and we are delightfully seeing it through to completion. Thank you also for sharing this first day of my blogging honeymoon. – Jenny Ann

the master proof

Isn't it the best thing to get a package in the mail?

Even though most deliveries these days are fat envelopes with home insurance papers or updates on our ever dwindling investments, I still get hopeful that maybe this time, the postal worker will bring me a special delivery.

Today, he did.

On my front porch this afternoon, I found a package that housed the master proof for our book cover. On the big beautiful photo paper is a true to size print out of our cover. At the top is a sticker that instructs us to sign and return. We must OK it for content, color guidance, and corrections. They want ME to okay it.

I don't actually know what this is or why this step is so important in printing a book, but I am learning to trust the process.