I finished my next round of revisions early in the month, and to be honest, I felt a jumble of things: relief, excitement, anxiety, gratitude. I also felt blazingly aware of my inability to judge my own work. I am too close to it now, after two and a half years, to be able to tell if it’s good or bad, working or not. I have a general idea that the majority of it is good, but I’m just too immersed to be objective. I pray to God that my editor (and future readers) will love it.

This month, I also made a list of 17 long-term goals. (Has anyone around here noticed that I’m very goal-oriented?) Among these long-term goals were finishing my second novel and beginning to dream about my third. It’s been fun to start playing around with characters and ideas again and to be doing so early enough that I don’t have to force anything or press myself time-wise.

Another of my goals was to create a budget and get a better handle on my finances. My friend Cindy recommended that I try Mint.com, and I’m loving it so far! It’s fascinating to be able to cull all of one’s financial information into one spot.

This month, I went to my favorite six-year-old’s dance recital, visited my regular doctor about my wrists (typing on a laptop all day at work and all night for my novel = wrists destroyed from overuse), visited my psychiatrist about OCD meds (not rocking that boat), went to an Emerging Artists Collective gathering (where the brilliant Judy Hougen discussed the importance of beauty), and went to The Fault in Our Stars in my local theater (a wonderful adaptation of one of my favorite books!). I babysat my favorite girlies, saw a lot of friends, enjoyed the Minnesota rain. I also am working with Leah Kirkwood, a wonderful young graphic designer, so be prepared for a new look to this blog … coming soon!

How was your June? Has it felt about a million years long to anyone else?