You guys! I AM AN AUTHOR! OFFICIALLY!

Now, it's not the children's book that I'm still hoping to find a publisher for; it's something else. My friend Brenda sent me a link a few weeks ago about getting paid to write articles on the internet. I did a lot of research on the subject, and I finally found a website that I felt comfortable with. There are a lot out there, but not all of them "felt" either reputable to me or that I might be a good fit for. I was also leery of sites that accepted just any article from any person.

Anyway, I finally applied for a job with one website, but I was extremely nervous because they gave me five different mini writing assignments during the application part. Many people, well, many of you all have complimented my writing style, but it is something completely different to send my work to a professional editor hoping that it is good enough to get me a job. My tummy was a mess!

I screamed so loudly when I read my acceptance letter late at night last week, that I woke Jeremy up, and he popped up from his pillow punching, ready to defend me from anything. (My Hero!)

For the last several days, I've been attending some online classes to become oriented with the website, it's goals, the article guidelines and what-not. Then I accepted my first writing assignment and began researching the information for the article I would be writing. It's a lot more work than I expected, but I'm really enjoying the feeling of having my brain in gear again.

I finally had all of my research finished and organized, and I was ready to write my first article. I've been having trouble with my computer lately (I think it's been ever since I upgraded to Internet Explorer 9), and I just knew my computer would freeze again while I typed. It's been freezing every few hours, and I lose whatever I'm working on -- horribleness! I determined to save after every paragraph, this time. (I usually forget to save, and my only redemption are the autosave features on many websites.)

Imagine with me my horror when I found that there was no save button AND no autosave feature at my new site. !!!!! So, I needed to work as quickly as possible. The synapses in my gray matter were firing quickly and creatively. It felt so good to WRITE!

And then it happened. My mouse quit moving, my computer quit responding. I was over halfway through, and all those hyperlinks I had put in...I went into mourning even before the computer had finished its reboot. I knew it would all be lost. There was just one chance! If only the site had somehow, miraculously kept the information somewhere.

I logged back on, hoping. Hoping. HOPING.

No. It was gone.

And now my computer is too.

(Just kidding.)

I finally submitted my first article around 1:15 am last night, and I waited and waited for the verdict from my editor. I wasn't sure how he would respond, either by calling me, or emailing me, or if he thought my article was good enough, would he just post it on the website? I've been checking email and the website ALL. DAY.

And just now, The Email came. I saw his name in the Sender line, and my heart stopped beating. It really did. (I am actually typing this post while I am dead.)

(You should probably print it and keep it somewhere safe since it is a medical miracle and will be very valuable someday.)

He said, and I quote (because I am not above bragging), "Congratulations on posting your first article as the Ft. Wayne Family Recreation Examiner! I had a chance to review it, and I thought it was excellent - a solid read with a nice mix of information and insight."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it?! He liked it!!!! In fact, he published it! Hooray!!!!

I am SO EXCITED! (Did you notice?)

So now, I am off to the website to see if I can find my article. I'll probably attach a link here so you can read it too, if you want. It's geared towards people who live near me, and it's informative rather than interesting, so all of you far away people won't get much out of it, but I think the number of clicks or reads I get affects my paycheck, so feel free to click away.

In fact, I'll go get that link now, and put it up here. (I like bigger paychecks!) :-)

This is my website http://www.examiner.com/family-recreation-in-fort-wayne/missy-sherron

This is my first ever article(!) Memorial Day Weekend 2011: Ft. Wayne's guide to budget-friendly family fun

Today, I met with my illustrator about the first story in my children's book series. (I've finished three stories so far.)

!!!!

Today, the sun shone gorgeously, and the temps got up to almost sixty.

!!!!

Today, my four-year-old, Liberty Grace decided it would be smart to cut a patch out of the back of my hair with a pair of scissors.

!!!!

Today, I earned my mother-of-the-year award -- both of my daughters are still living.

(Barely.)

It's January third, already? I guess that means it's back to the real world again, huh.

I took a blogging break for the holidays, and enjoyed every minute of it. Jeremy had the week between Christmas and New Year's off, so we whipped our house into shape. Now there's nary a box in sight. (If you don't count the boxes of off-sized girls' clothing stacked in the basement or the skinny boxes "hiding" between my couch and the living room wall. They contain, I think, large hanging decor that would make our home gorgeous, but gorgeousness is on hold until we are completely organized...and until Jeremy feels like working on the gorgeous.)

We were going to hang fun stuff in the dining room tonight, I have a large clock and three small paintings to go up, but we've all come down with some weird stomach bug that forces all thoughts of decorating from our minds. Well, I was victorious over that symptom, but the rest of my family hasn't been.

Speaking of decorating, the girls love hearing Fancy Nancy books read to them, and Fancy Nancy enjoys decorating everything in sight. Last night, Liberty happily confided to me that after she went to bed, she was going to make her room "sooooo fancy!" I nodded and said something like, "Oooh, that sounds like fun."

A few hours later, near midnight, Daddy discovered that Liberty had sneaked to the bathroom closet and pilfered three bottles of bathtime body paint. She then used them to make all of the walls in her room fancy. Streaks of blue, purple, red and pink and a beautiful smell greeted him when he checked on them before his own bedtime. Liberty told us that Mercy did it, and we believe her since a large concentration of the paint hovers over Mercy's crib. The trouble comes with the question, "How did Mercy get the paint?" You see, Mercy cannot get out of her crib.

We hosted a scrubbing party in the middle of the night last night, and this morning, I noticed a small area of blue that we missed, but it is so high up on the wall that I'm still trying to imagine how Liberty reached that particular spot with her paint.

I have heard nothing from my literary agent. Their literature promised a response within three to five business days, but I've been telling myself that the lack of email from them is due to the week full of holidays. I mean, everybody has to take a vacation sometime, right?

Somebody please say, "Right," convincingly.

Well, I did it. I just made first contact with a literary agent who may be willing to find a publisher for me.

I'm excited. I'm shaking. I feel sick.

But I'm happy!