Cheers!

"After the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written and you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded, the enduring things that are left are: the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory, and the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live." --Vince Lombardi

The week was somewhat busy, including an overnight trip out of town. But still, writing goals were addressed: another touch at revision, updating the one-sentence pitch, progress toward querying. With all that, it seemed fitting to celebrate by taking a quaff of a few suds--the suds of a root beer, that is!

Our special destination for a root beer treat is, appropriately, The Root Beer Stand. Around since the 50s, it is a (used-to-be) car-hop kind of place. Though servers no longer come out to your car to take orders, it is still a quaint little location that offers not only root beer, but coneys, popcorn, and the best BBQ sandwich you ever ate.

What a fun break--sipping and munching, observing and enjoying. A great time to clink glasses. Cheers!

So, as the week winds to a close, I propose a toast. Cheers! to those who:

• set writing goals this past week and made progress, no matter how great or small.
• achieved breakthroughs in a knotty part of their story.
• got a positive response from an agent/publisher.
• registered for a writing conference.
• had the courage to ask someone to read their work.
• paid it back and critiqued someone else's work
• read to their kids.
• read to someone else's kids.
• are dedicated to excellence and to doing with their lives the very best they can to make the world a better place in which to live.

And, on a personal note, Cheers! to:

• my daughter who received notice that she has been named a finalist in the Thin Threads Story Writing Contest--this, her first big writing break-through.
• and to my daughter-in-law who became a U.S. citizen this week, in a swearing-in ceremony in Los Angeles that included over 3300 other new citizens.

Cheers! to all.

Anything you'd care to toast?