However, as the Christmas holiday crept closer, I began thinking about the big man in the red suit.

I had a grin on my face as I thought of the fun lore surrounding him – but then as if by magic, all of the puzzle pieces started fitting together in my head.

Santa Claus is actually a VAMPIRE!

I’m totally like a Christmas detective. Please draw your attention to the evidence supporting my theory:

The song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” is like one giant hidden message.

CLUE #1: He knows when you’re sleeping.

WHAT THIS MEANS: Hello?! He’s totally Edward stalking people and watching them when they sleep! How else would he know?

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CLUE #2: He knows if you’ve been bad or good.

WHAT THIS MEANS: He knows because he can READ YOUR MIND!!!

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CLUE #3: He lives forever.

WHAT THIS MEANS: Does this need an explanation? Totally not buying the farce they tried to sell in, “The Santa Clause.” He’s way too smart to fall off a roof and die.

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CLUE #4: He travels all over the world in one night.

WHAT THIS MEANS: He has super human speed! Have you ever heard of a vampire that wasn’t freakishly fast?

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CLUE #5: He does all of his business at night.

WHAT THIS MEANS: Whether he’s afraid of bursting into flames or blinding people with his sparkle, the fact remains that he only comes down from the North Pole at night.  And he lives at the North Pole where it is dark 24/7 during his busy season. I’m going with the theory that he hibernates during the summer as to not freak out the elves. This is also why he has to send out “helpers” to work the mall circuit.

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In short, meet the REAL Santa Claus.

May your world be rocked.

I had to take a deep breath, and by the advice of good friends, I realize that I just need to take it chunk by chunk.  Easier said than done, but I have to do it. I really love this story and I want it to be told, even if no one reads it but my family. :-D

So, FORWARD MARCH my people!

Susan is a master.  Can you believe she crafted her entire outfit herself?  That purple gown? Old prom dress. Awesome zombie slaying gun? Nerf gun.  Goggles? All Susan!

I love people who are willing to try anything, especially when we can do something that crosses my interests!  And Chattanooga had the perfect location for steampunk – a train museum!

Susan’s book is due from HarperCollins in 2012.  Keep a look out for it!

This book brought me right back and I started analyzing myself as if I were a character in one of today’s YA books. 

There always seems to be a Queen Bee/King and his/her followers in all groups, whether it’s the band circle, the jocks, the “popular” types, etc.

They each have their leader and they each have their followers.

I started looking at the people I surrounded myself with and even as an adult, I realize I’m drawn to stronger personalities.  Not that I don’t have a strong personality of my own, because I do, but I’m not the take charge, leader type at all.

Then I started questioning if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  Is there a need for a dominant personality in a group of people for it to work? I don’t really have the answer for that.  I see pros and cons with both sides.

A positives is that there’s someone to make decisions – to make things happen.  That’s nice if you’re typically an indecisive person because otherwise, you may just wind up stuck in your house for days on end. That would be really boring.  Plus, strong personalities liven things up a lot and make you want to be near them.

But on the negative side, it makes you question if you are really in control of the decisions you make (or made).  This is a big one.  I came to the realization a while ago that I was tired of not standing up for what I believe in or want.  It’s no way to live your life.  This is a theme explored in BEFORE I FALL, as well, and it’s one worth noting.

So basically, I realized that I will probably always be a worker bee and never a Queen Bee, but that’s really okay.  As long as I’m aware of the pitfalls of that role and to avoid them, I’m at peace with that.

Have you ever though about your position before?  Where do you think you fit in and how does it make you feel?  Pros? Cons?

I think it’s so interesting how one comment can spark blog posts a many within our community.  My bud, Regan Leigh, runs #QueryChat and apparently there was a discussion about whether writers should also be true book reviewers.

To me the answer is pretty obvious, but yet people want to blast others for giving them “straight-from-the-horse’s-mouth” type advice.  And it’s not been in just one place. I’ve seen it in quite a few of the entries spurred by this discussion.

I’ll never understand this. It’s different if it’s presented as someones opinion, but when major agents, editors, etc. are telling you facts about how they operate, perhaps listening would be wise.  Especially when their argument is sound.

Sometimes our pride gets in the way of seeing truth.  It would be a sad thing for something as simple as a book review to stop your career as a writer.

Want to write book reviews?  Be anonymous, or stop pursuing writing yourself because in no profession would you be allowed to publicly and harshly judge one of your peers.  Notice I didn’t even say bashing.  And I was naive of this myself when I first started.  The thought that my opinion on a book could have an impact on what I was trying to do didn’t cross my mind, but as soon as I read a true expert’s opinion on the subject, I did an about turn (and promptly deleted my reviews).

Let’s compare this to another situation.

I’m a teacher.

Let’s say I published a blog post discussing how Mrs. Pretend Teacher at my school didn’t teach her students in a manner they could comprehend.  Her students regularly failed the state test and it was obvious to me she wasn’t an effective teacher.

Now imagine I was in the job hunting stage again and the school I interviewed with Googled me and up popped my Mrs. Pretend Teacher post. Do you think that would make me look good?  Would I have demonstrated professionalism by posting that?

It’s my opinion! I have freedom of speech as an American!

Great, but I wouldn’t get the job.

This is no different.

I’m not belittling the people who have had problems with this, and freedom of speech is well and good, but like I mentioned on Regan’s blog – freedom of speech isn’t a free pass.

Words are powerful – use them wisely.

My husband was very kind to point out to me recently that I have no choice but to be mediocre as it stands.

That may sound harsh, but let me elaborate! :D  What he meant was I was taking on way too many things and therefore, couldn’t master any of them.  He was 100% right (the viewpoint of an athlete, I guess).

This is a list of the things I tried to accomplish in 2010:

mother

wife

teacher

writer

photographer

etsy shop owner

website master (I co-run a parenting and photography forum)

graduate student (both finishing my masters program and beginning my Ed.S.

Yeah…WAY too many things.  I love teaching too much to give that up any time in the future, so I had to take a hard look at my priorities.  In the end, I’ve decided to give up my etsy shop, despite it’s success.  I couldn’t keep up with the demand and of all the things I was doing, it gave me the least satisfaction.

So, for 2011…my main goals are to be an awesome wife and mother because I believe family is so important.  And thankfully, I’m a few years into teaching and am learning how make the most effective uses of my time in that arena.  That leaves photography and writing, as well as grad school (which will be done in July, and I have no choice with it at this point, so it is what it is).

I’ve let them fall by the wayside.  I’ve made no effort to grow my photography business, nor have I dedicated the necessary time to writing.  My husband told me to make myself out a schedule dedicating time to each.  He’s committed to helping me succeed and that’s why I married him, honestly.

I feel like I’m getting some control back.  Control over my time and my wants.

2011 is going to be great year – I feel it!

What are you planning on doing to focus your life this year?  It’s different than say, a resolution, but it’s more a lifestyle issue.