Seventeen months and one day ….

It’s just a year and a half in an ordinary life. How much could have possibly happened in the seventeen months and one day since you last heard from me in this forum?

Some of you, many of you maybe, likely know most of what I’ve been up to for the last year and a half. If you follow my other blog (gasp, cheating, I know), or my Facebook fan page (fans? for what? I’ll get to it) you’ll know pieces of what the last seventeen months and one day have held for me.

Here’s a quick recap of what that time has held:

Healing from the broken leg, publishing my first book (Ten Days of Perfect), working full time at St. Agnes in Lake Placid, writing my second book (Reckless Abandon), moving to Massachusetts, writing my third book (In the Stillness), attending my first book signing, publishing both books, navigating the beginnings of a divorce, attending book signings and writer events in DC, Orlando, NYC, and Stamford, moving on my own (with my kids) for the first time since I graduated from college, writing and publishing my fourth book (Nocturne, with Charles Sheehan-Miles), falling in love, sending my oldest child to Kindergarten, writing my fifth and sixth books (a novella with author Michelle Pace called Something’s Come Up and my fourth solo project, Sweet Forty-Two), and finally, two weeks ago joining Weight Watchers.

Some days have felt exactly as overwhelming as all of that above looks. The rest? Well, not only does “God only give me what I can handle” He also does it in a timing that is in line with His plan. That means some days are easy breezy and some days have me on my knees begging for mercy.

In the relaunch of this blog, I want to give you all an idea of what you should and shouldn’t expect from here on forward.

First, I won’t be dissecting the minutia of my divorce. There are some things that are meant to be kept private, and the fact of the matter is, I respect the father of my children too much to broadcast personal details of our marriage or its dissolution with anyone. If you’ve been part of my life, you know what you need to know, and if you haven’t been, well, you know what you need to know.

What I may or may not discuss is my personal emotional journey through the process, but what you won’t see is any discussion that will lead to any assumptions of the other half of the relationship. This blog is about me and motherhood. It’s a journey and I’ll be more than happy to share the important aspects of this piece of the journey, but you won’t be regaled with tabloid fodder. *shrugs* That’s how I roll.

Second, you’ll hear about my writing career only in the aspect that it’s my job. I won’t inundate you with loads of promotion, but I will share when I release a book or reach certain milestones, just like anyone else in another career might. If you want to follow the ins and outs of my writing career, mosey on over to www.andrearandall.com .

Third, it’s just us moms (and some dads) here. If you’re familiar with me in any way, at all, you’ll know I’m a shoot-from-the-hip kind of mom. Lots of days are great, and lots of days have me fantasize about living alone in the Ozarks. It’s not always pretty, but it’s always beautiful. Trust me. I’m a judgement free parent, and this will be a judgement free zone.

Finally, let’s revamp my Mommy Diaries page on Facebook!!!! www.facebook.com/judgementfreemom (see what I did there? I mean it.)

I’ll be back on later tonight or tomorrow to really get rolling, but I felt the need to orient you with my life.