Y’all.
I had been harboring a lot of Feelings about my previous post. Anxiety. Fear. Excitement. Readiness. It’s-been-a-long-time-coming-ness. Mild hunger. Intense Imposter Syndrome.
But after posting, I know more than ever that it was the right thing to do. Your messages of support reached into my soul and hot stone massaged it. I laughed. I gasped, realizing people I worked with had been reading my blog and I’d had no idea. And I burst into tears when I read the first comment using my real name, saying, “It’s so nice to meet you, Kelly!”
Dah! I’m tearing up just thinking about it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for being on this crazy ride with me.
There are some things I’d planned on sharing as well as some things I realized I left out or didn’t clarify. So let’s do this lightning-round!
1. The most critical thing I have to share is that THIS IS MY DOG, BOOTS! He is three in people years and a Goldendoodle and the President of Angel Nation.
Unlike my last pet (raise your hand if you saw me through the truly crushing saga of Hugo), I am not allergic to Boots, which is thrilling for both me and my allergist. Boots has a very gentle mouth and loves running around my house with toys meant for puppies and also my socks.
2. Though I will probably eventually roll out every single one of the professional pictures my mega-talented friend Kristen took of me, I wanted to make sure you know what I look like during non-photoshoot times. Here’s me when I let my hair air-dry and my friend texts me asking for my impression of Grumpy Cat. I have also included the real Grumpy Cat for a convenient comparison:
Oh. And it’s also probably important that I show you when I was Barb from Stranger Things for Halloween one year.
3. If you teach in Ohio, you should come see me at OCTELA next weekend! I’ll be the Saturday morning keynote speaker. If you want to find me when I’m not speaking, I’ll be outside the hotel asking a stranger to take a picture of me next to the snowman I made.
4. My book has an anticipated publication date of spring of 2020! I know that seems very far away to you, but compared to where I started in this process it feels like TOMORROW.
5. Pre-ordering is not available yet for the book, but trust me: you will be the first to know (after maybe, like, my mom). I want to say that pre-ordering would start 3-6 months before the release date, but I’m not sure. First I will have to finish the book, which means revising the things my darling editor marks as “Hmm.. not sure this metaphor is working?”
6. I’m still going to be teaching and blogging! I realize now that my post had a strong undertone of finality, but the only thing that’s ending for now is my anonymity : )
I think those are the most pressing things. What else would you like to know? Spring Break is coming up soon for most schools in Houston, which means I’m frantically trying to get my “Must Get Done Before Spring Break” list checked off and wondering why I even put so many ding-dang things on that list in the first place.
Some things never change.
Love,
Teach (Kelly)