My Anniversary Is in One Week!

Aaron and I have our 4th anniversary in a week. I'm so excited. I can't believe, in a way, that we've been married for a whole four years. It's gone by so fast. I'm excited to see what he'll get for me. I've given him some ideas to help him along. I got him a video game that he can play online called Guild Wars. He asked for it, so I know he wants it (I just hope he doesn't get into playing it for hours on end like many who play it do). I'm getting my hair cut on Saturday. As we do traditionally, we are having our picture taken. It's the only ones we really have of both of us together. It's hard to get pictures together when there is normally just two of you! So I'm having my hair cut so it's cute. I haven't had a cut in a year. I really hate having to go do it. I'm going to get a layered cut again, but this time, I'm leaving the length. It's now to about my shoulder blades. Nothing else to report.

Nieces Came to Visit

I just remembered something that was fun. Andrea and her family finally moved here from Washington. This was very exciting, then we found out that they bought a house an hour an a half away! So sad. They were in Lehi, though, shopping last Saturday and so came down to see us. They had their two girls with them, Kayla and Natalie, and I got to play them . In fact, I felt like a jungle gym as they played on and around me. I haven't seen them in awhile and so that was fun. They're so cute.

Life Is Life

Well, I know I haven't posted, but I just really don't know what to postabout. Everything is same old, same old. Aaron is still having a hard semester and struggling to do well. He got a 96% on his American Heritage mid-term, but he still has lots of projects, tests, and 2 papers before the end of the semester and I don't know how he's going to get it all done by then.

Work is same old. My boss hinted that the job for me was approved, but he hasn't opened it up yet. He also hinted that he's planning on hiring me for it, but I won't know till it happens. I don't know what is going on and I'm scared to ask.

Leading Edge is going well. As we get closer to publishing the next issue, I start taking more responsibility on myself. Matt has been good at helping, but I still feel a lot of pressure to do well. I'm excited by the fact that we've already accepted four stories for the next issue (in October) and possibly will have our fifth soon. We usually on publish 4 to 6, so that means we should be ahead on production since we're not waiting on accepting stories so we can start on production. I think this is partially due to Matt and I staying caught up on reading stories that are passed up to us. We make decisions quickly instead of letting them pile up.

Still, no real big news there. Other than that there is not much happening to report on. Sometimes this is a good thing because news can be good or bad, and I want to avoid bad news as much as possible . Can't wait till Aaron's semester ends, though. He's been so stressed!

I Met Dave Wolverton (AKA Dave Farland)

This week at BYU, there was a sci-fi and fantasy symposium called, "Life, the Universe, and Everything." Basically, a whole bunch of sci-fi and fantasy authors, editors, and fans come together and talk about subject dealing with sci-fi and fantasy including getting published, writing better, and how much we like Harry Potter (as well as other books, TV shows, and movies of the genres). One of the authors who attended was Dave Wolverton (also known as Dave Farland. One name is used for sci-fi books and the other is used for fantasy books). While he was here, I went to his book signing to have my copy of Leading Edge signed, since we published a story by him in the last issue. I also was hoping he'd sign some extra copies of that issue, and the 20th anniversary issue (which also had a story by him) that we could use for promotional purposes. While he signed them we talked and I told him my background in editing and plans to do freelance editing, mostly in fiction (although I am open to all genres). He was very impressed and asked for my info. I guess he gets a lot of requests from people to edit their stuff and he doesn't have time, so he's building a list of editors he can refer them to. I just happened to have a business card with me that I created when I graduated. I was very grateful for this because I was able to hand it to him, instead of the unprofessional alternative of writing my info on a scrap of paper. Overall, this was very exciting for me and I hope some freelance work comes from this opportunity.

Happy Valentine's Day

Funny story: I was driving my husband to work and he says to me, "Today's the 11th, right?" And I'm like, "No, it's the 14th." I'm wearing pink cords, a cranberry-colored shirt, heart socks (not that you can see the socks cause they're covered), and a pink ribbon in my hair. He says, "Oh." No other response. I don't think he knows what day is today.

I'm not blaming him cause he's had a hard semester in school and is having to work really hard just to stay behind in his work--and he just spent all last weekend studying for two tests yesterday, but still. I have to say I was a little disappointed.

This morning I wrote him a love note on pink paper. I was able to sneak his backpack out of his office (with him sitting at his desk the whole time), take out his lunch, put in the love note (in a plastic baggy so it wouldn't get gross), and put back his backpack all without him noticing. I bet he'll be feeling bad when he reads it and remembers what day is today. Even so, I bet he won't forget our anniversary which is more important. He mentions every once in a while that it's coming up soon.

Anyway, happy Valentine's day to you all. Hope you have people to love. Today is a day to show any love, not just romantic love. Give out your love to everyone!

EDIT: Well, maybe he did forget, but he went and got me some roses that night and felt really bad for forgetting. So yea!

Life Is Good

Things have been going pretty good lately. I still haven't been hired on permanently (what an oxymoron since it only means I'm not a temp, but doesn't really mean I have a permanent job), but anyway, that doesn't matter so much. I should find out within a month or two whether I will be. Either my boss will get approval and then I'll get hired, or he won't and I'll be let go (which just means I'll be in the market for more temp jobs). If this happens, I'll just keep in touch with the Documentation manager and possibly get some temp work from him until he has something more permanent in his department. I think it will work out either way. But overall, things are good. I hope it stays this way.

I have been so busy, though. I've been trying to do better at keeping up with housework and so if I'm not doing other things, I'm cleaning. On top of that I spend about 10 or more hours a week working on Leading Edge stuff. Also exercising, eating, sleeping, and watching a little TV here and there. I've hardly had time to think. Even work has been very busy with lots to do (which hasn't always been the case).

Leading Edge Magazine

As some of you know, I work at Leading Edge magazine. I'd like to put a plug in for it because if you like science fiction and fantasy, it's a great magazine. Our last issue featured stories by Orson Scott Card, Dave Wolverton (Farland), and LE Modesitt Jr, as well as Brandon Sanderson, a new author who has a novel published by Tor entitled Elantris, as well as a wonderful short story after the style and feel of HP Lovecraft entitled "Empire of the Dead" by Chris Kugler. I'd like to encourage all of you to take a look at our Web site at www.leadingedgemagazine.com. There are excerpts for each of the stories as well as a sampling of the art. Check it out!