The Sol Within Welcomes 2010!

Well it's here: 2010!  I absolutely love the Holiday season, especially the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas!  In my area there are two radio stations that play non-stop Christmas music from the week of Thanksgiving until midnight on December 26th!  My family and I just really adore this time!  All of our birthdays are packed into this season from Halloween until right before Christmas.  Our season is usually pretty busy and this year was no exception.  However, this year, I was finally taking the steps into pursuing my career as a writer.  I made so many new and wonderful "cyber friends" last year that I feel so blessed to have met.

I wanted to blog so many times before the Holidays and throughout the usual two week break, but we were on the go so much that when I was home I wanted (needed) to be with my family.  So we did just that!  We hung out together and played game after game...we even included my Dad!  My Dad has NEVER enjoyed playing games, but for his grandchildren...he'll do anything!  We had the best time together and we all needed to rest, re-focus, and realize the blessings we have.

Therefore, when it was time to return to school and work and back to the hustle and bustle of daily life...it was HARD!  We are still trying to adjust to the schedules.  I am usually not a fanatic about the new year the way many people on television seem to be, but hey, I realize I am a work in progress.  I know I am not alone in feeling this way.  Although, this year I am pretty darn excited to step into this new decade and venture out into the great possibilities that await me!

I have recently attained a paying gig/ freelance job and I am enjoying it.  I have so many projects coming up that my head is spinning with each new adventure and I am overjoyed!  I am learning to let go of the things and people that hold me back mentally and emotionally.  It is hard, I think especially for a Catholic Latina because of the tremendous amount of guilt we can torture ourselves with!  I am learning to listen to my own voice and learning to follow my own path that I feel best suits my family, my goals, and me.  None of this is easy and I know I will hit a bump in the road every now and then, but it is worth the experiences to travel this journey.

I must take a moment to give a tremendous "Thank you!" to Anjanette Delgado for allowing me to interview her with the release of her first novel.  It was my first blog interview and it re-opened a passion that I tucked away long ago!
A great amount of gratitude goes out to Lucha Corpi for being a wonderful and gracious woman!  She is a brilliant writer and poet and I learned an incredible amount from her through our correspondence and interview.  I will never forget her and the time she took for me!
Another wonderful interview last year was to feature one of my new favorite Latina artists...Caroyln Flores!  We had a great time doing that interview and her sweet demeanor really came through for all to see.  She is incredibly talented and is just beginning to make her mark in the world!
I have enjoyed the Q&A portions of the interviews and I look forward to the interviews coming up very soon...

Thank you to all the readers and visitors of The Sol Within...I do this to hopefully encourage and inspire each and every one of you!  I needed to show my heartfelt appreciation once more before I begin diving into this new year!  I leave you all with this quote I received this week from Jo Ann Hernandez (who got it from Literanista)...

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness.

I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can.

And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself. 
~Neil Gaiman 

Happy New Year, dear readers!  I really do wish you all a great year filled with health, wealth, and the love of true friends and close family!

Wishing you dreams to fulfill and the inspiration needed to do so!
~the sol within~
      Anna
The music that inspired this post...
~The Best is Yet to Come by Tony Bennett
~Cumbia del Sol by Control
~Hold On Tight (to Your Dreams) by Electric Light Orchestra
~These are Days by 10,000 Maniacs
~Spread My Wings by Troop
~It's a Small World (After All) by Disneyland Chorus