Super quick links today…posts on my other sites:

On CauseBlogger America’s Week Blog Roundup: MLK Day and Inauguration Week

Over on Step by Step Fundraising I posted a couple of articles with videos (from YouTube/news sources) In Honor of Martin Luther King, We Must Work and Inauguration Day Celebration for Everyone

Now I’m getting ready for a relaxing weekend.  Will be unplugged at least til Sunday afternoon!

My comments on Marilyn’s post When Projects Collide are the closest thing I have come to new years resolutions this year:

One of the things that I did drop off completely in the last few months was working out and yoga. Thinking I didn’t have time for it. Wrong. Even if I’m not training for an event regular workouts are great for combating stress. It helps clear the mind and restore the body. So these are activities that have to start being a priority again.

To combat overwhelm I also need to learn to use these two words more often: NO and HELP! Just saying no from the get-go if I cannot commit fully to a project. Then being able to ask for help from other people more often.

This week I did well on eating healthy, but didn’t get any exercise in.  Raking the leaves this afternoon was as close as I’ve come. There are two gyms in town that I would like to check out.  At one I know the yoga teacher so that will be a good de-stressing activity.

I have already resigned from a committee that I’ve been on for a few years.  It will be good to take a break.  I’m also working with several colleagues to plan ways that we can work together on some projects.  Saying “help” when it’s needed is not just a sanity saver. As I experienced with the recent release of the book I co-authored with Sandy Rees, the finished product can be even better than originally imagined by working with other talented people.

Just like many people this time of year I’ve been quite busy.  So I haven’t found much time to post to this blog since last month.  So to make up for it, I thought I’d post a year in review.

Here are a few professional and personal highlights from 2008…

1. Hired Jim Berigan as editor and feature writer for Top School Fundraisers blog, January
2. Reflected on Fundraising & Philanthropy Trends Around the World, February
3. Published the Fundraising Myths Series, April
4. Got included in Alltop.com, April
5. Participated in Wichita County Democratic Convention, March 29
6. Step by Step Fundraising featured in USA Weekend, April 27
7. Completed a certification course in Nonprofit Management, May
8. Started a new blog, Cause Blogger, registered the domain last year, finally started posting in May
9. Attended BPW/TX State convention with friends from Wichita Falls BPW
10. Said goodbye to our good friend Mr. Kitty, June
11. Trip to Montreal to visit eFundraising, July 7-9
12. Hired several freelancers to write for the Charity Mile Blog, August (who are still doing an amazing job!)
13. Collected 20 Free Grant Writing Resources for Non-Profits, August 13
14. Vacation in Colorado Springs, August 16-21
15. Moved into a new office, September 1
16. Presented Online Fundraising session at Dallas Fundraising Conference, October 29
17. Announced a grant sponsored by Top School Fundraisers, September 19
18. Enjoyed keynotes, expo and sessions and met cool people at Blog World in Las Vegas, September 19-22
19. Celebrated the election: Quotes from Barack Obama’s Speech and 33 Links to Wrap Up Election Season
20. Step by Step Fundraising listed in Top 10 Fundraising Blogs, November
21. Published a new book, the 7 Essential Steps to Raising Money by Mail with Sandy Rees, December 4
22. Hosted a teleseminar Fundraising Teleseminar with Sandy and Marc, December 10
23. Loved (almost) every minute of Doctor Who Series 4; anxiously awaiting Christmas special
24. At some point registered and got active on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
25. Now celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Christmas door ringers, Acts of Kindness and Oprah

What a busy year it has been!

We went to an election night party last night and enjoyed seeing the results come in.   It was amazing to see all the crowds that came out, several commentators said it looked more like New Years Eve in Chicago and NYC.  Later on at home we were still glued to the TV.

As we watched the commentary after the speech I was right there with my laptop.  I had to rewind the DVR at one point and Troy looked at me with a hint of an accusation in his voice saying, “you’re blogging aren’t you?”  Yes, of course!

Election Night Blogging – Let Congress and President Obama know…

It’s We, Not Me – For President Elect Obama; For Your Fundraising Letters

The theme for the Photohunt given on Saturday, September 27th was “view.” So today I’m posting a view out the window of our 6th floor office space.  We just moved in about a month ago.  Here’s the little city park that’s across the street from us:

Then I actually went to the park to get a ground level close up of the horse sculptures.  These are part of a city wide project sponsored by Leadership Wichita Falls.

Here’s the other side of the pony.  This painting shows many of the recognizable buildings in our downtown area, including the big blue “skyscraper” near the top center.  That’s our building.