Let me start first with I'm sorry. Let me follow it up by saying I love you. Now if you're thinking this sounds like I'm trying to get back a long, lost love, well it kind of is. I haven't posted on Open Salon in over a year. You’re asking yourself, "Anna, what happened? Were you kidnapped? Did you come down with a rare disease that has just been cured? Did you give up writing?"

The truth is life happened.

Shame on you for thinking I'd give up writing...

So here's more of the truth: I had a baby!

That's pretty much what happened to me.

I've heard people say before that they had all these aspirations to write, travel, go to school, but that they had kids and they just couldn't get to them. I get it now. I used to think those people had given up. Now I get that your brain cells dissolve somewhere between the midnight feedings and the zombie hours spent putting diapers on backwards. I get that you want the best for your children, you want to give them everything, you want them to be proud of you and all that you've created, but you also just want to do the dishes and go to bed.

Also, I didn't just have a baby. I also worked and worked and worked in order to save so that I could resign from my job. Then I moved far away to  support my husband and take care of our child full-time. And I've been telling myself that if all went well, when everything settled down, I would write.

So here I am over a year after my last posting ready for you. Ready to write. Ready to be welcomed back into this community that I've loved and missed and only had a split second every few months to check up on.

Hello Open Salon! I've missed you! I'm back.

I'll be posting my next lake nostalgia story starting next week. Until then take care and wish me long, uninterrupted nights of restful sleep. I'll be wishing you the very same.