Because Katie is Complicated Enough

Being a mother of three often results in having to do things that are out of your comfort zone.

Sometime around 2006ish, my kids were tween and teenagers and like most kids that age, they wanted to be online. Myspace was the big thing and they begged me to have their own accounts. I finally caved with the stipulation that I had one too so I could monitor them. I vividly remember using one of those random title generators to come up with a snappy Myspace name and ended up with "Because Katie is Complicated Enough". I thought it was fitting and have joked that if I ever write a biography, that is the title I will use. Let's face it. Life is definitely complicated! So it comes as no surprise that humans are too.

Life just isn't linear. It doesn't flow in a clean, straight line. Sometimes in the middle of the complicated, dreams and goals take a back seat. Maybe not for everyone, but that is definitely my story. I used to think that life was supposed to flow in order. Childhood was supposed to be spent going to school and making memories. The next step would obviously be choosing a career path and going to college. The rest of life is for balancing a career, family and eventually retiring. It definitely didn't take me long to learn that life is a journey that takes us on twists and turns and sometimes includes giant mountains and deep valleys. Thinking back on it, I don't actually remember ever settling on just one thing I wanted to do when I "grew up". I had an idea of things I wanted to do. Then, I would tell to myself of all the reasons why I couldn't do the thing.

I have worn a variety of "hats" over the years. At one point in my younger years, I worked as a nursing assistant in a nursing home. This lasted about a month. I very quickly learned, that it was not for me. I spent many years working in travel. I actually really enjoyed being a travel agent. I've been a ballet teacher, and owned a cleaning business. I've had the privilege of sharing some of my experiences as a public speaker. I spent the most time working in outreach ministry. Definitely one of the most rewarding and hardest things I've done. Besides being a mom. That is by far the hardest and best journey of my life!

None of these paths in my life had anything to do with writing a book. Imagine the surprise of my family and friends when I tell them I am about to release my first children's book! We don't always share our dreams or goals out loud. At least I don't always share my dreams. I actually keep a running bucket list of things I want to accomplish in my head. I've always wanted to write a children's book or series. I've just never had the time to sit down and let my ideas come to life until now.

This project has been so much fun writing and sharing my vision for what each page should look like. Partnering with Jessica Aranda has been one of my smartest decisions. Besides being super talented, she and I have developed a friendship that I am forever grateful for. Jessie and I have never actually met in person. We met on Snapchat about 6 years ago and then moved our friendship to Instagram. After following her and enjoying the art projects she posted, I had to ask her if she would partner with me. I am so thankful she agreed!

Life is complicated. So going into this project, Jessie and I had several Zoom calls to go over expectations and timelines. I wanted to be sure we allowed for grace in our schedules. Our timeline has been there, with the caveat that family and health must come first. The beauty of this allowed us to be flexible and remove the stress factor over deadlines.

Our original publishing date was set for September 1st. Because of some family things for both of us, it looks like we are now aiming for October 1st. This will allow us to create the highest quality book possible to share with all of you. I am thankful for the patience, encouragement and love so many of you have extended to me.

I promise to keep you all updated and will let you know the moment you can order digital and physical copies on Kindle and Amazon. Those of you that have asked for signed copies, they will take a little longer to ship. Pre-order will go up on September 1st. I'll get them out to you as soon as possible.