Check out our new zoo website at 52zoos.com!

I don't remember the last time I was more excited about a writing project. I'd like to think I give each one my all, but man, I'm really living, breathing, and eating this one. Wow.

Speaking of the word "wow," I've come to the conclusion that a really good writer wouldn't use that word. Without taking the time to look up the actual meaning, I'm thinking that writing the word "wow" is akin to saying, "I'm fresh out of words to describe how I'm feeling at the moment." And shouldn't a good writer have just the right words to describe how she's feeling at any given moment? You'd think.

A good writer also might stay off of rabbit trails.

So, I'm referencing my Zoo Journal as I type this post, because how this whole 52 Zoos in 52 Weeks thing has evolved is just crazy. I can't even remember it all, and it's only been about six weeks since its inception.

Back on July 11, I wrote in my "regular" journal: I'm getting all excited about a possible road trip this fall. A Zoo Tour. Cincinnati, Louisville, Knoxville, Birmingham, Columbia... Then I wrote: I'd love to write a book about our zoo tour with photography by Gabe. Wow (there's that word again), wouldn't that be amazing? Maybe we could take 3-4 legs of the tour over the course of a year. Deep South, East coast, out West, zoos of Texas... Wow, I'm getting excited.

Then I had the brilliant idea to stay with friends and family wherever we went both to save money and renew friendships. Then the next day I thought of a brilliant title. I'm so in love with it. (and it's so a secret for now) I found a coral-pink leather-bound 4x6 journal (brand new) at the thrift store for 90 cents, and that became my official Zoo Journal. I jot down ideas in it multiple times a day. It's going to be full before the 52 weeks are even one-sixth of the way over.

We took our first zoo trip on August 1--the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky. Read about it here. And it wasn't until after we got back from the trip that I got the idea to make this a clearly-defined challenge. Not just go to a bunch of zoos, but go to a zoo a week for a year. 52 zoos in 52 weeks. From August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009. (We've got plans to end the thing with a big shebang at our hometown Columbus Zoo. You're all invited!)

Our next trip was a 4-zoos-in-4-days whirlwind. It was awesome. Read about it here and here and here.

Our most recent trip was yesterday--the Indianapolis Zoo on Labor Day. Read about it here. Quite possibly our favorite of the six zoos we've visited so far. 

Oh, so you probably want to know what the book is actually going to be about.  Good question. Let me start by telling you what it's not. It's not a Zoo Guide Book. A fabulous one has already been written and was released just a few months ago. It's called America's Best Zoos: A Travel Guide for Fans and Families. And I about peed my pants when I was riding a harbor seal on the zoo carousel yesterday with my two younger daughters and my oldest daughter came running up, "Daddy's talking to the guys who wrote the zoo book!" True. Allen Nyhuis and Jon Wassner, the authors of the book were at the Indy Zoo yesterday doing a book signing. What are the odds really? I had a great time talking to them about their book and mine and plan to keep in touch with them, my fellow zoo fanatics. They're great guys, and their book has been invaluable to me and my family as we've planned our zoo trips. I take it with me everywhere. And now it's autographed by the authors--how fun!

Oh, you still want to know what the book's about? Well, it's a little bit memoir, a little bit travel lit, a little bit essays on life, motherhood, family, faith, and adventure, a little bit let's get excited about meeting God's amazing creatures and learning about countries around the world, and a little bit practical tips for making the most of your kids' childhoods. It's also a lot bit funny, a lot bit inspirational, and a lot bit very, very cool. (and I will obviously need a very patient editor to help me with my grammar)

I cannot begin to describe what these last few weeks have been like for my family. We have had an absolute blast. My husband is excited, I'm excited, our 7-year-old daughter is excited, our 6-year-old daughter is excited, and our 2-year-old daughter is beside herself ecstatic. We are having the time of our lives, and we've only just begun! God's provision and path-clearing has been knock-your-socks-off amazing. Wow, wow, and wow.

I could go on and on FOR-EVER, but then what would I write in the book?? Check out Gabe's Zoo Photo Collection here, and you can read Zoo Tour Updates almost daily on my blog. See you there!

I was pretty naive a couple years ago when my first book came out. I held that thing in my hands for the first time and genuinely believed that the hard work was over. Now I'd just sit at home and wait for the world to discover it. Word would spread quickly. It wouldn't be long before the royalty checks started rolling in. No need to promote my book. If God wanted it to sell, it would.

I also felt no urge to become a public speaker. I was a writer, thanks, not a people person. Happy to do my thing from the comfort and safety of my home. I felt most comfortable at my childhood desk, pecking away at my keyboard in peace.

And then my book went out of print. In less than a year. Ouch. Time to rethink some things.

I'm thankful now for the reality check. And the slew of boxes in my closet, garage, basement (I bought out the rest of the publisher's stock of that title.) serve as a daily reminder that this writing gig is more involved than I thought.

I started accepting speaking engagements (2-4 a month, mostly local). People hear me talk then buy my books. My web designer hubby created e-blasts for me. I blogged more about my books. Did some give-aways. Found other bloggers who offered to give away my books on their sites.

To be honest, it all makes me a little bit uncomfortable. Sometimes a lot bit. I want to be humble. I want to glorify Christ. Talking about myself and my books all the time just seems...wrong. So I pray for wisdom, for balance. I ask God to show me what He wants me to do. I ask Him to examine my heart and show me if I've got anything in there that needs to go.

There's a message in my books that lots of people need to hear. When women e-mail me and tell me how God completely changed their hearts toward their husbands and their marriages, I know I'm doing the right thing. And I know God's answering my prayer when I receive a glowing review of a book, and my first thought is, "God, You are so awesome! You wrote this book, not me. How good You are to use it in this way for Your glory!"

I know I'm not honoring God when I check my Amazon sales ranking 10 times a day and get depressed when books aren't selling. 

My 2nd and 3rd books have blown my first one out of the water (which isn't saying much, I suppose), so that's cool. But it won't take much for sales to fizzle out and die. There's a lot of maintenance involved (sigh) in keeping your books on the shelves (of stores, not your own garage!). Some days I just don't think I'm cut out for this.

I try to start each day asking God what He'd like for me to do. And which parts to leave up to Him. How to balance my time among family, friends, church, writing, speaking, book promotion. When to work hard, when to rest. When to speak up, when to shut my mouth. He's faithful, that's for sure. I'm trying to be more assertive, pro-active, what have you. But, on the other hand, God has been so good to plop a good many opportunities right in my lap. Entirely without my help. Imagine that.

The biggest blessing I've gotten from all of this? The people. He's given me a new heart for people, a desire to truly connect with them. A love for His children and a burden to see lost souls come to know the One who gave His life for them.

And He's renewed my awareness of my desperate need for Him. For His love, His forgiveness, His power, His presence. I just want to obey God. One day at a time.