I Write. I Give.

Last week I celebrated an anniversary. It's officially one year that I've been writing for my local newspaper. I know it might seem silly to mark this occasion. But I cannot believe how absolutely lucky I feel at having been given this opportunity to have such a cool job! Every week I write an article for publication in my very own column "WhiMSy love...in print". And, it's kinda weird because I feel like I'm getting my creative writing practice in----with the community peeking from behind my shoulder. I'm simply journaling, in view of the public eye. Sometimes I write made-up stories, or about a small town adventure I had, or about anything random that pops in my head.

Getting reader feedback is super fun! Mr. WhiMSy love even gets stopped on occasion when people comment about how much they enjoy my column. haha! I've even gotten some nasty comments. There was that one time I wrote about my thoughts on a recent problem our town had with its water. I mentioned the word "poo" 7 times & the word "diarrhea" once. *Scandalous!* One person commented, "A pastor's wife shouldn't be talking that way!!!".  (Guess I must have misplaced my 'Pastor's Wives for Dummies' handbook.)

I like to mark special occasions. So I'm marking this one with a giveaway! I'd like to give one reader a 1-year subscription to my small town newspaper, The Bridgeport News-Blade. You'll get to read my column every week & peek inside my world. (I also work on the advertising & layout, sometimes take photos for the paper & have reported a story or two...)

Heck yeah I'm braggin'! How many people get to say they LOVE their job? I never dreamed I'd get to use this part of my creative self. I have never gone to work with a grumbling attitude. Monday nights from 8 pm until the wee hours of the morning? I'm there! And if you only knew all the silliness that went on at a newspaper at those odd hours of the day. And how many wasabi peas or chocolate candies I have consumed in one sitting while at work. But that's another story...

Leave a comment for your chance to win! Drawing will be held this Sunday, February 27th.

**Giveaway open to US residents only--sorry my foreign friends!!**

For those interested in receiving a copy once-a-week in your sweet little mailbox, you can purchase a yearly subscription by
calling:
(308) 262-0675
 OR
emailing:

news [at] newsblade.net

Mailing address:

PO BOX 400

Bridgeport, NE 69336

The cost for a 1-year subscription is:

$28.75 (outside the state of Nebraska)

$20.00 (In the 11 Nebraska Panhandle Counties & those serving in the military)

$23.75 (Elsewhere in NE)

♥

B-n-W

Pazely drew this picture last week when we were outside playing in the sunny warm weather. As you can read, she had a good day.

 (Those are my feet. My giant boat-size shoes actually look rather cute there. That's a first.)

Anyway, I'm playing around more with editing my photos into black-n-white pictures because......(drumroll, please).....I will be taking snapshots for possible publication in the weekly newspaper. I say "possible", because if there's room each week, John (also known as the editor, but I've started calling him "Big J". He hates it.), will stick it onto a page, & if not, we'll try again the next week. I'm really hoping it becomes a regular weekly feature. I think people will like it.

The whole goal is to take photos around my county of things that the regular folk might not have ever even noticed. I'll get to go on adventures, discover parts of my new small-town world & share them with the locals. It could be anything. Random & interesting is the goal. I would love it if people actually saw the photos & went out to "see for themselves" or even said to themselves, "I didn't know that was here!" or "That Nikki is one clever cookie." (haha!)

My friend Susan (also known as: my co-worker, a blog fan, the lovely lady who asked me to be a part of The Bridgeport News-Blade, & John's sis) came up with this idea. We had a hoot brainstorming a title for this new feature at 2:30 in the morning. We ended up with "MoCo Photo: a random perspective of Morrill County". (MoCo=Morrill County). We chose a cool font & a cool layout. We think it's hip, edgy & quite awesome! My first photo, which comes out in tomorrow's paper, is a TTV shot I took of a basketball hoop in the church's back yard area. 

Though all the photos will not be TTV, I'm going to celebrate by buying another old camera to aid in my artistic photographic passions. Ebay, here I come!

 Ok, all together now: Yahooooooo!

♥ Nikki