We Promised You Good Stuff in the New Year...

...and today we're thrilled to share an exciting development here on The Red Dress Club.

Cheryl and I have such big dreams for TRDC. We want to make this your go-to place for everything you need. We want to challenge you, inspire you, educate you. We want you to be delighted by what you find here.

But, Cheryl still has Mommypants (five plus days a week!) and I still write over at in these small moments, and when all is said and done, we've come to recognize we need some help to accomplish our goals here.

So, we talked, meditated, searched, debated, considered, and talked some more.

And we believe that we have chosen someone who is going to bring energy, enthusiasm, and extensive teaching experience that will benefit all of us.

Our newest host is Katie, from Sluiter Nation, Exploded Moments, and Katie's Bookcase. Yes, you read that right...three blogs. (I did tell you that she's loaded with energy, right?)

Many of you already know Katie, as she has been an active member of TRDC for a while now. If you don't know her well yet, you will find her to be kind, sincere, open, intelligent, and witty.

And now I'm handing you over to Katie who has a few things she'd like to say:

I was just minding my own business one Sunday evening when I got a phone call. I never get phone calls. Ever. Texts, emails, DM’s, facebook messages…but never, ever phone calls. Except from my mom.

And this? Was NOT my mom.

“We’ve called to ambush you.”

And then a pile of giggles.

In case you haven’t figured it out, that pile of giggles was Nichole AND Cheryl.

I am fairly certain I sounded like an idiot on the phone. I couldn’t stop smiling. And nodding. And smiling.

They insisted I take my time to decide if I wanted to come on board. Ask the hubs.

I needed no time. OF COURSE I WAS IN!!!

I have spent the better part of my life immersed in all things writing.

I have my bachelor’s and Master’s in English with writing as an emphasis. Part of that was spent working with the Third Coast Writing Project on the best practices for teaching writing.

Watching these new practices in action as a high school teacher, and then as a college adjunct professor, have been incredibly rewarding.

But there was always something nagging me…I was not doing my OWN writing.

In 2007 I started writing freelance for my hometown paper. But it wasn’t the creative writing I wanted to do. I would have rather had a column than reporting on the local car dealerships weight loss plan for their employees.

A couple months ago, The Red Dress Club gave me that outlet. I have had many of you behind me pushing (even when I resisted) to keep writing…and to own my writing talent.

That is still hard for me. But writing has proven to be such a beautiful, therapeutic escape for me; I have absolutely fallen in love.

That is why when Cheryl and Nichole “ambushed” me and asked me to mesh all these things I love about writing? I melted all over…and then prattled on like an idiot (and yet they still wanted me!).

This—The Red Dress Club—is exactly what has been missing in my life.

I hope to not just share with you all, but to learn and grow as a writer. You have ALL helped me SO much already!

Thank you, so very much, Nichole and Cheryl, for this amazing opportunity!