Change dominated this year. Our family’s move to central Florida topped the list. I also launched my first book, MoMENts: A Dad Holds On. The book compiles my monthly columns dating back to when I began my writing career in September, 2011, along with new material, and is for sale on Amazon.com. There is a paperback and a Kindle version. If you’ve read it, please take a few minutes to write a review.

For anyone considering a move and a book launch, here’s a tip – it’s probably best not to schedule these activities simultaneously. Selling a house, moving, and launching a book take time and each of them can be stressful. I definitely felt stress when the Mayflower van pulled up in front of our house before we had finished packing. Promoting my book took a backseat to getting the house ready to sell, moving our belongings and finding them again in our new state, and getting our daughter ready for her new middle school.

With the family now settled in, it’s time to nurture the new “baby.” Once a book is out, it requires the author’s attention. Unlike my first baby, it doesn’t need burped, but it does need marketed.

I’m happy to announce my new website, www.patrickhempfing.com. Please share it with friends and family and sign up for the “Cherish the MoMENts” community. As a follower, you’ll receive my blog posts and hear about contests, special promotions, and new book releases. If you received my blog in the past, you do not need to sign up again, but please encourage your friends to sign up.

New city, new book, new website. Last week, I had lunch with friends in Gainesville, Florida, where we lived twenty years ago. As I stepped out of my car, my dear friend greeted me with, “I see a few more gray hairs than the last time I saw you.” We laughed. I informed her that I just had a haircut and gave my barber strict instructions to “cut out all the gray ones.” Humm, do I need to look for a new barber? No, she probably didn’t want to leave me bald.

I’ll just have to go with the experienced look over a youthful one when I post pictures to my new website. At least the gray hairs survived the move.