Happy New Year... a few days later :)

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and the New Year is kicking off right! There are so many things going at LDSJournal.com and we're all very excited for the upcoming release of the LDSJournal Gold Service. I do have to apologize on behalf of everyone on our staff for the delay in getting this update published. We've been so busy publishing books for the Holidays and end of the year that we've just been swamped and it has pushed our release date back later than we would have liked.

I did get the most recent copy of Latter Day Bride magazine and guess who's on the inside cover? That's right... LDSJournal.com. Heck, if getting married isn't worth writing in a journal, I don't know what is. I really love the ad that Steve Reed created. If you haven't seen our Ad, pick up a magazine or stop by your local Borders and check it out!

Speaking of writing in a journal, I'm curious how many of you made it your 2010 New Year's Resolution to write in your journal more? Personally I am going to try to write in my journal every day. This past year really showed me the importance of recording the simplest of things. For my personal life, it is amazing to think how 2009 started off with so much hope and quickly turned sour, only to end in such a wonderful way. I only wish that I would have taken the time to write in detail some of the thoughts that I was having to share with loved ones. I wonder how many of you had similar feelings at the end of 2009...

On a personal note, my dad is making an effort to keep his journal in LDSJournal and he's not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. It really makes me smile to see him recording things about his life. I'm pretty sure that I have already extolled the virtues of my dad in a previous blog post, but this is really sweet.

Anyway, I hope to be making some major posts and updates in the coming weeks. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

A Great Way To Close Out The Year

We've been saying that Time Out For Women is a great event, but the show in Salt Lake City sure was something special. The people in attendance got a chance to hear Jenny Oaks Baker play the violin and she was amazing. I've been lucky enough to see her perform a few times this year and each time I find myself completely amazed with her skill and control. Not to mention, she's an absolute sweetheart and gave a very touching talk.

Not to be outdone, Sheri Dew gave a talk that I felt was the highlight of the entire 2009 TOFW Tour. I could absolutely feel the Spirit as she talked about different topics and spoke directly to the women in the crowd. I found myself thinking and wishing more people could have heard her talk and been in attendance.

Sheri Dew IS as amazing as you may have heard!

If you'd like to read the article in the Mormon Times about the events on Friday evening, please click here.

On Saturday, we gave away three (3) more books at the final show. At each show, it just feels so great to meet new and potential users and share with them the goals and promise of what LDSJournal is and will be. We hope these individuals take full advantage of the printed-book giveaway. And most of all, we hope to be a part of the Time Out For Women Tour in 2010 and also that those of you reading this blog will find a way to come to the show and visit with us.

LDSJournal in St. George for TOFW

We can't say enough about how great it is to take part in the Time Out For Women events. I think Jan said it best when she leaned over to me and commented, "It doesn't matter how many times I see or hear these speakers. I still get so much from them." What a great opportunity for the attendees who arrived in St. George on November 6 & 7.

For the first time in 2009, we brought our main booth display with 40 inch monitor and lighted booth display. We looked awesome at the show and it was nice to be able to show people just how great the LDSJournal service really is. We'll be bringing this beast with us next week in Salt Lake City.

Also, we had three (3) more winners of our Full Color Journal giveaway. Each show, we have a drawing that allows three lucky people to get their personal journal printed to a hard-bound book at no charge to them. All books can be printed up to 800 pages in length and it is such a great keepsake or gift during the holidays. Some of these members don't have an account with LDSJournal.com yet and we hope this gets them journaling! Congratulations!

Oh, and last, but certainly not least! My super-awesome ballroom dance instructor was in attendance at Time Out For Women and she stopped by so I could get a picture with her. I highly recommend taking ballroom dance lessons or at least dragging your spouse or significant other on the dance floor. It's a fun way to exercise and cut loose. :)

Thanks Jen!!!

LDSJournal.com FREE Book Publishing Winners

One of the few things I personally get to enjoy at the TOFW events is when Laurel or Chrislyn announces the winners of the LDSJournal.com FREE giveaway. At each event this year we have given away one (1) Full Color print of an LDSJournal to a lucky member in the audience. With this prize, the winner can choose to print up their personal LDSJournal up to 800-pages in full color and LDSJournal.com will cover the cost of the printed book -- a $150-$200 value. Recently, we have given away three (3) Color Prints in Richmond, CA; Riverside, CA; and Kansas City, MO. Steve even made up a very nice certificate to award our winners. Here's a handful of our winners, just in case you wondered if anyone actually wins these sick puppies. :)

RIVERSIDE, CA WINNERS







KANSAS CITY, MO WINNERS

Jill Manning at Time Out For Women

I am not able to really discuss what Jill Manning talked about at Time Out For Women because it is private and contractual to Deseret Book. However, I would like to say that her talk was extremely powerful and everyone should be made aware of her discussion points. I hope you will please take a moment to read the material she has made available at http://www.deseretbook.com/jill and please share it with family and friends that may be struggling with this great problem.