2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year already, as there have been a few recent developments underway recently that I’m excited to share with everyone.  First off, I just recently had an original article published in Wild Sister Magazine, an online (and soon to be offered in print) magazine that has been up and running for about 7 months.

Taken from their “About” page, “Wild Sister is an online empowerment magazine for women who want inspiration, and who believe that by empowering women we can change the world…Wild Sister Magazine liberates souls by delivering authentic inspiration, and sharing stories that empower, wisdom that transforms, and truth that awakens the core.”

My piece is entitled “A Wild Mama’s Adventure,” and if you are interested in checking it out you can buy an e-copy of the magazine from their website for $5 by clicking here.

My next piece of news, however, is something I’ve known for a while now but haven’t been able to share until now since it wasn’t publicly official yet. Athleta (a mainstream women’s technical apparel company) has offered me a spot on their 2012 team of sponsored athletes!  Each year Athleta chooses a small group of women that as a group represent a wide range of sports and other athletic endeavours – everything from mainstream activities such as running, yoga, tennis, and volleyball, to more “adventurous” undertakings such as climbing, skiing/snowboarding, mountain biking, and surfing.  At the urging of some of my biggest fans (read: biased family members 😉 ) I filled out the rather lengthy application earlier this summer, and kind of forgot about it.  I was shocked a few months later when I was contacted and informed that I had made it through the 1st round of the selection process.  After another lengthy questionnaire as well as a conference call with several of the ladies on the PR team at Athleta, I was thrilled to find out that I’d been chosen!

While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t psyched about the personal perks such as recieving a brand new climbing wardrobe and testing out unreleased products (although I’m not sure I can bring myself to retire all of my lucky Hound Ears Comp T-shirts…), my main motivation for applying was the professional perks of gaining literary exposure on their Athleta Chi Blog.

New clothes from Athleta! 🙂

In their words, “The chi is a place to elevate a diverse range of women juggling fitness goals along with everyday life as mothers, sisters, wives, partners, students, professionals, etc.  Many of us only aspire to the level of our featured athletes. The chi is about fueling that aspiration with inspiration (and hopefully perspiration).”

As part of my endorsement agreement, I will be submitting 2 articles per season (so 8 in total) to the Chi Blog, which will hopefully be a great step towards fueling my long-term goal of expanding my writing opportunities (aka “be a writer when I grow up.”)  If you are interested in seeing my profile or the profiles of the other ladies on the 2012 team, check out the Sponsored Athlete page on Athleta.  If you are interested in following the Chi blog, sign up for email notifications or an RSS feed on that page as well.

In the meantime, thanks to everyone who reads, comments, and shares opinions on Cragmama.  The great feedback and support I get from you all is so encouraging and makes every effort in maintaining this blog a worthy endeavour.  I look forward to making new connections and expanding this community as the year goes by!