This entry is also on my NaNo blog, but I'm posting it here, too.

I did it! I finished my novel — and it’s a day early. I surpassed my 50,000-word goal and hit 50,700 by the time I tied up the loose ends. I wasn’t available to my family as I usually am, and I had to endure some lip, but eventually my husband came around and did his best to keep the kids and other distractions away from me. I entered this week at 39,000 words. For a minute there, it didn’t look too promising. But I kept going. And now I’m finished. The real work begins now, though. I’ll be revising and revising for a long time. But at least it’s there. The story is mapped out. My characters feel real to me.
I downloaded and printed a winner’s certificate that I will hang in my office. Whenever I need some motivation to keep going, I can just look at that and remember that I completed a challenging marathon.
Thanks, family for your support. I’m taking the few days “off from work” which I continued to promise you.