Friends you've never met

When I began blogging a year and a half ago, I had yet to write in a baby book, or complete a scrapbook. I saw blogging as a way to keep track of what was happening in our lives and to share pictures and stories with our friends and family who live far away. That was it.

I didn't know about site meters or blog readers. I'd never heard of a Blog Carnival or a BooMama. Rocks In My Dryer was nothing more than a noisy mistake... I didn't even know that you could have comments sent to your email....which was no big deal, because Bethany was the only person who ever left me one.

I had no idea what I was doing or what it would become to me. If someone had told me that I would make friends through my blog, I wouldn't have believed it or even thought it possible.

My blog is not full of deep thoughts and witty writing. I don't have a real focus or a target audience (beyond my family). As you know, I tend to share pictures of my kids and the happy and funny moments of my life. I know that there are a lot of bloggers out there who constantly strive to get more traffic. I don't think that there is anything wrong with this, but I'm not one of them. Although this blog has become much more than a way to keep in touch with family, and I enjoy getting comments from new people, my reasons for writing it have not changed. I would keep at it even if my parents were the only ones who ever looked at it.

But they are not. I am pleasantly surprised and very happy that people who have never lived with me (Bethany again) and are not related to me read this thing. There are now women in my life who I have never met. Women who make me laugh and cry. Women who inspire and challenge me. Women that I think about often and pray for. Women that I'm pretty sure I would love to hang out with in real life. Women that I consider to be my friends.

The other day, I did something that I have never done before (at least not on my blog). I had a melt down. A temper tantrum of sorts. After I posted it, I thought about deleting it. It felt selfish. It felt whiny. It felt trivial compared to what many of you go through on a daily basis. Then I started getting comments. I was completely unprepared for the heartfelt words of encouragement that I received from both real life friends and friends I've never met.

Thank you friends. I'm so thankful for the unexpected blessing that blogging has become. Your kind words, invitations and offers made me smile and knowing that you were praying for me was just amazing. Thanks for sharing your lives, your humor, your talent and your struggles. I have enjoyed getting to know you all so much. And if you are someone who stops by say from, Howard South Dakota or Wood Dale Illinois, I'd love to get to know you too (I know have a site meter and know how to use it!)

Hope you are all having a great weekend. Big bloggy hugs!

Blogging in 07

I stole this idea to post the first line from the first post of each month from Steph at Adventures in Babywearing...thought it was a great way to wrap up my first year of blogging.

January
"Lately I've been thinking a lot about how fast time is passing."

February
"I really shouldn't be complaining."

March
"One of my favorite things about Sam at this age is how literal he is."

April
"Yesterday was my birthday...I'm 33."

May
"Sam's never had hair this short, not even when he was born!"

June
"It ain't what it used to be...none of it, shopping, my body, what I can afford...."

July
"Sam, Grace and I went to CT last Friday for a weekend of parties."

August
"Brad and I have not spent the night alone since Sam was about fifteen months old."

September
"My sister in law Cathy and her almost five year old twin boys, Benjamin and Steven, were visiting this week."

October
"57:09 That's how long it took me to run 5.2 miles this morning."

November
"Have you ever removed a tick from your childs head?"

December
"I've been a Freecycler for over a year now"

100 posts!

My good friend Bethany lives in California. We rarely get to talk on the phone or even e-mail. In fact, I haven't seen her since she photographed our wedding almost five years ago. Despite this, I feel really close to her. I've never met her children, but I feel like I know them. I'm certain that if I am ever brave enough to get on a plane and go to LA with my two monkeys, they will have a great time together. All this, because she blogs.

Her blog has made it possible to laugh and cry with her. It's been a source of encouragement for me and also a way to encourage and know how to pray for her and her family. Ultimately, after reading her blog for about a year, her blog inspired me to start my own.

Blogging is a great way to keep in touch. My family in CT, NY and Georgia are all able to see what we've been up to. Most of them haven't figured out how to leave comments, but I get e-mails all of the time saying how much it is enjoyed. Even if no one else in the world read it, it's a great way for me to record my memories. I have two baby books in like new condition...and although I don't put every little thing on my blog, it's the best record I've got of the past ten months.

Keeping in touch and writing down memories were the two main reasons that I started blogging. They were obvious...an unexpected outcome is that I have made new friends. I use the word "friend" loosely, for I am not talking about people that I know or who know me. In fact, some of my new "friends" don't even know that I exist....none the less, I think of them as friends because I read their blogs regularly (and sometimes I think about them during the day and wonder how they are doing....is that odd?). Their blogs make me laugh and sometimes cry. The best thing though, is that I am always reminded that I am not alone in this mothering business. It's wonderful. It's hard. It's frustrating. It's exhausting. It can be lonely. Blogging is therapeutic...

Oh, if you love that onesie, you can buy it here (Rainbowswirlzkids on Etsy) !

Time goes by....

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how fast time is passing. My son Sam is 2 1/2...my daughter Grace, almost three months...I've been out of college for almost 11 years....high school for 15...driving for 17...the list goes on and on...I can rember when my mother turned 30...now I'm almost 33...I thought that my parents were "old" when I was growing up, when in fact they were 38 (5 years older than I am now) when I graduated from high school! It's actually a little disturbing to look at my high school graduation pictures and see that the proud couple with their arms around me, look about the same as I do now....more disturbing...I'll be about as old as my parents are now when our kids finish high school!

Anyway, I am going to attempt to jot down my thoughts, observations, cute things my kids say and do and just the everyday happenings that are my life. I'm doing it so that I don't forget...I'm doing it so that I can hopefully look back and laugh (at the good and the bad), I'm doing it to feel connected to people I love who aren't close by and I'm doing it because there are days that I go long periods of time without talking to an adult....