happy 100th blog post!!!

Wow!  I cannot believe that I made it to this mile-marker.  I have stuck with very few things like this, not because I’m a flake but because 1) I forget to continue [which means I wasn’t too interested in the first place] or 2) I tried it out and it wasn’t for me.  That last point is the key—doing something that you love & enjoy never feels like work.  It may be stressful and it may take a lot of effort but because it is rewarding in some way you don’t mind it and probably look forward to whatever that something is that you love doing.

For me, the adventure of blogging began just like that—something that looked interesting and I wanted to give a go at it, test it out, and see if it was something that I enjoyed and wanted to invest time into.  I didn’t know what the outcome would be, how my lack of writing skills would inhibit my will to press on, or if I would have time to keep it up.  Fortunately, through this experience, I found something that I really enjoy doing—connecting with others, recording my life & experiences, and having an outlet to funnel my spastic, creative energies to.

Blogging has aided me in many ways and I plan to continue.  I think the number one reason that I blog is my forgetfulness.  Not absentminded-forgetfulness [from which I sometimes suffer from as well] but amnesia-forgetfulness—if I don’t write it down I will forget.  Through the years, I’ve tried various forms of journaling & diary upkeep.  But I never keep it up the way I should or intend to.  Pretty soon into my new, clean journal I will begin writing random thoughts & journal entries on loose scrap paper, church bulletins, and chip board.  These snippets are then placed in some pile on my desk, stuffed into the pages of the book I am reading, or crammed into the corners of my purse that only important objects know how to get to.

I hate when that last one happens—just the other day I was cleaning out my purse.  And I mean really cleaning out.  ‘Gutting out’ is probably a more appropriate term.  While gutting, I found a crochet hook that I had been looking for since last year.  Only I couldn’t find it, not really.  I could feel it but I couldn’t see it.  In a fit of frustration I turned my 2 gallon, Texas-sized purse inside-out & upside-down, gave it 3 good shakes, and expected the hook to fall out on the ground.  But it didn’t.  I checked back for the feel of it [to ensure that I wasn’t crazy] and sure enough, I could feel it.  

I couldn’t figure it out!  It was as if the ghost of my blue, G/6 hook was playing tricks on me.  I then began to examine the lining of the bag, searching for any & every hole.  After 14 minutes and 3 rounds of searching, I finally found the culprit: a hole that was no bigger than 3/16” in diameter.  I have no idea the hook got inside of the lining nor how long it had been there but I was so happy to be reunited with my hook that I sat down and made 2 baby afghans over the next 3 weeks!

Squirrel.

Back to the point at hand, I value blogging because it allows me to record all of my thoughts & journal entries in one, permanent place.  It also keeps me accountable.  This brings me to the second reason why I plan to continue blogging: it has been a great way to keep up with friends & family.  Over the course of my life, I have collected a large number of people that I love & adore and wish to continue the relationship.  Living in different cities, states, and even countries makes it slightly difficult to keep up.

Blogging has also enhanced my writing skills sets.  I used to be a TERRIBLE writer.  Capital, bold, italic, and underline font type are necessary here to emphasize how TERRIBLE I used to be.  I am nowhere near the writing abilities & genius of someone like John Grisham, Ken Follett, or Gregory Maguire but I can now form complete sentences.  [I won’t elaborate anymore on this here but plan to blog about my writing experiences in the near future.]

Lastly, I will continue blogging because somewhere, someone might need to hear something I have to say.  Whether they have shared a common experience, are going through similar circumstances, or just need to temporarily escape from their current situation(s), it is my hope & prayer that God speaks through the words & experiences that He has given me.

Now, my next goal is to get YOU a’bloggin’ as well.  I cannot fully convey to you all of the blessings & joys that have come from this experience.  By writing & recording some or all areas of your life, it easy & rewarding to look back and see how far you’ve come to this point.  It also allows others to keep up with your busy or not so busy life, allowing you to pick up the phone and dive right into conversation with a dear friend that you haven’t talked to in over a year.  Finally, we learn so much from one another—that vacation spot you’ve been wanting to check out, whether or not purple hair dye is a good idea, or how much more boring [or exciting] the lives of others are!  Lol.  So get to bloggin’!  Please?!  Oh, and don’t forget to send me a link to your brand spankin’ new blog!

Since the official start of my blogging journey in May 2010, I have done a few things:

• Gone on 3 jhigh/high school beachretreats with more than 6,000 students

• Witnessed my sweet, beautiful cousin Laura’s vows & marriage ceremony

• Read the Bible cover to cover
• Experienced extreme weather conditions

• Successfully passed Level 1 of Angry Birds
• Frolicked along the coasts, countries, and cities of Ireland & Scotland

• Found work
• Lost work
• Never prayed harder
• Badly sunburned twice

• Ran 2 miles
• Paid more than $50.00 for a tank of gas [2010 Camry]

• Celebrated the marriages of family members Tim & Faith and Allen & Kara
• Celebrated my Parents’ 30th wedding anniversary 
• Celebrated my Grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary

• Celebrated my Granddaddy’s 95^th birthday
• Sat in on & participated in Emily’s final defense 

• Lived with my Parents…for the  entire life of my blog
• Cried.  A lot.
• Found someone who cherishes & cares for me for who I am and treats me accordingly
• Danced my shoes off!

• Visited the Charles Dickens’ Era
• Gave away all of my contact solution & cases
• Said good-bye to correctivelenses…at least until I’m 40
• Fallen more in love with the color pink
• Grown closer to God!!!

To those of you who have stuck with me and encouraged me during this journey: thank you so much for your continued support and kind words!!!