200 and still going....

Holy 200 posts already? When did THAT happen?

Don't worry, I am not going to post 200 interesting things about myself. Lord knows I couldn't even begin. It makes me yawn and my short attention span gets a little antsy when it thinks I might attempt it.....HELLO, miss attention thing...back over here, please.

But what do you write to mark such a momentous post? (Ha!)

And I figured I'd start (and stop) with the question...

Why blog?

Originally this blog was thought of because my BFF showed me a friend of hers who blogged ("what's blog?" "Girl, you need to get out more! On the Internet" )... and the blog thing evolved from staring at THAT girls page, with admiration for someone who put out their real thoughts for others to see, to convincing myself and some family members into creating our own.

1 aunt, my mother, a sister, two cousins and myself. 6 blogs were created.

Something for us to read, laugh, and to encourage each other as women and family in our writings. Who better to critique your writing then your own familia?

We told our stories. We laughed, cried, whoa'd, and enjoyed the chance to be in each others lives without the big parties and even bigger clean ups.

We knew nothing. About blog. Graphics, posting, templates,blog etiquette, what do you mean ANYONE could read your blog. How? Why would anyone that doesn't know me WANT to read it?

It was fun/frustrating while it lasted.

One by one though, we slowly stopped blogging. Somehow something got in one aunt's computer (through the blog, my uncle proclaimed, stupid girls!) and she disbanded from our writing group. Soon my mother followed because if her sister's computer can be infiltrated, well so could hers....and probably cause my uncle called us stupid girls again.

Not sure.

Soon, all that was left was me and my little Ole' blog. I kept at it for a bit. Learning, trying to figure it out. I found myself enjoying the diary/journal/web log thing. I wrote for myself mainly and started critiquing myself. It rivaled my diaries of my teen years.

Then I got pregnant, (news came 2 weeks prior to my wedding). And slowly, I fell away from this place my words called home.

My words...they tried a couple times to get comfortable here again. But it had to take a back seat to becoming a new parent and still a fairly new wife. I think it knew we (me and words) weren't ready yet. I was still trying to figure myself out.

Two and a half years later I joined a mommy site and found a support for how I wrote I never quite got before. Perfect strangers found what I said, important, witty, comical, humorous, and insightful. My words found a place to come alive again. The outlet for my feelings had been reignited.

I thought...Do I dare attempt this again? What if I can't follow through? Like before!

But me and Words had a conference call about it and we felt ready. Ready to release all the pent up letters that formed words that formed into my daily thoughts. It was time. We put on our Sunday bloggy best and started out...for bloggy land.

It's like riding a bike...(I hate this expression because I suck at riding bikes...so NO, it's not like riding a bike)...let's go with...Its like eating chocolate...(much better Rambler).

You forget sometimes how delicious chocolate is and when you take that first bite (again) your reminded of how much you enjoy it. (chocolate and blogging).

I poked around a little and figured how the 2008 version of blog life was supposed to be like. I spit polished the laptop keys and away we went.

Never in a zillion years would I have expected anyone to read what I wrote. And I NEVER expected anyone to hit that Follow me button thing. I put it there because other blogs put it there but didn't understand it at the time. (And now secretly I stare at it and hope someone likes me enough to click it).

And the bloggy people I've met...WOW.

You guys are some of the best people a girl who's never met face to face could ever have. I learned a lot from them all. And continue to every bloggy day!

Don't worry I won't post 200 things I've learned from XYZ blog person. (Cause it would not be justice to only post 200 things when I've learned so much more).

I blog because YOU make me feel good about writing and expressing myself in a place where it is heard and read. YOU make me feel my words ARE important and that this small fish doesn't feel so small in the big pond!

Cheers my bloggy pals! (special thanks to BFF and Becky)!

To the next 200 posts! (God help us :)