Four Years and 640 Posts Later....

Today is my Blogoversary. Is there even such a word? The internet seems to think so.

So, how much time will I spend rehashing the last four years of sharing nearly every corner of my life? None. It's written. It's history.

What I will do is thank you, my readers, my friends and my family....for reading my often inconsequential posts, rants and raves. Thank you for your comments, emails, support and even your criticism.

My Blogoversary has come in the middle of my vacation. Today I will avoid the sun at all costs because I am burnt to a crisp. I have a headache, my lips are chapped, my shoulders and back sting each time my blouse rests against my skin. Yep. I'm having a great time!

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Wow. Four years and 540 posts. Who knew I had so much to say.

Four years ago I started this as a chronicle of my quest to become a beginning runner and found that walking was probably the best I would ever do, although I continue to fantasize about being a runner. I'm good at fantasizing. An expert, in fact.

Maybe all the words I've written were just a lot of blah, blah, blah for some people, but for me they've been a catharsis, a therapy session, a stand-up comedy show, a political soap box and a friendly chat.

I've shared my family, my squabbles, my losses, my achievements, my loves, my house and my garden. I've complained, bitched, moaned and groaned. I've analyzed, criticized, agonized and conceptualized.

I have not shared every intimate detail of my life. Those sorts of things are reserved for closest family members and friends. But, no matter what, in this blog I have remained true to myself, my thoughts, feelings and sensibilities. Oddly enough, many of you continue to follow my almost daily blabbering, and even more surprising, feel moved to comment or email me. I thank you for all of your comments and emails....funny, supportive, abusive or otherwise. I have appreciated all of them. Really.

In all seriousness, thanks, my family and friends, for being here for me.

What's on the horizon? I have no idea. Some days I feel in control and other days I feel like life controls me. In either case, rest assured, I will continue to write about it ad nauseum until you begin rolling your eyes and your mouse-clicking finger starts to twitch. No worries. I have the perfect respite for you. Take your finger off that mouse...sit back, relax, take in the beautiful seascapes and find your zen place...

Happy Blogoversary To Me!

It has been three years today that I began this blog. What was I thinking.

Who knew I had so many thoughts, feelings, ideas and words swirling around in my head, enough to write about a few times a week. I sure didn't.

But what did I think I was going to write about? I'm not a particularly interesting person. I don't hold a high-powered or visible position. I don't really travel much. This couldn't be one of those wonderful "Mommy Blogs" that has tons of anecdotal material to share about raising kids. My sons are grown, wonderful men, devoted husbands and loving fathers, so of course they don't live with me. I didn't have plan like the Julie/Julia Project that ultimately led to the book that ultimately led to the movie and made Julie Powell a household name (bitch). I'm not into gossip and I don't know any celebrities. I'm not an expert on nuclear waste, politics or financial failure (except my own). To be quite honest, I'm not particularly good at any one specific thing except college and university financial aid, but after so many years of yakking away at student's sitting in my office trying to convince me to help them circumvent the federal and state "systems" so they can get enough "free" money to support themselves so they don't have to get a part-time job, I'm burned out on talking about financial aid.

No, I wanted to talk about my weight, my health and how I could be better at managing both as a "maturing" woman. I had no idea that this blog would evolve from attempting to come to grips with my struggle with my weight into a plethora of thoughts and feelings about my everyday life, my loves, my hates, my desires, my spirituality or faith (or lack thereof) and the small town southern world that now surrounds this transplanted former hippie-dippie Southern California gal.

In my first post, I wrote about my "progress" to become a beginning runner. Three years later, I still struggle with being motivated to continue to run. I always think that if I could accomplish running just one whole mile without stopping, that would be the motivation I need to continue. I have yet to achieve that goal for any numbers of reasons and/or excuses, but I refuse to give up hope and I will start over a hundred times ~ walk 5 minutes, run 1 minute, etc. ~ if I must, and I will eventually do it. I may be 80 years old at the time, so don't get your high-fives ready just yet.

When I initially started this blog, I was looking for some anonymity and privacy. I know that sounds contradictory, but what I mean by that is I mostly wanted to be anonymous from my family. In the past, opening up to my family had been a very painful process. I'd been judged, ridiculed, ignored and wound up feeling hurt, angry and vulnerable. When members of my family found my blog, I got nervous. But what I learned is I had grown considerably, become stronger, less frightened and more comfortable and self-assured. And I even have a sense of humor.

So, my dear readers, I sincerely thank you for caring enough to take a minute from your day to stop by, read my words, feel my pain (that was joke), make comments, send emails and express your encouragement and/or disbelief. High fives, handshakes and ass grabs all around!

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

I can hardly believe it has been two years since I started this blog...April 18, 2007.

What started as a blog to chronicle my desire and progress to become a casual runner became an outlet more for my inside world than my outside, physical world. I kind of let it all hang out, so to speak. Sometimes it was a good thing. Sometimes not so good. But, it has always been an outlet for me; a way to explore how I feel about things in my life, people in my life and simply life in general.

I have shared my struggle with my weight, a challenge I continue to lose because I eat too much, sometimes drink too much and for the life of me cannot find the motivation to participate in any sort of continuous exercise. Maybe that will come this next year.

I have shared my feelings about and my relationship with Tom, addressing just about everything but the sex (yes, even in our sixties), which is just about the only thing I will not share because my kids, grandkids and my dear Aunt Sally read this blog.

I have shared my love and my relationships with my sons, Mike and Chris, my daughters-in-law, Kathy and Kelly, and my grandkids (in order of age), Zak, Jacob, Thomas, Hagan, Lily and Zoey. Sometimes they may have laughed with me and other times been angry with me.

I have shared our continuous home remodeling project, still in progress. And I have shared the growing comfort I feel living in this house as we transform it into something that belongs to us and not the previous owner. I can honestly say, I feel better about living in this house than almost any other house we've owned in the 40 years Tom and I have been together.

I shared my disappointment and anger at the sexism and misogyny in the political process and our country, and, yes, that Hillary is not our President. But, I have also shared my acknowledgment of what an awesome achievement is was that Barack Obama became our President.

I shared my confusion, questions and sometimes disbelief in the behavior, morals (or lack of them), thought processes (or lack thereof) of our society, along with my admiration of some of the kindnesses, dignities and achievements of my fellow citizens.

I have bored my readers with continual remunerations about my likes, dislikes, the weather, my garden, my former job, my church and my grandchildren's accomplishments. And, to all of you who have hung around to read each word, make comments and send emails, I am so grateful.

So what have I learned these past two years?

First of all, this blog is first and foremost for me. If I have offended anyone with my comments or rantings, I apologize. But I will continue to write because it is MY blog. I accept full responsibility for my behavior, my thoughts, my feelings and my words.

Second, my life is not really all that interesting. I'm glad I have the Simple Woman's Daybook, Some Things Friday, Wordless Wednesday and other miscellaneous meme's as mediums to lean on and through which I can share my ideas, my feelings and my musings since I might otherwise not have much to say in between my lightening bolt thoughts.

Finally, it's okay with me that I'm not that interesting or special. What I've learned is that having the most or the best stuff, or working for the best company, or making the most money, or having the most accomplished children, or having the cutest and smartest grandchildren, or being the most educated, or the most knowledgeable, or the most charming, or the funniest, or the thinnest is not important. There will always be someone richer, smarter, thinner, funnier, more accomplished than I am. That's okay. I am finally completely comfortable with being ordinary. As a matter of fact, it's a relief because I no longer feel like I have anything to prove or anything to hide or keep secret.

Considering everything...where I've been, what I've done, what I've accomplished, where I've failed...I've been pretty lucky and I really do love my life. I agree with a comment left by Terri @ A Daily Obsession, I am so very blessed!