Friday, February 05, 2010

a no picture post. sad face.

i've been thinking about this great post for a few days. i think you should read it too, but basically it just questions people's motives for blogging.

i pretty much read that post and the comments and in the space of an hour decided to turn off my comments, decided to stop blogging, then decided to delete about 50 blogs from my google reader. i didn't do any of those. instead, i'm going to do some self-analysis on my blog, you lucky dogs.


so why do i blog? i think it started with peer pressure. and guilt from the fact that i never journal and i thought blogging would be easier. and it is. and my sister and some of my friends had really great blogs and i liked feeling so connected to them. that feeling of connectedness is one of the reasons i continue to blog. i love the comments i get (i get a lot of them!) and i love leaving comments. i think the best thing about my blog is the comments. my second favorite thing about my blog is that i've learned things about myself through it, as i write things down and share them, and i've seen growth in myself. just like a good diary, old posts make me cringe. i'm glad i've matured a little, found my voice. discovered what makes me happy. i like having a place to present a controlled idea of myself, or at least who i want to be. in real life i have a hard time doing that, with the weird things that come out of my mouth. and of course i blog because the grandmas love to see their babies.

i like when people read my blog. i like encouraging comments. i like to share my life, details that i normally wouldn't tell anyone about in a real-life conversation. and blogs make me happy! blogs are my escape from my children. (does that sound awful? it's true.) blogs are my way to interact when i would otherwise feel alone at home all day. blogs inspire me to try new things (photography! sewing! knitting!). blogs make me laugh.

with that being said, blogs have in the past made me feel horribly low and disgusted with myself. now i know that probably tells you i need to work on my self-esteem but i think it also references what lisa talked about in aforementioned post as the self-marketing aspect of blogging. are we trying to share ourselves or are we trying to sell ourselves? i read way too many blogs that tell me that my clothes aren't cute enough, i don't eat at enough fancy restaurants, and i don't love my husband or kids enough. (well, the first two are absolutely true.) am i of less value without those things? are you?

i also think there is that negative connotation of "mommy blog." i'm tired of that. why should i feel guilty because i haven't transformed my blog into a money-making machine? does that define success? will you pay me to blog? i spend enough time doing it. do i need an etsy shop to be a good mother? i have no ambitions in that arena. i don't write enough insightful/thought-provoking/spiritual/witty/cynical posts. does that make me shallow?

i was thinking about my previous post and how i posted it when it was a really really rough day. rough rough rough. we don't have a car and i can't get anywhere from my house and my kids go absolutely nutso when they're bored and i was just having one of those days. feeling lonely. frustrated. it happens even in the caribbean. and so i took some pictures and tried to make lemonade out of that lemon. and it kind of worked! and i got 33 comments about my crappy day! awesome! and each one of them made me feel happy. and a lot of them said, "that doesn't look like a bad day at all!" and then i looked back at my post and thought, "yeah, they're right!" i got a nice camera for christmas and i love taking pictures and i generally am always trying to take attractive pictures. and so i did my best to take pretty pictures of my crappy day. so was that me being deceitful? hmmm. was that me marketing myself as saying "this is an awful day" but the underlying message was "my crappy days are better than your good days?" i really wasn't trying to say that. and believe me, pretty pictures aside, it really was a bad day full of crying (mostly by me). i do feel a lot of blogs do send that message, though. my life is better. blogging makes people into celebrities. i don't need my picture in PEOPLE, i have a blog with 200 followers! that kind of thing. so what i'm trying to work out in my little mind, is, should i have presented that post differently? nobody likes "dirty laundry" posts. (well, sometimes i do.) you don't really want me to post about my real life. the one in which i yell at my children every 5 minutes and my son doesn't listen to a thing i say and my house is covered in ants because i live in a jungle and also because i don't keep a perfectly clean house. and i feel lonely a lot. should i post that stuff? probably not. i want my blog to be something i look at in 20 years (will blogs still be around??) and i can feel nostalgic and peaceful and remember the good times and even some of the bad. and my children will know who i was as a young mother. and i will know that none of my posts were faked or forced, although they may have been strategically limited in breadth. as all blogs are. and that's ok.

in conclusion, i hope my blog doesn't make you feel bad about yourself and i hope my blog doesn't make you feel happy you're not me. (there is a middle ground there, i think.) and i hope i can turn some of the blog friendships i've made into real-life friendships, because i need more friends in real life.  and i don't want to just project happiness on my blog, i want to be happy period.



*and i realize i have become such a horrible writer, and i'm coming to terms with that. sorry. maybe i will even try to start capitalizing.

66 comments:

Sarah said...

I love your blog! Always. You are real and funny and such a good writer. Don't ever stop!

You have constant traffic and comments which says a whole heckuva lot about your sincerity and draw.

Why do we read blogs that make us feel bad? Or that we allow to make us feel bad? I totally do it, and I it bothers me too. Loved everything you wrote here.

Love you AB!

jane said...

i'm a lurker. this blog is one of my favorites. and this post too. you know why? aside from your cute photos and sense of humor it's that you seem genuine. keep posting.

kate said...

Things I thought while reading this:
I do this too and I'm not even a mom and I don't even have 200 followers.
Blog for your family and forget all the other ridiculousness.
This is a weird world we live in.
I'm counting us as real-life friends.
I didn't even notice nothing was capitalized.
I like Abby.

Anonymous said...

I love Abby G. S. She is wise beyond her years and maybe doesn't even know it. She is insightful, pretty, honest, a really good writer, photographer, wife and mother. I know all of these things because she blogs with a perfect filter that lets us see her for who she is and love her for all of her strengths and even a few of her weaknesses. long live abby G.S.!

(also, abby i need to ask you some questions so when you get a minute shoot me an email por favor...nataliekidd@cox.net. Thank you for your post today. It's got me thinking...

Ashley Seil Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tippetts said...

Your blog is my absolute favorite. Please don't stop! You have great pictures and great writing. This one was especially wonderful.

Ashley said...

Hey, I just shot you an email. I'm sure it is full of errors, doesn't make sense, and makes me sound like a crazy person. I guess me looking like a fool will just make us friends for life, right? :)

Leslie said...

i love you. and i love that you don't capitalize. most of the time, i don't either. :)

just like when you lived here, it makes me smile to "see" you and that you posted. i only selfishly wish you guys were still here. :)

don't you worry your pretty little head about your posts making people feel bad. you are quite truly one of the KINDEST and MOST GENUINE people i'm proud to know. i don't think it's possible for you to make people feel bad. besides, it's YOUR blog. post what you want. if you're using it in lieu of a journal, sometimes it helps to get things out of your head and onto "paper" - it only shows you're human like the rest of us.

love you lots, abby. and miss your sweet family like crazy!

kate said...

AMEN!

seriously.

i have an internal battle everytime i post something. "is this going to come off as too look at me?" "is this TMI?" "is this too mushy?"

and yet, i like it. i like the friends i've made. and the comments and the connections.

i've thought about stopping,or turning of the comments, but i just keep coming back. you should too. :)

MissKris said...

I just want to say that I love your blog. Sometimes when I want to read blogs and only have enough time to do a couple, I choose my favs and yours is always one! I view my blog as a journal for my kids to read but also to share the things I love with my blogging friends. Don't ever feel bad about what you write- it's your blog! Whenever you're back in the country we should hang :)

Tracey said...

Delurking to say I totally relate. And I love your blog and your cute kids and husband. I'm just here for the pictures anyways! ;)

Unknown said...

Abby, you're cute and everyone loves you. Like you said, blogs are a great way for family to keep up with your life. I feel like it helps them get to know me better, because I usually wouldn't talk to them about things that I do post on my blog. I use it as a journal. I think your blog is charming. I ALWAYS love reading it and I love your creative pictures. I feel like they capture real life beautifully. Keep posting... we all love it.

Summer said...

I, too, read your blog. Often. I recently read on another blog I follow, (sayyestohoboken.com), you may follow it as well and you may have read this already, but she recently attended the Altitude Design Summit and listed some quotes from her notes taken there. One that I appreciated went something like this, "Martha Stewart is so over. Be yourself. Be real."
You don't come across as trying to be perfect. You are you and it's likable and relatable.
Very thought provoking subject though. One that seems cannot be explained away. We all have different reasons for reading and writing blogs.
I read blogs because they inspire me to do things, like you, that I wouldn't have done otherwise. In a weird way, they help me discover myself, my passions, my desires, more fully.
I write because, just as I have been inspired, I would love to pay it forward and perhaps inspire someone else. I may or may not actually do just that but that is my attempt.

Summer said...

P.S. I have ants too and I live in Utah where it is freezing and they should not be able to survive such coldness and I don't know how to get rid of them and they make me really mad!

Summer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cara. said...

hey hot stuff. i'm not taking the time to read the rest of these comments to find out if they are saying the same thing i'm about to say. but i totally get you. i loved the link. so many people are selling themselves. i feel like i'm constantly battling blogging for me vs. the mold everyone else is subconsciously telling me. "sell, sell, sell, label label label" bleh.

i don't want more readers. i just want to know who is reading because it's weird when your audience becomes more people you don't know than you do and you're not really connecting with all but 3. it weirds me out.

i'm attracted to your blog because i'm attracted to your personality. you're funny, even when i might be the only one who catches it with some of your blog titles. i mean who else would post singing the little mermaid in the car though i regularly belt it out? you're relatable and pretty cute without being vain and funny and you comment on everyone else's blog (:

if you want to talk "real life" ever with jokes too, don't hesitate to email me.

Becky said...

Quick caveot: I am writing these comments before reading other people's so if they repeat their thoughts, or don't go, etc., that is the reason why, but I don't want them influenced by the others, just fresh off my mind.

Abby, these are all really good questions and thoughts. Who am I? Who am I as a blogger? How am I presenting myself? How is the world receiving me and does my thoughts on that change how I present, etc., etc. I have had many of these thoughts myself, like focus on the positive, but try to through in a pinch of the mundane realities, too.. am I trying to get popular, or cool?, etc.

But here's what I really want to say:
I LOVE YOUR BLOG!
Really, its a really great blog! I think it is a wonderful thing that you can move your sweet family so far away and still keep in touch with so many people. And comments are great! It's positive energy flowing your way. So I'm hoping you keep blogging and keep comments on. Its a personal decision, I know, but I just want to thank you for sharing your sweet family with us online.
There's plenty of junk and gunk on the internet. It's nice to have a place that's just real, happy and good, (like you).
Yours,
Becky :)

Anonymous said...

wow abby. i really love this. i love your honesty. this is the type of blog i love to read, its so real. now i find myself really wondering why i blog... i hope my reasons are as good as yours.

Vagabond Mother said...

uncomment.

rubi said...

i love your blog and this post.
i love how true you are.

i'm having a really crappy day and i think i'm going to try to take pictures of the good things in it to cheer me up a bit.

i don't know why i blog and my blog is so random but i enjoy it, that's all that matters right?

feel better!

Eliza said...

your blog always reminds me of my best friend.

abby said...

i love these comments! even your uncomment, janae. thank you for the input!

Swicks said...

yeah is it bad i stopped reading the comments after like 3? oh well. so i'll be pretty honest, i have a blog. did you know that? most people don't. probably because the last time i updated was december 15 2008. 2008. did you read that? i'll repeat it again. 2008. reason being: i don't think anyone really cares that i had a tenant come in and complain that their toilet tank was dirty and i refused to clean something that isn't meant to stay clean. it's pretty boring. HOWEVER, i have a blog so i can scarily stalk all my friends and keep up with their lives. abby, i am grateful you actually update your blog. thank you. THANK YOU. i was literally going to post on my facebook today, "please update your blogs. i'm tired of waiting week after week for something new". funny how i expect that from my friends, but yet i last posted in 2008. 2008. about a cat toilet. ok get over it.
so here's the other dilemma (how do you spell dilemma?). i'm pretty sure i'm like THE ONLY PERSON we grew up with who's married & doesn't have kids. talk about feeling like your blog is going to be lame. oh i don't caps much of anything either, btw. oh and also, my blog has a christmas background from 2008. 2008. i LOVE to read your blog. i aspire to be as creative and realistic as you when my life is a little more interesting. abbs, just remember 2bacons. oh and i will send you 2 raw bacons in the mail if you stop blogging. think of the smell it will have when it reaches the bahamas from idaho-spo. think about it. think.
liz the mill-dawg swick

Brooke said...

Like the rest of your comments, I love your blog too. I've wondered about the reasons for blogging a lot but I mainly keep up with it because my family is so far away and it's a way for them to see the kids easily. I am glad for your post because it just provided the escape from my kids that I was needing! thx

teamBoo said...

i know you weren't fishing for compliments when you wrote this post, but I must say there is a very matter of fact freshness to your online voice. You clearly need no bells or whistles to have appeal...and are proof that posts don't have to be every other day to keep people connecting with you. You have such an open sense of humor, and a down to earth simplicity. You are....well....delightful ;)

p.s. if friendships were gauged by our "goodreads" contributions i'm pretty sure i'd be the most loser friend alive.

Taylor K said...

I read your blog because it brightens my day, not because it makes me feel bad about my own life. I completely understand what you mean about certain bloggers, though. They are like the braggy Christmas cards. My philosophy on blogging is that you do it because you enjoy it and you cannot compare your blog or your life to others. Just let the writing flow, be true to yourself, whether you're feeling good or bad, and people will enjoy it! Well done. Keep writing. :)

Emz said...

loved this. hate that by now 26 people already said what I was going to say. ;)

however, I do want to say [as always, it's random] love that I CAN CHOOSE if I want to hear your excellent music selection at the left. Drives me mad when I get to a blog and WHAMO crazy country music pumping in at a volume of 47.

Elena said...

Abby, I love your blog. I love to read your posts and the beautiful pictures you take. For me, your posts are always inspiring and genuine. Please keep posting. I too always think of reasons why I blog, but it's mostly to share the events of out lives with friends and family far away. I think you are great! I hope you are having a good day!

sarah marie. said...

I love your blog because I like how you write. it's real. and I think you're like me maybe? maybe that's why I like it although that sounds narsacistic. but that's fine. I blog like it's my journal but also because I can be creative by putting pretty pictures with it. I love comments because they validate me and make me feel good. there are times though when I wish some people didn't look at my blog because I want my life to be more personal although I really am an open book to everyone who knows me anyway.

Bon said...

capitalizing is overrated

kate said...

i had to come back and read again. i was quickly reading this at work.. total no no.. shh.

i just had to add this..

your blog is real. that is why so many people keep coming back. i don't think for one second that you're a fake {and i truly do feel that way with SO many out there.} i pray that i don't come across that way, but you never know how people read it into online lives.

silly little world that this all is.

Jacob said...

i love your blog. your blog is so real. and so inspiring. thats why i like blogging. it is inspiring. you know, for a lot of people, blogging is overwhelming and makes them feel not good enough, well i say for them, dont blog. but i wasnt too into that girls post. cuz it made me feel like blogging is stupid. and i dont aggree. i say. blog on. and for the people who dont like. well, its not for them. but for me, its incredibly therapeutic and has really blessed my life. and sounds like it has for you too. and i really like you. ps.
thanks for letting me be honest with you.
loves!
britt
oh, and i am now an official follower of you. blogging. ah.

Kristen said...

I like your blog because it is "real" to me. You yelling at your kids and blogging about it makes me so happy. My daughter keeps saying the word "stupid" and I am so embarrassed. I told my friend today and I was ashamed to even tell her and then she said, "oh my little Izzy says it all the time"... and then I felt better. I felt better because she is what I think of as such wonderful person, especially mother. I know that I don't know you but I think that you are just like my friend Mary and I hope you keep blogging. I like that you can keep it real... and it comes across that way.
At one point you said in one of your posts that West Virgina was an option for your hubs for Med School... I know that it must be real hard living away from your family even if you are in such a beautiful place like the Caribbean, and you cry a lot... where I am going with this is, if you came to West Virgina you would cry A LOT more. Trust me I am here.- but my hubs isn't in Med School.
anywho... long comment just to say. I like, scratch that, I LOVE your blog. Good job.

robin said...

your blog is one of my favorites.

blogging is a funny thing, isn't it?

i truly enjoy it, that's why i do it. i think it's fun. and at this time in my life i need hobbies that i can actually do! playing guitar? playing piano? no way! my kids won't allow that. but when i have a break, i am able to document cute things they do, things we've done as a family... and stay connected with family and friends.

and i know it's been said in previous comments, and i know you're not fishing for compliments, but without adds/giveaways/crafts, your blog is that much more appealing. it's great.

plus, you commented on my blog once and it made me happy. because of the whole "we would totally be friends if we really knew each other" thing...

Veronica said...

That end part was funny to me, because the whole time I was reading this post I was thinking what a good writer you are. Yours is one of my favorite blogs to read, I think because I can relate to you in so many ways. And you make me look forward to being a mother. Also you're really funny. (Plus, of course you presented that last post right, because the laundry really was clean.)

Maybe we would all feel better about blogs if we stopped using the word 'blog,' because it looks and sounds so stupid.

Natalie said...

girlfriend. can i call you girlfriend? i have read your blog for about three months and i really enjoy it. i already commented over at lisa's post and said way too much about my conflicted emotions on the subject, but since i was just in the bathroom staring at myself and pondering about this exact thing before i read your post in my reader, i felt like i should comment and tell you - AMEN.

i love this blogging world but i also hate it hate it hate it.

Tyanna said...

Don't change a thing--your blog is the bees-knees, and I am just a random person who happened upon it while reading someone else's blog. You're funny and you're genuine....and you be votin' for Harris...again!

Wendy said...

Abby. Sweet, sweet Abby. I love you. I loved this post. You shared so many of the same thoughts I have had about blogging and myself. I love every single thing you blog. I could tell you were sad and lonely, and yet proud of you for trying to make the most of it; that you were keeping your chin up, or at least trying to. I wish I could just give you a great big hug. You are wonderful and beautiful and uber creative. You could blog about dog poop and I'd still read your blog. You are witty and clever. Just keep on doing what you're doing. It's perfect. It's you.

I miss you four so very much. Big cyber hugs!

ClistyB said...

if i repeat anything in your comments, i apologize, i cant read them all right now.
i cant tell you how many times ive laid awake at night thinking one of my posts have offended someone. and how many posts ive deleted 24 hours after publishing, because i felt someone would think it was lame. there are also a few bloggers that i feel would laugh (not in a good way) about my posts. pretty sure they dont even read my blog, which is icky because i dutifully read/comment on theirs.
blogs and FB make me feel so-high-school. more so than when I was IN high school. and Im not happy about that.
however, i think it is important that we write exactly what WE want, and not worry about the rest. because thats being true to ourselves. that's very very hard to do though.

and im laughing because i got so very bored with that LR post you mentioned that i never got to the end of it

Emily said...

I'm offended. Eating at fancy restaurants was a dig on me, I know it.

Wendy said...

Clisty--you are awesome. Thanks for saying what you did. It's so true.

Emily said...

Also, what Wendy said.

David and Shalynna said...

I am usually one to write long comments, but all I can say is... beautifully said (you are a great writer).

I agree with everyone else- your blog is real and that is what makes it so lovable.

Plus I'm thankful you have a blog otherwise we would have never met. Do you ever forget that we became friends through our blogs? Sometimes I do!

I guess it turned into a long comment after all. :)

Nancy said...

Bravo Abby! I say blog for yourself and who cares what anyone else says or does. Seriously. There are enough blogs out there that are fake, don't even worry about or read them. In fact I'm not even going to read the article you mentioned because I know it would upset me. I think everyone blogs for different reasons, but as long as it makes you happy that is all that matters. I started out thinking I was making a "craft blog" but really feel that I ended up with a family journal of a girl who crafts. I do it for joy, I do it for me, and I love to get feedback. I don't pretend to be anyone other than myself. I also never realized how much of a writing outlet a blog can be. I love to write, and this fulfills that love. And it's a fabulous way to connect with old friends and make new. I've learned so much about you through yours and feel like we're better friends because of that and I love it! Wish you were here, we're having a get together with the Craigs tonight, we'll be thinking of your cute family. Don't stop anything about yourself you're one of the sweetest and most sincere people I know!

Bethany said...

Oh, Abby. I love you blog. And, if I ever do feel bad about myself after reading it, it's only because I wish I wrote as interestingly as you do about your day (I'm a writer, but not much in this category) and wish my pictures were as beautiful. Whatever your reasons, I wish you to continue...

Here Dwells Happiness said...

love your blog and all the honesty it portrays. you are such a sweetie.

Kera said...

i hate my blog right now. and you just made it worse. i was going somewhere with it that i didn't feel good about, but i was doing it anyway because i felt pressure from who knows who. it wasn't the post you linked to, but your own words that spoke to me. thanks. and your clothes line picture is beautiful.

amyegodfrey said...

That was profound. When you write, you say so much with so few words. I click on your blog, hoping for a new post, oh, about a dozen times a day. Who could have imagined this blogging business a generation ago? It is a blessing to me, let me tell you.

hanner said...

i've had my blog for eight years and i've been looking back and my old posts and cringing and everything that you mentioned (which is why i don't publish my archives...) so i totally understand that. and i think that the coolest thing about blogging is what you mentioned, that you can make friends and then be friends with them in real life. since i started reading blogs and thinking of people as friends instead of some sort of deified being that has helped a lot. (the deification thing is something i suffer from in blogdom. it's so easy to make people into celebrities!) i made my first blog-turned-real life friend a few months ago and it has been a lot of fun to get to know her in person so i hope i can meet more people sometime.

anyway, i hope that made sense. but i agree with everyone else. blogging shouldn't be something that we have to think so much about! do it for yourself.

Jalene said...

i feel this way about blogging too. i read your blog because i feel you are real. and i love that in a blog. thanks for writing. keep doing it!

my mudda' calls me jack said...

My genereal resentment towards good friends' blogs?
I want to be their FRIENDS, not their Fans...
Yes, I love to be updated and see their beautiful lives, but I so long to have an actual conversation with many of you, but alas, no one writes letters or emails anymore...
P.S. Thank you for responding to my emails a couple weeks ago. It means a lot to me.

I love craft blogs, food blogs, etc. I feel inspired, but I'm learning to appreciate other people's talents without asking myself, "Why don't I do that?". Filtering things out of my life (even things that I like, sometimes) gives me so much more freedom as a mother, wife, sister, christian.

Sugarlene said...

what a beautiful way you expressed yourself to ALL your FRIENDS.....you are genuine, honest, and that makes for the kind of friend all of us long to have. Your pictures are wonderful....makes me wish I were there, ants and all....And I would bring you a suitcase full of your favorite cereal, and red vines. You're an awesome mom, even on those days when your don't feel like you are....mom's are human....so keep up the good work...and keep on a bloggin'...

Tyler, Brooke, Katelyn and Tanner said...

first of all, how the heck do you know 53 people? amazing.

well said about blogs, well said. i've often thought blogs are so deceiving because everyone blogs about how perfect their lives are. i get caught up in how everyone elses kids are so amazing when mine are at home throwing tantrums.

amyraye said...

wow. 54 comments. i think you've got your answers, but i just wanted to chime and say that i also love your blog. for a lot of reasons. but mostly because i think i know your motives.
and they are 100% genuine.

and i also really loved this post.

tessa said...

thanks for sharing. i saw pieces of myself in your post. we moved almost yearly growing up and loneliness in a new place can be very hard. i commend you on reaching out and finding friends where you're able and putting a positive spin on hard times. what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right? oh and all my close friends and family know i never capitalize. (it stems from nursing my twins non stop and not being able to hit the shift key on my computer when holding them on my lap.) i find it charming. no need to change :)

Bridget said...

lovely words, lovely blog. glad i found it!

merideth said...

i also love your blog.. and your kids are super cute. and don't start capitalizing... i never do. i think it is more fun.
i found your blog one day through sarah who is friends with my sis in law sarah. and i keep coming back.
and i love that laundry on the line picture. it is super cool.
i think i blog for many of the same reasons as you do... mostly the one about staying connected.

Anonymous said...

wowzers on the comments, eh!?

your blogs make me feel swell. you in person make me feel swell x 4.
since i am not with you i am okay with feeling swell.

thanks :)

off switch said...

i think i'm going to have to link this post to my blog (so honest and true...). you blog about whatever it is that's going on with you, abby. i love to read it all - especially the real stuff! oh, and "i don't want to just project happiness on my blog, i want to be happy period" - right on, right on!

xo,
katie

emily said...

i think there is such a fine line with all of these things. i think about them so much... and i know i started to blog because my mom wanted to see what my husband and i were doing on the east coast while she is in utah. and then it was because i didn't have many friends and getting comments like you said, is really nice!! you want to feel like you relate to others.
look at me saying, me me me, i i i. this is a great post and i'm glad i came upon it (through communikate).
hope you are well and keep blogging. it's for fun.

Jenn Kirk said...

I've been thinking of this since you've posted it, not knowing where to begin. But I totally agree with you on everything. Everything. And also wanted you to keep taking pretty pictures on even your hardest days. Because it makes all of us so happy, and I bet it makes you happy too. Nothing fake about wanting to capture the sweetest moments with your kids. Isn't that how we want to remember this time after they're all grown up?

Keep on doing what you do, because your blog is so fun. Huge hug to you!

Ashley Seil Smith said...

hahaa, I was just clicking on that little button by my comment and i accidentally deleted what i wrote. I'm retarded. I could rewrite it, but anyway, you know you're one of my favorite friends, blog or no blog.

MyKelle J said...

hello friend! I love your blog {throat clear} i have been a horrible follower of blogs lately. i hope that doesn't make me a terrible friend :) I was thinking about how funny it is that we went to high school together, had classes together, and honestly never really got to know each other all that well. then thank you to blogs we have gotten to know each other- from other states and now continents. i like the honesty of your blog. it is real and sincere. never quit. i would be so sad!

Jarret M. Sharp, Ed. D. said...

I blurk. I generally don't comment. digital communication is far to subjective for accurate interpretation. Too easy to offend. I stopped blogging for the same reasons you mentioned, and don't have the wherewithall to continue. Far too dangerous. So....bravo on may fronts.

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Joanie said...

I love your blog and your wit and your sarcasm. And if you wrote about ants in your house or how Milo doesn't listen, I'd still read your blog. And you can feel lonely in the Caribbean or anywhere for that matter. I love you and I love your cute little family. Keep blogging!