My Blogging Journey . . . to Tonight

 . . . I started blogging back in early 2008 . . . although I had been reading blogs for months and months and months . . .  I really wanted to start a blog prior to the actual day that I did open a blogger account . . . but I was afraid . . . what would I say blog about, would anyone be interested, would anyone care, would anyone actually read me, what would my friends say, what would my family say

. . . my husband knew that I read some blogs, but he didn't have any notion that I really desired my own blog. He pretty much told me that I better not be commenting on blogs (I was not yet) or even think of starting my own blog. So there went my idea of my own blog . . . for months and months.

 . . . I was a closet blogger, lurking about, reading blogs, never commenting. then one morning I decided I was going to open an account on blogger and keep it a secret. I would tell him (my husband) soon enough I thought. I didn't even have a name chosen for a blog, so I just picked what my husband always called me "Hey Honey" . . . yes, that was the name of my blog for two months until I thought of Tiaras & Tantrums (which I still adore). My blog was really just opened on a whim!

this was my very first header

. . .the premise of my blog would be a monthly summary of what had occured in my family. I thought I would throw in some posts about my baking, my crafting, and all the wonderful quotes that I read as well. After one month I pretty much scraped that idea and went with whatever was on my mind. I remember my first blog post, you can see (if you read it), not much thought went into it . . . I wrote it and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. I watched my stats for visitors, I visited other blogs that I had been secretly reading and actually commented this time in hopes someone would visit me back. When I did receive my first comment, I nearly fell off my chair!

 . . . I missed having adult interactions. I had great joy the first year of blogging, making connections, building friendships and relationships . . . I found passion in my life again . . . something that I had lost leaving a fabulous corporate job and staying home with my children. I was inspired and excited again. I started to shine a bit again . . . I watched others shine. Not only has blogging offered me the ability to connect with other like-minded parents and individuals, it has offered me incredible support throughout tough times in my life. Blogging has provided a means for me to vent my thoughts and to explore my creativity.

 . . .then entered this thing called Twitter . . . twit what I thought . . .  but I peeked over there . . . I opened an account . . . and quickly closed it within a month and didn't come back for almost a year. . . BIG mistake . . . I should have left that account opened and stayed on Twitter! I like Twitter, I really do, but it changed blogging . . . for me anyway.

During the last five years my blogging has evolved enormously. Here’s how.

• I’m sure because I write a lot for my blog that my writing has improved. In fact one regular reader has commented on this. I’ve also had feedback that my blog writing style is engaging and honest.
• I’ve met a fabulous online community of people. Meeting people in person strengthens online relationships for sure.
• I also get regular comments on my blog and I wonder if I would have continued blogging without this. The validation, sympathy, good wishes – whatever – help make it worthwhile.
• It’s enabled my passion for photography to flourish.
• Meeting people online has brought opportunities  that I would have never otherwise heard about.
• My blog has also come to the attention of PR agencies who are looking to tap into bloggers to help market for the companies they work for. This has brought me things to try out. So much that I even started another blog for reviews and giveaways. 
• I run ads on my blog and while I don’t make much money at all it helps out with the hosting costs. It feeds my hobby and if I start earning more that wouldn’t be a problem.

The above list is probably not exhaustive and if I didn’t homeschool and if I wasn’t a full-time mother and could therefore devote more time to my blog goodness knows where it could take me. A different job maybe? A girl can dream can’t she, or does it have to be a dream?