Why am I going to shout out to the faithful viewers who have read and/or commented in the fat months (like October, December and March) as well as the thin pickings like January and May--when I barely raised my head, drowsy tortoise that I had been? Because, Ladies and Gentlemen, my blog is, officially, one-year-old, and it is the best way I can think of to commemorate it (and the 150,000 hits). (I do have a mental list of least favorite moments from last year like how Aer Lingus lost our luggage, and Seamus's multiple trips to the DMV, as well as my constant frisking by airport security, but I am not going to give any more energy to those emotional drains.)
The blog began as my husband’s idea as a way to capture our trip to Ireland, to save the memories for ourselves as well as to share them with family and friends—who were all asking for pictures and stories. If that is true, then so is the fact that neither Steve nor I could’ve imagined the following the blog would engender or the friendships it would foster. For, although I have written for over twenty years, I had never had a means to express myself in a forum that could reach the instantaneous audience that a blog allows.
An adult story book is what this year has become, small snapshots of an unfolding life. I look back at the entries and I am proud to own the quirky family favorites like the night we got slammed in the back of the truck by a teenaged hit-and-run driver (and my husband went into high-tail pursuit after her) and the time we weathered a summer blackout, as well as the poignant “Femoirs,” snippets of a more individual nature, rants like the time I caught a lady stealing candy canes from the dollar store, and themes from the unequal distribution of labor at work, to abject depression and wild ambition.
And so, in Romper Room fashion, I would like, publicly, to recognize those who have supported me like Louisiana former-student and fellow-writer, Daniel Trosclair--who has, for several months now, managed to gain sea-legs on his own political blog--and to my sister, Kathy, from Pennsylvania, as well as a few of my Cleveland high-school best friends, Kim Kralic-Martin, and Joanne Klepcyk. Each followed me religiously and encouraged me regularly in those early months, as did Kevin Brignac (Colorado) and Elizabeth Kostan (Las Vegas, Nevada).
But, the blog also enabled me to get back in touch with BGSU alumae, Georgie Miller, a former nun, and Mark Thalman, who lives in Washington and works as a big-wig photographer there, as well as to build some grass-roots readers in my “new” hometown of San Antonio, especially my wonderful friend, Kathy Stone. I think my favorite surprise, however, was meeting friends like Marie Mocek, whom I have never met or “spoken to,” but a lady who has become a friend, nonetheless, a vital presence online who can discuss difficult subjects with an interesting perspective.
Of course, my husband has been the most omnipresent fan, spurring me on (onstage and offstage), and I believe my father has even made an “appearance” in several comments, although he had to assume a pseudonym to do so. Thank you to those who love me enough to “check in on me,” in this way, and I am grateful to blogging itself for the ability to reach so many in one fell-swoop. Happy Birthday, Blog! You're not a baby anymore.