Blogging

If you'd asked me five years ago if I'd be a "blogger" today I would have laughed at you.  To be honest, I'm not even 100% sure I knew what blogging was five years ago.  I've fallen kind of backwards into this, but here it is.  The blog has taken on a bit of a life of its own the past year or so.  I thought that once Clara came home and we settled into our new normal a bit that it might also fade into the background.  But I continue to write.  You continue to read.  Readership continues to grow.

I'm thankful for this blog because it has become an outlet for me as I try to process things.  I've always enjoyed writing, but this has given me a new purpose for writing again and I find myself coming to it when I have news to share or ideas to ruminate upon.  I've met new "friends" as a result of this blog and have gotten to know people across the country who I may never know face to face, but who have come to know my heart.  Although it sounds overly dramatic, in some ways this blog has saved Clara's life.  Not only has it been the source of countless prayers offered on her behalf, but when I write about our struggles, people email and comment with ideas and suggestions that have been big game changers.  We would never have discovered dozens of tricks like "dreamfeeding" without this blog.

I'm just a girl who writes and takes photos and truly don't consider myself to be brilliantly talented at either.  But I enjoy it.  As an educator I believe that writing is best when it's authentic and meaningful and when it has an intended audience.  This blog does all that for me.

So, I'm going to try to run with it a bit.  I've given the site a few face-lifts (new content pages beneath the header, a few new gadgets on the sidebar and I finally fixed that bug that was goofing up the alignment).  If you're one who usually reads the blog in email or your RSS feed, pop over to the site when you have a chance and check out the new changes.

I don't know much at all about "professional blogging," but I'm self-teaching a little and beginning to dip my toe in the water, albeit hesitantly. You may have noticed that there have been some ads running on the site the last month or so.  If you see something that piques your interest, please click (and help us buy diapers).  If you read a post that you particularly like, click on the Facebook like symbol on the right hand side of the blog, or share the link on your own Facebook page.  Feel free to pass along the blog to others who you think may be interested in the ramblings of this stay-at-home mom.  Help us spread the word.  I'm going public.

I'm not sure what this will evolve into over time, but I'm committed to finding out!  Thanks for reading.  You're the reason I keep coming back.  That, and the fact that I can't resist sharing photos like this:

Christmas card teaser.  Rufus loves his baby.

Why Blog Now?

For the last couple of weeks I've been thinking about this whole blog thing. It seems that more and more people I know are posting blogs and it's just gotten me thinking. Part of me wants to resist how much we're dependent (reliant?) on internet interactions with other people. But then there's this other part of me that's grateful for how easy it makes it to stay in touch with and connect with friends and loved ones who are scattered across this country and world.

I've just gotten married and taken this new name "Hardy." (See definition above.) It's something I'm proud of and excited about and inspired by. I hope that the adjectives 'bold,' 'daring,' 'adventurous,' 'sturdy,' 'strong,' and 'courageous' are words that could describe me, if not now, maybe someday. It's a new chapter of my life and it seems an appropriate time to begin something new, like perhaps a blog.

I've also just finished reading a great book - Eat, Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's a memoir about this woman's search for..... all kinds of things. But it's wonderfully written and a fresh and inspiring look at spirituality, self and love. I've come away from this book thinking about all sorts of different things, but one thing it's left me with is the desire to write again. I don't claim to be any kind of excellent writer, and I doubt Penguin Books will be picking up my memoir any time soon. But there have been times in my life when I was a devout journaler and avid letter writer. I don't know that either is true of me now (unless wedding thank-you notes count), but maybe having an audience - no matter how small - will be what I need to try to find my own voice again.

So, it's the combination of those three things: seeing the rising popularity of blogs, feeling like I'm starting a new chapter in my own life with this marriage, and a little push from a woman whose story touched me personally that's provided me with the impetus for creating this blog.

I'm not really sure what role it will have or what its purpose will be. I don't know if Robert will ever post on here or not. Maybe someday I'll be posting pictures and videos of some little baby like many of my friends, but for now it'll just be a place for me to share with you about my life, my work, the things I love, and what God is teaching me. I hope it'll give you a glimpse into my heart.

cdh