The End of an Era

Anyone who's spent more than 10 minutes with me over the past three years has probably heard me mention or reference blogging in some way. I've loved blogging! I've always been one to champion its virtues (it's easy, it's fun, a great way to stay connected, practically like a journal, etc) and downplay its vices (stalkers, people stealing your family pictures, strangers knowing what you're up to, time consuming, etc). When I started blogging in January of 2006 (I know, THAT long ago), I forsaw myself keeping a blog for the rest of children's growing up years. That isn't the case anymore.

As evidenced by my lack of regular posts this year, I've been thinking/debating for awhile now about blogging and what precisely I'm accomplishing by doing it. As an outgoing, gregarious person, when I began blogging I was all about the comments, ie, attention. I tried to be funny and witty so as to garner the most comments possible. Over time, although the comments were great, they began to matter to me less and less.

I don't know if it's because I'm hitting 30 later this year and with age if I'm turning into a more private person, but I find that I'm no longer as interested in sharing my family's life with the World Wide Web. I've had a Site Meter on my blog from almost the very beginning and it's been enlightening to see where visitors were coming from. I can confidently say I've had blog visitors from almost every state and around 25-30 countries. It hasn't bothered me to have the virtual company. So it isn't so much an issue of, "There are crazy psychos out there who could find me and my family and do us harm" or even "I don't want everyone and their dog to know my business," although that does play into it a little (Read this blog to see what I mean about the crazies: http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/are-you-kidding-me/stolen-picture/)

It's more about me. I find myself wasting A LOT of time blogging. Typing blogs, reading blogs, trying to find people's blogs, or blog surfing for fun. After reading this talk by Elder Bednar: "Things As They Really Are"( http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,538-1-4830-1,00.html) and doing some introspection, I've simply come to the conclusion that it's time I step away from family blogging and pursue other, hopefully more worthwhile (for me) activities.

Thanks to all the readers and commenters I've had over the years. More often than not, the comments were better and funnier than my posts. And not to worry, you can still find me at other places on the Internet (read: Facebook, Goodreads, Shelfari, email, etc.). I may be quitting blogging, but there's no way I could stay completely out of touch!

In the immortal words of Ah-nald, "Hasta la vista, baby."

My GWTW Challenge

I have a confession to make: I’ve never read “Gone With the Wind.”

There, it’s out.  I’m coming clean.  For most people, the fact that they’ve never read Gone With the Wind is no biggie.  But for me, born and raised in the South, in Atlanta no less, with both the Gone With the Wind museum AND the Margaret Mitchell house not even 30 minutes from my front door, and with the Blue Willow Inn about an hour away (where Margaret Mitchell is said to have visited on numerous occasions and one of the inspirations for Tara), it’s a borderline travesty.

I have seen the movie.  And I liked it.  But as is the case with most movie adaptations, I’ve heard the book is better.  It’s just one of those books I’ve never gotten around to reading.   And that would probably still be the case if it weren’t for a particularly persistent friend who went as far as to mail me my very own paperback copy of this novel last summer.  I promised her then that I would read it, but as we were dealing with a lot of rather stressful things, I readily admit I kept thinking, “I can't think about this now. I'll go crazy if I do. I'll think about it tomorrow.”  Sadly, there have been quite a few tomorrows since Heidi first mailed me the book and I still have yet to read it.  How fickle is woman!  Well, no more!

So it is with much eagerness that I attempt to tackle “Gone With the Wind” during the month of August.  Upon punishment of being referred to as a weakling to all of Facebook, and as God as my witness, I will read in it’s entirety, “Gone With the Wind” before the month of August is complete.  If that’s not a binding promise, well then frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

Back From a Break With a Break

I had grandiose plans of coming back from my blogging hiatus with a bang. Unfortunately, I was thinking more along the lines of a literary bang, whereas the Fates seemed to take a much more literal interpretation. Instead of wowing you all with witty banter clever remarks about all that we’ve been up to over the past six weeks, I am updating you instead about what we’ve been up to over the past three days.

I give you, Exhibit #1: Everett’s left tibia (that’s the big bone in your lower leg)

If you look closely, you’ll see that nice little crack right in the middle of the shin. This kind of thing can happen when kids jump on a trampoline. Of course, you yourself probably jumped on a trampoline every day as a kid and you, nor anyone who ever jumped on your trampoline, ever had a sprain, let along a break. But let’s not forget that Everett is no ordinary kid. Everett is lucky enough (and I’m not being facetious here) to have some of Will’s DNA coursing through his veins. Will’s DNA is some awesome stuff, but as most of our faithful readers know, Will’s DNA means Everett has a propensity toward pain and/or unfortunate/crazy accidents. Surely, you remember the blowtorch incident from earlier this year? So while for ordinary kids jumping on a trampoline is no biggie, for Everett it means a day and a half of sitting here:

Being bored to tears watching TV because you can’t seem to put any weight on your left leg. And then getting to go here:

So the doctor can tell him what Mom and Dad already knew: Everett would need a cast. For three weeks. And then a brace. For two. There goes August!

But Everett was a trooper and was excited to a get his blue Band-Aid. He was still, happy and very cooperative the entire time his leg was getting cast.

It seemed only fitting that Will was able to meet us at the doctor’s office to offer his emotional and physical support during Everett’s time of need. After all, Will’s a tad familiar with all things having to do with blue casts on a left leg.

Everett and Dad: August 2009

Everett and Dad: August 2007