I’ve been doing some introspection lately.  I’ve been trying to put the words to the reason behind why I blog.  I was speaking with a friend the other day who was looking for some insight on how to get started with blogging.  The question of why I started blogging came up.  Seven years ago, I was a new mom of two small children. We had recently moved to a new city, we had downsized from a multi-square-foot house to an apartment. The Hubs had a vicious commute and I had a lot of time on my hands to knead and shape my loneliness.  I had always been a chronicler of my own life experiences. I could burn through at least two journals a year.  Having children, however, left me less time to put pen to paper and I was smarting from the lack of relief that writing provided.  I had started following a friend’s blog and thought,”I could do that.”  As it turns out, I most certainly could.

Fast forward seven years and my blog has taken various forms. At first, I thought I wanted to be an Erma Bombeck type — this being prior to the Mommy Blogger assignation.  I wanted to recount funny stories with my kids and dispense pearls of wisdom.  Then for several attempts, I thought maybe I’d be more like Martha Stewart, where everything was a”good thing” and I could talk about recipes I’d made or crafts that I’d created.  I tried theme posts. I tried blog challenges. I tried a number of things before settling on the open, stream of consciousness diary type of blogging that I find myself doing.  If I still took pen in hand and cracked the binding on a fabric covered journal, I’d probably be writing very much the same thing I am here.  The blog is how I curate my thoughts and experiences. It’s my confessional, my confidant, my soapbox and my platform.  I write the way I think; that’s it.  There are scores of unfinished posts in my draft queue because I have a tendency to start something, get distracted and forget what direction I had planned to go in when I finally get back to the post. I can’t write something, save, come back several days later to review, edit and so forth.  I’d have zero to no posts and this blog would be the equivalent of an empty lot.  I write. I spell-check (I miss a few things, occasionally). I publish.  That’s it.

What else is there to know about me? What are my vital stats besides being a writer, photographer, wife, mama, sister and friend?  There’s quite a bit more.  Rather than provide you with an ESPN worthy highlight reel of my greatest hits, I thought I’d answer some questions that I found from a post that had been left in the queue longer than I’d care to admit.  These questions came from another blog challenge, which I clearly didn’t complete.  Initially, the plan was to fill in the questions, swap out one question for one of my own and then pass the challenge to another blogger.  I think the blogger I got this from and the blogger I planned to send it to are no longer blogging.  It’s been that long.

What are your current obsessions?

The usual suspects: bacon, chocolate, and books.  A dark chocolate and sea salt bar studded with bacon to snack on while I read a book that it is at once gripping, hilarious, and thought provoking? That’s the ideal.   Reading, reading, and reading.  I’m either in the middle of a book, just finishing a book or on the look out for the next book that I want to read. Similarly, I’m either having a snack, finishing a snack or thinking about what the next snack will be.  As for the book, however, I recently updated my GoodReads shelf with my starred review of “Seating Arrangements” by Maggie Shipstead.  I downloaded a sample of her next book, “Astonish Me“, as well as a sample of BJ Novak’s collection of short stories entitled, “One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories“.  I am completely in love with the ability to borrow e-books from the library, but I’m so far down on the waiting list for both of those aforementioned titles, I may cough up a few bucks to iTunes to get my hands on them.

Which item from your closet are you wearing most often?

Undoubtedly, my leopard print scarf from J.Crew.  I almost didn’t buy it.  At the time, J.Crew was a special occasion brand for me.  I ran in Old Navy, Target and sometimes the Loft type of circles.  I had just finished reading yet another “Top 10 Closet Essentials”, and was trying to make something out of the nothing that was hanging on my shelves.  One of the items listed was a “wear with everything scarf”.  The author advocated prints, especially leopard.  The only times I wore scarves include when one of the girls pilfered my hair bonnet or when the temps dropped low enough that a turtleneck and sweater weren’t going to cut it.  Print scarves were completely out of my wheelhouse, but I got on the Internet and searched for some options. Lo and behold, J.Crew had a scarf (and I had a coupon), and we’ve been inseparable ever since.  While I have learned that there are at least 24 ways to tie a scarf, I usually stick with one or two ways, but I add that flash of print to just about everything.  Jenna Lyons is absolutely correct in her assessment.

 Last thing you bought for yourself?

Vineyard Vines Sea Shell Maxi Dress. *excuse the hair*

What are three things you would like to learn to do?

Know Your Knives

What is one item you could not live without?

Money’s not an object, so where are you going on vacation?

What is the last movie you saw?

Probably Frozen. I have three little girls, so I think that explains that.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

What’s your favorite smell?

Best thing you ate or drank lately?

I gave up wine and red meat for Lent, so one of my first post Lenten meals was a nice marbled rib-eye, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and a side of fries.

Care to share some wisdom?

I have been given so many seeds of advice and nuggets of knowledge, it’s hard to choose one or two that speak to me above the others.  They’re all so vital.  I went to my Pinterest board, the aptly entitled Pearls of Wisdom. The most often repeated pins had to do with cultivating good self-esteem, the love of books and setting a proper table.

Describe one of your happiest moments?

Walking for the first time, without crutches, a boot or any help, after my tenolysis surgery.

What is your favorite snack?

I’m really into The Fresh Market’s Sea Salt Popcorn.

What do you have an addiction to?

Why do you blog?

To quote Lord Byron, “If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad.”

Is there anything you’d like to know? Ask me a question in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer!