Happy Blogaversary to me... and a Reflection

Today marks the anniversary of when I started blogging. Its hard to believe! I never realized that I would enjoy it so much or 'meet' all of you wonderful people. I originally started simply with the idea that I wanted a place to write some thoughts and organize my links, pictures, etc. I had never even really read blogs before I started one and didn't quite understand the whole 'blogosphere'.

As much as I love blogging though, I think I got a little too sucked into this virtual world. I started five other blogs as well at various points this fall - some on blogspot and some on tumblr.

A Whole Lotta Love

A Love Train

A Peace Train on blogger and on Tumblr

Life's Simple Joys

Craziness, right? I also got starting pinning a lot of things to Pinterest and even though its not a blog, all of a sudden I had like 700 followers.

To be honest, I never really cared about gaining followers... I just like blogging, but I think all of a sudden I started caring more about it and it scared me. I sometimes see on other blogs people saying things like 'follow for follow' and I feel like I'm in 7th grade again. Why does this matter? Its not the real world. As much as I want to be appreciated for what I write or post, I don't want anyone to feel like they 'have' to read my blog just because I follow them and vice versa. 

I also got into reading more and more blogs because you became my 'friends', but it can actually takes quite a bit of time to read and comment on so many blogs. Its just not realistic. Although I've enjoyed hearing all about your lives and interests via your blog and sharing mine, I don't actually know you and you don't know me. If I really needed someone to talk to, you are not physically here with me. My real friends are. I say this simply to give us all a reality check.

This past week I took a little break from blogging and a few days just from routine in general. I went to NYC and saw a Broadway play, took the horse rides around central park (touristy I know, but I'd never done it), went to an auction, took a little retreat for myself, wrote, went snow-shoeing, got my hair cut and a massage and facial, had some talks with friends, sang karaoke at a a bar, and went ice skating. It felt good to get away from the computer. The computer world is great, but we end up spending time being more sedentary because of it.

Last week I wrote a post about balance because I was feeling out of balance and was searching for a way to bring more to my life. My outer body has always been a mirror reflection of what is going on inside. If I'm too stressed, I gain weight, which happened to me in the craziness of grad school. But I've also gained weight this past year because I've gotten a little to sedentary due to my zealousness in computer time, given that I also work on the computer all day for work. Since January 1st, I've lost around 9 pounds and it feels great! I'm going to my first zumba class today as well, which I'm very excited for.

I hope that you all have more balance than I did in your relationship to blogging and if you feel that perhaps you don't, I do encourage you to read the post on balance and take some time to think about these things. I will still continue blogging because I do love it, although I will definitely be scaling down, setting a schedule, and keeping track of my time online. And I will continue to read many of your blogs as well even if I don't always comment.

One of my favorite quotes when I was growing up was the following:

Anyway, as I enter my second year of blogging, I look forward to still connecting with you and I think it would especially wonderful if I was able to meet some of you in real life at some point. I know that some of you actually have and do get together with other bloggers and blog conferences and I think that is great. The thing I love about 'meeting' all of you via this virtual world is that I never would have met you in real life.. our paths never would have crossed - and I love what I've learned from you and about your lives. Lets just all have a healthy approach to blogging and not make it more important than the many other aspects of our lives.

A Whole Lot More Balance,

Adrienne

A Love Train

Today I am announcing the start of a new blog called A Love Train. The thought popped into my head one day when I heard the song, A Love Train by the O'Jays.



I'm sure you've heard it. 'People all over the world, join hands. Start a love train.'
The way it works is easy. Just write a blog about love... what it means to you, how to share love in your everyday life, one thing you want to do to bring more love to the world, something inspirational that you see someone or some other group doing, a list of ten things that you love, etc. Let me know you've written it by leaving a comment with your url and I will copy the full post with a link to your blog as well. Its kind of like a permanent linky party. Its fun and it can also increase your own blog exposure.

So here is the very first blog post and I've chosen to write a list of ten things that I love:

I LOVE POMEGRANATES. Even though I'm grown, my mom and dad are always surprising me with pomegranates at this time of year. They almost always have one for me when I go to their house. Pomegranates are the perfect snack. Instead of munching on something unhealthy when I have a snack attack, I love to go for a pomegranate because it takes so long to eat. When I was younger I actually used to be quite overweight. Then I found with just some exercise and switching some healthy foods for some unhealthy ones, the weight just dropped. And they make pretty decorations for the holiday season too :)

I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY. I'm just an amateur, but anyone who has seen my blog, knows that I love photos and highlighting photography and photographers I like for my Favorite Foto Friday post. I just got a DSLR a year ago and I can't believe how much I'm in love.

I LOVE THE BEACH. One of my names means 'woman of the sea' and its a perfect name for me. Unfortunately I don't live near the beach now, but I have at many points in my life, in Costa Rica, Florida, California, and Massachusetts. There's nothing like the feel of sand in my toes...

I LOVE PEOPLE. Of course I love my friends and family, but I also just love people in general. Sometimes I have this overwhelming love for people I have never met... and I'm not talking hollywood celebs here. I'm talking about the old woman on the train, the grocery store attendant bagging my groceries, etc.  There are so many wonderful people in this world, all with their gifts and peculiarities - and I think that is what makes this world such a lovely place.

I LOVE PAINTING. It doesn't matter what I'm painting. It can be on canvas (I like doing big abstract pieces) or it can be painting bookshelves, like I was doing today. There is something soothing about having a paintbrush in my hand. I guess I just get into the 'flow'. I actually painted the heart below when I was painting a closet earlier this year.

I LOVE BOOKS/ READING. I could seriously read all day if left to my own devices. Ok. Thats not totally true because I have too many other 'loves', but on certain cold winter days its definitely not uncommon to find me reading for a period of 12 hours at a time. I think my husband must think I've disappeared into the book (and in many ways I have). Anyway, it doesn't hurt that I'm a rare book dealer (although I can't really read those wonderful old first editions), as its a nice environment to spend my days. (By the way, there's still time to enter your name for the giveaway of a signed first edition, which I'll extend until November 9th).

I LOVE CEREAL. I know its weird, but I could seriously eat cereal at any time of the day. (Actually I just had some for dinner). I probably shouldn't be admitting that, but whatever. Love me or leave me. I remember my sister once did one of those 'about me' lists on facebook and she, too, mentioned her love of cereal. I hadn't realized that she was still such a cereal-fiend until then. We must have eaten a lot of cereal growing up.

I LOVE PLANTS. When I'm surrounded by those lovely green beauties with their occasional blessings of floral delights, I feel connected. I feel healthy. I feel alive. My home has plants everywhere... sometimes more than I can handle, but I love it. I used to work at a greenhouse at a science museum and I also used to be an outdoor education teacher, romping around the redwood forests. Although I love my work now, those were definitely some lovely-filled days.

I LOVE SCIENCE. I know its a bit geeky, but I got my first microscope when I was like 9. I remember the first time I saw all the things that were underneath that very un-powerful scope. It changed my life. I love all kinds of science. I got a degree in biology and then a masters focused on microbial disease. I've been a biology teacher and a chemistry teacher. (I think I've had too many varying careers... I just have too many loves, aka the name of my blog :) ). Now I'm into physics. Science is so amazing because it informs us about the world around us... and there is just so much to discover!

I LOVE BLOGGING. I never understood the whole thing about blogs and blogging until I started writing one myself less than a year ago. And then I started reading blogs. And then I started 'meeting' so many wonderful people in the blogging world. It has been such a lovely adventure. Since I live in a small town (pop. 12,000) and work from a home (a somewhat solitary endeavor), blogging has allowed me to meet people from all over the world that I wouldn't normally have the chance to ever know in my entire life. There are so many lovely people and blogs out there, and I hope that as this Love Train takes off, it will be a place for more people to meet, share their loves, and link up their blogs together. I hope you'll join me!

A Whole Lotta Love,

Adrienne

Beautiful Blogger Award!

I was recently given the Beautiful Blogger Award by the lovely Brianna at Crazy Sweet Life. Thank you so much... and check out her beautiful blog as well.

The way I was told this works is that I tell ten things about myself and then pass on the award to five beautiful bloggers (although I googled the award and it was originally 7 things and send it on to 7 bloggers.. so I think I'll do that instead.. mostly because there are too many bloggers who I would love to give this to and its too hard to narrow it down).

So here are seven things about me:

♥  I spent 2 years commuting 2 hours to get a Masters in Public Health (Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases)... but now I work with my husband at our Rare Book business and am loving it. (Although I'm sure I would jump at the chance to do something with my degree if I could find something in my area).

♥ I've traveled to 42 countries, but I have yet to go to Asia or South America and I'm itching to go to Australia and New Zealand as well. I'd love to be able to go to every country in the world before I die, even if it was just for a moment for some of them.

♥ One of my favorite snacks as a kid was a banana wrapped in cheese... and I have to admit I will still eat it from time to time. Sounds gross, but its good. I actually found this picture online.. so I know I'm not the only one that likes it :)

♥ I just realized I've met almost 20 Nobel Prize-winners throughout my life.

(me with Gabriel Garcia-Marquez)

♥My first car was a huge yellow '77 Chevy Impala station wagon that cost $500 and was called "The Yellow Submarine". I don't have a photo, but I found this one for sale online and this is pretty much exactly what it looked like. Its listed for $35,001,800 US Dollars. I'm a little confused about that one... definitely a typo.

♥ Even though I live in Vermont, our house looks like an Italian villa. It was built by the husband of an Italian opera singer around 1916. It is called 'The Chantry', which means 'where music is made'.. which fits because I am ALWAYS singing.

♥ On the day that I met my husband I had woken up with a strong feeling that I was going to be meeting my future husband that day. How strange and awesome is that? He is the love of my life and my best friend. Next week is our 7th wedding anniversary and tomorrow is his birthday :) ... and if you are reading this, I love you soooo much!

And now I'd like to pass this award on to seven lovely bloggers:

Kate @ Love Vermont

Caroline @ Coeur de La

Fiona @ Cafe Cartolina

Teresa@ Blooming on Bainbridge

Laura @ 52 Flea

Beauty in the Attempt

Dionne @ City of Dionne

If you don't know them, check them out! They are all beautiful.

A little blog hopping...

Its Saturday morning and I was wide awake at 5:30am (NOT my usual rising time on a weekend), but I love the early morning hours. Its such a lovely hour to just enjoy doing nothing in particular, so I found myself doing a little blog reading and taking part in a blog hop. Hop in!

Blog Love

Much love to Vic over at the Bloggers Club for featuring my blog the other day. I just saw it this morning. Even though I've only recently started blogging, I really enjoy it! I began blogging this year as a way to organize all the stuff that I love - links, music, photos, and other things I find on the web. I had no idea that I would 'meet' so many wonderful other bloggers and get so much inspiration from their blogs as well. Thank you to everyone who has started following and for all your lovely comments and encouragement!

Life's Simple Joys

I created another blog the other day. Its called Life's Simple Joys... and it's simply that - a simple blog where I try to write one simple joy that I'm thankful for every day. There's so much to be thankful for, and we can so often overlook the small things that make life wonderful. This is just my attempt to focus my attention more on appreciating the good and the lovely... and I hope perhaps it will help anyone reading it to do the same.

There are often so many things that can go wrong in a day. For example, today my computer crashed... actually it won't even start. Fortunately I have another computer that I'm typing on now, but the one thats not working is the one I use for my home business and do all my shipping from. Usually this would have totally stressed me out. But instead I just feel peace today so I made a few calls and even though I had to wait 30 minutes on hold with one company trying to get a few answers, I'm still completely thankful that there was someone to help me. My computer is still not working, but I was able to transfer the shipping program to this computer, and I'm in the process of looking for a new computer (I really have been meaning to get a new one for quite some time). Sometimes we can't control our outer circumstances, but what we can control is our attitude towards those circumstances.. and I think that is what having true joy is all about.