I look forward to the Ultimate Blog Party every year. I love making new connections, and I make a few new friends each time around.
I started my first blog in 2001, and this one has been going since 2004. That’s a decade. It’s hard, at times, not to compare myself to the celebrity bloggers, and wonder why I haven’t hit the big time. But their stories are not mine, and my story is not theirs.
So, what is my story?
The answer to that question is continuously evolving. Right now, I am the mother of a 5 year old, wife of a 38 year old, former cancer patient in the midst of reconstruction, and a full-time college student who will, if everything goes right and I actually pass these classes, graduate in 6 weeks with a Bachelors degree in social sciences.
Blogging hasn’t been my top priority lately.
But I love blogging. I cherish the friendships I made through this medium. I cherish the product, this collection of stories, that resulted from these years at this blog. I didn’t start out with this intent, but when the reality of my own mortality was shoved in my face, I was comforted with the knowledge that I had at least something of myself to leave behind for my then infant daughter. I don’t plan on dying any time soon, but that idea stays with me as I write. So in the 4 years since my cancer diagnosis, this blog has become something more. It is a love letter, to my daughter, to my husband, my friends, the world, to life itself.
Want to know more?
Here are a few posts to get you started:
Cancerversary – thoughts on the anniversary of my cancer diagnosis, and my life right now.
Living in the Gap – “We don’t get practice time, and then go out and live our lives after we’ve perfected ourselves. We go out and try things, see if they work, we fall down, we get up, we embarrass ourselves, we don’t die of embarrassment – but we don’t get to practice life without an audience.”
Just Breathe – “As long as you have breath, you have this moment.”
My little girl has become quite the foodie. She loves to watch Anthony Bourdain (at age 2 she declared: “Tony is my best friend”), Chopped, Cupcake Wars, and pretty much any other food related show we will let her watch. She got a kitchen for her birthday: But one of her favorite pastimes is to sit and read out loud from cookbook; one recipe after another. That means my days sound like this:
It wouldn’t be so bad if the recipes were all healthy and nutritious, but her favorite book from which to read is this: All day long with the delicious sounding recipes, delectable ingredient after delectable ingredient. And the recipe she was reading in the video was for a Chocolate Hazelnut-Pear Tart. Mouthwatering.
So hour after hour I sit here having chocolate deserts described to me, and the more she reads those recipes, this more I want to shovel chocolate in my face.
Now I don’t pretend to be a cooking blog, so no, I haven’t made this recipe yet. Although, I do believe this particular tart is in my future. But, since we taunted you with the ingredient list earlier, I’ll go ahead and include the recipe she was reading here: Chocolate Hazelnut-Pear Tart.
I’m having a little trouble wrapping my head around Gem turning five. She’s clearly 5. She acts like a 5 year old. She thinks like a 5 year old. I’m just having a little trouble keeping up.
I thought an interview might be a good way to try to catch up
Favorite color: Red and pink Favorite animal: cheetah What do you want to do when you grow up: police officer What is your favorite thing to do: play cooking What is your favorite book: My Little Pony Equestria Girls What is your happiest memory: going to the beach Why do you like being a kid: because I can play more If you could be any animal, what would you be: a mermaid What’s your favorite thing to do with Mommy and Daddy: snuggle Where is your favorite place to go: to the doughnut shop What is your favorite TV show: My Little Pony What is your favorite food: pears What was your favorite birthday present: kitchen and cook book What is something you don’t like to do: wait What do you think Daddy does at work: work on his computer And what does Mommy do: work on her computer, too, and takes care of me What is something that you’re really good at: running fast What is something that you want to get better at: going in the water and being safe from the sharks What is something that you want to learn: how to make a paper boat Who is your favorite person in the whole world: Bella What is your favorite thing to wear: dresses What is your favorite kind of weather: rainy Why: because I can stomp in puddles with my boots If we went on a trip anywhere in the world, where would you like to go: to school What would you buy if you had $1000: cherries What is your favorite kind of ice cream: strawberry What are you looking forward to next year: going to Kindergarten
The day started out with a plan, and it was all Gem’s idea. We were going to go on a walking tour of all the beautiful flowers in our new neighborhood. And, I would bring my camera, so we could take pictures and use them for a blog post.
My little unpaid intern is really starting to pay off.
We got off to a good start.
But, after a while we came across this:
And inside, they had this:
They also had books.
The walls were lined with old classics
and my little girl was entranced
We spent hours in the doughnut shop, and I got to share with her some of my childhood favorites.
The garden tour / photo walk can wait for another day.
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