Two Years + One Day

(Hubs and I after finishing the Easter Sun Run 2010)

Two years and one day ago, I wrote my first blog post. It was about my goal to complete a 3K race with some friends. At that time the 1.8 miles was a big hurdle to overcome. Two years and one day later I have completed my first 10K race.

I have been blogging about our uninteresting life, telling stories, venting, and posting random stuff for two years in 491posts. It's fun. It's therapy. It's a hobby.

I looked back over some of the topics of my posts. I've posted about shoes, vacation, adventure, and Hubs. Life, dentistry, coffee and food have also been on the list. You've been there when I discovered watching DVDs on my laptop, when I thought Hubs was being killed outside our apartment, and when you found out what happens when 3 dentists get together. You've probably laughed when I woke up to my shoe on my pillow or when I wrote a letter to Kansas.

Then, I went back and looked at the posts that YOU really liked because you actually commented. You enjoyed spending 5 minutes in my brain and you were so sweet to congratulate me when my braces came off. I tricked you in the post about our news and you hopefully took my female advice in this post. Some of you were probably shocked when you found out Hubs has the better hair, or when I fainted with excitement, or when we woke up to a catastrophe, or even when Hubs found an intruder in our home. I found out what level of Husker Fan you are in this post.

I still love to blog, although it is not the addiction it once was. I still love to read other's blogs. I really still love to read comments on my blog, though over the last two years, I know your lives have changed, too.

Thank you for reading for these 2 years. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, your advice, and your excitement. I will keep blogging for the time being and I hope you'll keep reading. 

Nicknames

Ya'll crack me up. On the posts where I think I will get tons of comments (by tons, I mean like 3), I get one or none. On the dumb posts that I put no effort into, I get comments.

While we are on the topic of comments, is anyone out there? I don't hear you because comments have been scarce. You must have forgotten how much I love to read your comments; how giddy I get when I see that I have some. Consider this a reminder.

Technically, I do know that you are still reading. For my sanity, I had to install that wonderful little site meter at the bottom of my page. It makes me feel loved, especially by that person in Switzerland who stumbled on my page a stayed for a whole minute and 15 seconds!

Feeling loved brings me to the point of the post - nicknames.

I love nicknames or shortened names. I love them because it usually means that the person calling you by your nickname knows you well enough to do so. It means that they are comfortable shortening your name and I think it is an act of endearment. And it isn't even that they use the name all the time; but when they do, its a reminder of that relationship.

For example, I can think of only a handful of people that shorten my name to Feath. My mom. My bf/aunt Ruth. My boss/uncle. And my other aunt. There might be a few more, but those come to mind immediately.   These people are super close to me and I love that they shorten my name at random times.

I rarely hear Hubs call me Feather. He has other names he uses - all endearing - and that I respond to. I love that he is comfortable enough to not use my formal name all the time. In turn, I rarely use Hubs's full name.

When I think about my closest friends now or in the past, I have always shortened their name at times.

So, whenever I think of children's name that we might use in the future, I always think about what I would shorten them to. I want them to feel loved in the same way I do when someone uses my nickname(s). I want them to feel comfortable and relaxed the way I do when someone says, "Feath."

So, what is your take on shortened names/nicknames?

Appalling

I am appalled that you have nothing better to do than sit and read my blog! Are you trying to tell me you have a life? Or, are you saying that I should wait more than 5 hours before expecting to see comments come rolling in? Or, maybe it is that my posts have gone a little on the boring side and you simply have nothing to say. (By the way, I am not talking to you Laura!) Or, perhaps it is because I have changed the "look" so much that I am confusing you. Oh, how I needlessly stress about my blog readership.

Let's make a compromise. I'll work on having more interesting posts, as well as not expecting you to respond quickly and to each post. You continue to read, and say, "hi" every time once and a while.

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Has anyone else been watching the Presidential debates (raise your hand)? If so, what have you thought? Hubs and I looked at each other at one point on Tuesday night and said, "Do you have any idea what he just said?"

Now I consider myself a fairly educated individual. I love to learn and try to retain as much as I can; however, some of the answers were a little too detailed for (what I believe) the average United States citizens want and need to hear.

Some of you, I can already hear your responses. "But we need to know exactly what each candidate is going to do in each situation." "You should want to know every detail about their plans, otherwise they can just say anything." "We need to make sure these candidates know what they are talking about."

I agree, but when it comes to all those countries in Asia, I can honestly say that I don't know one from the other. I would just like to know what each candidate's foreign policy stance is and then maybe one example of how it would be put in to effect. Would that suffice for you?

Honestly, that is why I have enjoyed Governor Palin. She has spoke with clarity and plainness. I don't have to translate the words she uses, summarize the endless paragraphs, or wonder if what she said was what she really thinks.

Even still, I am looking forward to the final debate next week. If you are still on the fence with who to vote for, here are my first and final words:

Our country is in a state we have never seen before. We need leadership that will work with both parties to make smart decisions and legislation. There is one candidate who has, throughout his entire career in the US Senate, a proven track record of working to put numerous bipartisan legislation's through. The opposing candidate has spent his years in the US Senate only working to pass legislation that goes along his party line.

Which would you rather have as President?

Comments

I'm usually not one to subject myself to begging. It's not pretty.

However, did you know that my blog had 65 hits yesterday? Did you also know that only 1 of those hits resulted in a comment (thanks Audrey)?

Another statistic: Out of the last 6 posts, I've received 2 comments (not including comments posted my the author). The numbers just aren't adding up.

I love reading comments on my blog - really, I get very excited. Let me know how inpirational, amusing, creative, and entertaining boring my posts are or if you are enjoying them. But even if you just stop by to visit, let me know.

And to those of you who take time to comment on my blog - thank you, thank you, thank you!