a whole gaggle of blogs

**OK I have to just get on with it and publish this one already because my blog reading list is growing by the day..too..many...blogs...to read...must feed...children...
This is really, no I mean really long but chances are if you are reading this, you'll be represented OR you'll find something new and interesting.

My name is Emily and I've been blogging for 3 years and 4 months (whoa, I rarely stick with anything that long.) I guess you could say I'm slightly obsessed. Don't judge me. How many of you live your day to day lives and use the phrase "oh, I should blog about this" more than once or twice during the week? I have really good reasons. I suck at keeping a journal. I have tried a couple of different times and I'm just no good. Besides, I can type way faster than I can write...and if my handwriting is messy then I stress about how yucky it looks and waste time wanting to redo it. I have a journal from when I was 8. I mention being hated by my siblings and parents and whining about how I wished I was never born. Charming. Then I have a couple of years in high school. It has some valuable information but sometimes my handwriting was messy so it bugs me to read it (can you tell that I focus too much unimportant things in my life? it's invites a lot of unnecessary stress. so sue me.)
So I have established a much better pattern of record keeping. It works for me. It's great. But it comes in two parts.
Every 2 or 3 months I sit down at the computer for a good 2 hours and write. It usually ends up being lots and lots of pages long. I pour my heart and soul into what I write. It is honest, raw, accurate and very personal. It's the kind of stuff that I hope no one reads until I am long gone and a few generations have passed. But it's therapeutic so I do it. There are some things that I see great value in remembering.
Then I blog. I blog a lot. About dumb things, and funny things, and unimportant and some important things. I include pictures that I love or that show something significant that I want to remember. Last year I had a blog book made and I plan to do that every year so that eventually I will have a library of blog books--a journal.
I love blogs because its a way that my family and friends stay connected...and that is important to me on a day to day basis when sometimes you don't feel connected to anything or anyone. It's a way to keep up on the goings on with parents, nieces and nephews that I adore and never see. I can read about a friend and learn from them and sympathize with them and know that I can identify with other individuals. I can be entertained by total strangers and learn something new and feel understood or validated. Over the years I have connected with a lot of people through their blogs. I hope it doesn't creep any of you out that I feel like your friend because I know you, in the internet sense. Here are the blogs that I read and who they are...at my last count there were over 50 (try not to be upset if I don't always comment...reading them all takes me a long time and I have to pace myself...)
In alphabetical order:
A Girl's Life-Pretty Daisy
my adorable niece. she doesn't like Zac Efron.
B & C
a really talented designer who happens to be beautiful...i knew her when she still wore embroidered baby diapers.
BECAUSE I SAID SO
a stranger with lots of kids who is just really really funny.
Chaos Contained
my awesome mother in law who is so cool she has her own blog.
Confessions of an A.D.D. non-typist...
my little sister who is really funny. she just had a happy surprise, read her blog.
Declarations of Sage Brush
a former college roommate and sister's really good friend...a pretty cool lady.
electric orange excentric
my cute sister in law in the Texas country.
espencerrr blogspot
my baby brother and his beautiful wife...they take great pictures and they really like our kids.
Eyre Blog
my little brother's friend from high school. she's really pretty and lives somewhere cool.
forecast calls for rain
a friend/neighbor from the good old days in Texas. sorry its private.
Gang Green Gazette
my grandparents. they are pretty much awesome but he is too busy writing real letters to us to blog.
Here and There
my beautiful french sister in law. they do a lot of very fun things...especially this summer.
Here We Go!
a long time navy friend who always has good ideas.
Hollywood Flakes
a stranger who is just really really funny and a great writer.
In between Days
another sister in law who I idolize...no pressure, she just really has it all together.
Insignificant
an old friend from middle school.
It's Yesterday Once More
a friend from Texas.
Kirkham's Korner
a friend/neighbor from Texas...happens to be the beautiful sister of the beautiful girl up above who lives in a cool place and is related to a new friend here in CT.
Kristen Duke Photography
one of my best friends from high school is my favorite photographer. she is very talented, and nice too.
little yellow boots
one of my most creative friends ever...she inspires me. you think this one is cute, check out her other one...
http://paintedlollipop.blogspot.com/
Many Joyous Occasions
my friend/photographer's family site, sorry, private
matt, liz and madeline
a new blog I just discovered, very sad but happy too about a baby born the same time as ours (warning: bad language!)
My Chosen Few
a special place for some very close friends
My Life
a good long time navy friend with a very sweet family
My Train of Thought...
my sister's sister in law...we have a lot in common and her kids are super cute.
Nat's Blog
another best friend from high school with the cutest kids ever.
Navy Enginerd
my husband...don't bother checking it, he's too good for blogging...and too busy.
Never Enough Time in the Day
friend from TX, married one of my friends from high school
One Patch
a new friend in CT who happens to be related to friends/neighbors from TX. she is going to entertain me this summer and save me money.
Our Time
a very good friend in the navy that is just such a good person.
Pink Polka Dot Chatterbox
my darling sister in law that is too old for her age.
Playing House
a beautiful cousin with an adorable family (i haven't seen her in too long!)
Please Wash Your Hands
hubby's cousin who is beautiful and fun
S.L.A.M. Family
a friend from middle school
ScharPeople
a cousins blog that all get to contribute to
Sixintheworld.com - It’s my world! No, it’s my world…
a fascinating family that traveled the world for a year...look at their older posts.
Sound Bites
my lovely cousin who is amazingly talented with the violin.
Spontaneously Type A
a really good friend/traveling buddy...i idolize her organizational skills...she's got skills.
Spring Ruminations
my mother...she's the best and cutest but she doesn't blog enough. (too busy still taking care of all her kids)
Stir Occasionally
a site set up by Clark's cousins and fam...inspiring and yummy
Stubbs Family Blog
cousins whom i love and adore though i don't comment enough :/
Stuff-n-Stuff
my dear sister who started this whole blogging frenzy...shame on her, she hasn't blogged in a while
Sunnie's Mommy Days
cute friend from TX with lots of girls
Suzie's Petunias
sister who does amazing things and has adorable kids
The Bottrill Family
navy friends that we just really like a whole lot
The Burkinshaws
Clark's cousins...more beautiful people related to the beautiful people from above
The Chamberlain Gang
more beautiful cousins of mine...adorable boys
The Conroys
more Clark cousins related to the oodles of beautiful people up there
The Glass is Half Full
friend from TX/married a good friend from high school
THE SMILING INFIDEL
a very funny lady/friend from TX that is smart and very busy
The Wydick Family Chronicles
a high school friend
this & that
an older sister of my first crush from middle school, cute family
Thorley Family Circus
a navy friend with cute kiddos
Thorn Bush
another Clark cousin (I must really like his family!!)
Three Men and a Lady (and a big dog, too!)
another navy friend and a blogging newcomer
Training Fireballs
a friend we met in our short stint in WA
Twinlinebackers
a new CT friend that i won't leave alone
Unlimited Tater Tots
the oldest and wisest sister, very creative and validating, good with people:)
whatever & stuff
the older sister of a middle school friend, super talented and creative

**If you see your link here and you would rather not be on the list, let me know and I'll remove it promptly.
If you don't see your name listed here its most likely because you are a blog lurker and I don't know you are reading. You see, I really believe in the give and take of the comment section. If you leave a comment I will most certainly go read your blog. That is blogging courtesy...but then of course you get sucked into the blogging vortex. Your eyes will eventually glaze over and when you come to you'll realize suddenly that its two hours later, you're hungry and your husband has gone to bed out of sheer boredom and neglect. Sometimes I actually have to set a timer to remind me that my time is up (and I generally like to limit my time on the computer to a reasonable amount so that my kids won't starve or grow up and move out of the house while I am busy checking e mail and working on my own projects.)
I would have more time to read blogs if I didn't spend 75% of my day picking up after little people and doing normal household things. If anyone has a suggestion on how to cut back by all means, let me know...unless of course your answer is to have fewer children. It's too late for that.
(I apologize for the random pictures...I was just trying to keep things interesting.)