NO, BUT REALLY: Confessions of a Wannabe Blogger

Hello and welcome to the continuation of this post.

I've been anxious to return to my thoughts and my words and my ever-non-phasing-desire to share every freckle of my young spirit with you. It's been fun rolling in the meadows and organizing link ups for the first time, but I'm back now and I want to let you know where my mind's been seeding.

The wealth of information I've gathered since I wrote that former piece is tremendous.

Where I stand right now as a budding blogger is tremendous.

In the last two weeks my readership has doubled (!!), and all I can say is aw, gee. Cause it ain't even my birthday week and yet it feels like a party in here. It's awesome. And wild. And yeah, much of it IS due to the fact that I've made some investments here and there in terms of sponsoring, but I've also done the one thing I'm proud to say, I do best, and that is: be me.

Granted, I'm still figuring it out. You know, the "me" part. But of what I do know, I embrace. I remain true to it. And that goes for every shade of my being: I'm talkin' the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, the lost, the found. Every shade of this 24 year old body, I love and I hold. And all of it, I share. I've opened my heart and soul here, since post numero uno. I've put things out there, that actually, I've looked back and thought, "eeee," only to be swiftly greeted by the after taste of freedom and the quiet confirmation that my "work" here is GOLD. If not for you, for me. Blogging has literally saved me since the new year. It's given me clarity. It's given me peace. And it's given me determination.

The love and compassion I've received from both friends and strangers alike is incredible. From random friends that I haven't spoken to in YEARS to experienced bloggers that I truly admire. To read the words, "you're special", "you've inspired me", "I was blown away by what you wrote" "what you are doing is tremendous and life-changing", I mean.. really? IT'S NOT EVEN MY BIRTHDAY WEEK, people. And those are some pretty powerful things to say.. really? Are you serious, I ask?? You are all too kind to say such things, and also, you're making me blush.

I feel good. And this blogging thing, well, it just keeps getting better. And more real for me. Truth be told, I've only begun to vaguely express the craziness that has occurred in my lifetime thus far. There's been situations I've lived that literally, I've had to turn to GOOGLE (no joke) in order to find another soul on this earth who could relate. They have been dark times where I needed someone who wasn't going to respond with an uncomfortable laugh or a "I don't know what to say" or "that is the craziest thing, I couldn't imagine." I want to share these experiences I've gone through. I want to write about them. And not because I'm looking to exploit any of the characters involved, or because they're "crazy stories", but because I have a voice, and I've been gifted with the willingness to use it, and a passion to relate with others. I've learned so much already, and still-there is much left to be learned. I want to write it all down. And if it's not for you, then it's for me. But see, I want it to be for you too. I want to continue to share the love and to inspire, to get others to think outside the box and see things from a different perspective. That's what I'm ultimately doing here, because the personal diaries, I have those, and I write in them daily. But this is the place where I come to connect, to encourage, and to offer up what I've learned, what I'm learning, and what I hope to achieve in the future.

So if you're with me and you're reading. I want to say thank you. Again and again. And again. I'm just one tiny little fish in this giant blogging sea, where the talent is great, and the blog layouts are just as GREAT. HA. I simply cannot WAIT to afford a spectacular and more professional looking layout--I have such great things in mind! Alas, I must stay close to my old pal, Patience !

Thank you for sharing this space of mine with others and for believing in me and my words. It means so very much to me.

I have big dreams in this life of mine. And yes, blogging professionally and writing and being a source of inspiration to others has certainly become a part of the equation :)

And now a CHEERS to:

- humble beginnings
- to each and every one of your blogs. (which, by the way, I so truly wish there were extra hours in the day for me to read every word of, ahh, it's so overwhelming. I want to give the love back constantly! To all of you.)
- to this incredibly loving, creative and supportive community we all belong to.
- to this strange and modern time we live in where we have the power to reach out and connect with one another in ways our grandparents never imagined.

CHEERS, because it's a remarkable thing.