plenty to be thankful for...THE BLOGOVERSE!

i started blogging during the summer of 2007. i blogged previously on my myspace page. ha. do you remember that little gem? everyone had tom on their friend list...he got around. anyways...
this blog - stuttering shell - started because i needed to vent. in the beginning, i was writing for me {because it's easier to type out your feelings than write them down, i think}. my early blog posts were so lame. seriously. they were pretty awful. but, it's whatever, right?

now, here i am over 900 blog posts later, and i consider my blog to be one of my favorite places on the internet. in addition, blogging has given me so many opportunities to collaborate with other bloggers and some pretty fabulous companies. and, most importantly, blogging has blessed me with a network of friends - both in real life & in my computer...ha! it seems crazy to say that you met someone on the internet, but c'est la vie.

without blogging, i would not have met these girls:

october 2011

{from left to right: rosalyn, ang, a, me, the beach bum, whitney, lis & j}

this isn't everyone because one local mama had a previous engagement & three others from our group all live out of town. i miss d, rachel & lesley!

but, here are some pics...you know...just because...

from october 2010 - i miss my hair!
{from left to right: me, whitney & the beach bum}

from october 2010
{d & rachel}

summer 2011
{standing: me, the beach bum, whitney, d & j}
{seated: lesley, ang, katie & rachel}

my husband still chuckles about how i came to meet these ladies. yeah, it's silly, but it just goes to show that blogging is so much more than just hitting "publish post."

and, i'm grateful for each & every one of y'all, too. i blush every time someone says they love my writing style or they appreciate my honesty. i'm not a writer, y'all, but i do speak from the heart {even if it's not so nice sometimes}. i don't post on my blog and hope that i'll gain new readers or suddenly become famous. no, i do it - first and foremost - for me. if i can speak to a person's heart in the process...wonderful.