What a difference 3 years makes

Three years ago today, I started this blog. I called it the 4th Frog out of desperation and sheer lack of creativity for anything else. But in those three years, I've grown into the name.

I've become the 4th Frog. I answer to the name on Twitter. But I've stopped short of getting vanity license plates and decorating my house with frog figurines.

Three years ago, I clicked over to Google Analytics several times a day to see how many people had read what I'd written that day. Now, I check out my metrics about once a month. I felt like it was my duty to make people laugh when they visited this blog. I still like to make people laugh, but I feel more duty-bound to be honest because that's where the real connections happen.

I thought 2008 was going to be the launch pad for my first book -- grown out of this blog. Now I'm not so sure what I've written here is book worthy, but I do feel like I've found a voice here that could also find a home in a book or two if I choose to take that path.

Back in the day, I was afraid if I didn't post every day (or nearly so) that I would lose followers. Now I know that if I don't step away from the blog from time to time, even if its just a for a few days, I'm in danger of losing perspective.

In 2008, I was worried about attracting followers. Now I blog because it brings me friends.

I'm older now. Maybe more cynical. Hopefully a little wiser. But the most important thing is, that on this, my 3rd blogiversary, I am still here and you are here and I'm happy about that.

Oh the places I'll go

Two years ago today, I started this blog. My plan to was to give myself a place to stretch my writing wings beyond the corporate and academic stuff I do for a living. I had no idea where, in just a little over 700 days, this little project would take me.

Grab a drink, pull up a chair and reminisce with me as I think about how, in the past two years, I've gotten to:

• Share my love for my home state
• Offer parenting advice and then some more
  
• 'Fess up to some not so great parenting moments
• Own up to embarrassing moments
• Reveal my worries about my kids
• Provide answers to the mysteries of the universe
• Dispel fears about mammograms
  
• Share bits of my faith
  
• Be honest and real about life's struggles
• Bare some interior messes and a few external ones
  
• Share some amazing moments
• Wax philosophical from time to time
• Give pointers about office behavior
• And fly upside down over Lake Michigan

And none of that even covers the friends I've made blogging (check 'em out in my sidebar!) and the other blogging opportunities that have opened up to me (including FitCity and The Indiana Insider).

Whether you've been a friend of the 4th Frog since the beginning or you've recently found my little corner of the internet, thanks for being here!

Who raised me?!

I owe you all an apology. When I posted my "happy blogiversary to me post," I asked you to leave me a comment telling me what you like about the 4th Frog Blog.

Who raised me anyway? Looking back, that was a pretty arrogant thing to do. "You know you love me. Let you count the ways!"

(And in defense of my parents, they didn't raise me like that. I must have gotten warped somewhere along the way.)

So thanks to those of you who indulged my ego and left me a comment. From here on out, I'll try to keep the size of my head in proportion to my body (which, unfortunately, leaves plenty of room for a big head anyway!).

July 26, 2008

Where were you this time last year?

I was here.

Since then, I've...

...posted 327 entries

...gathered 61 followers

...signed on 40-some e-mail subscribers (don't know exactly how many because I've forgotten my Feedburner sign in information)

...blogged through 2 Biggest Loser seaons

...only deleted 1 entry because it made a family member mad (I'll never tell which one)

...made countless bloggy friends who are honest and talented bloggers themselves

...added two other blogs to my list of blogs I write for

Thank you all for being a part of this fun part of my life! Thanks especially to those of you who've invited your friends to read the 4th Frog, too.

Want to give me a gift for this fabulous occasion? Leave me a comment about why you visit the 4th Frog Blog. Feel free to tell me what you wish I would do differently, too.