Eight is Great: The Wine-Dark Sea Has a Birthday!
by Melanie Bettinelli on January 21, 2013
Ben and Anthony playing with Saturday night’s Crawfish dinner.
Yesterday marks eight years since the first entry I wrote on this blog. Eight years. Wow!
Last year I wrote a retrospective blog post. I don’t feel up to that this year. I feel sadly that I haven’t got much to say of late as a blogger. I can’t remember the last time I wrote something that had any real length and substance. But I know from experience that this blog has high and low tides and that eventually I will find I have a lot to say about something or other.
I find myself on this anniversary attacked with a little bit of the “ubi sunt?” blues, wondering a bit about those commenters who wrote frequently when I first started but who seem to have disappeared from the conversation. Where have they gone? Did their lives just become too crazy? Have they just unplugged or moved on? This blog has gained me many good friends and many more acquaintances. We’ve had some lovely chats, haven’t we? I look forward to many, many more. I do cherish all of you lovely people who continue to hang out here and read and respond. I love all my commenters. (Except you nasty spammers.) Thank you all for visiting and please do come back soon.
As I wrote in my last post, I have frequently found myself resenting Facebook and the way it steals my time and attention from this blog. And yet for many reasons I can’t quite detach. Still, I think this year I’m going to try to spend a bit more time composing blog entries, trying to actually write substantial posts. But since I now have five kids, I’m not going to sweat it too, too much.
As always, a little shout out to Here in the Bonny Glen. I’m still tickled that one of my favorite blogs ever shares a birthday with mine.
Anthony likes crawfish!
Comments
Our neighbors have a crawfish boil every year, and David won’t even pick one up, much less eat it! He gets all scared and shrinks away.
Hapy 8! I don’t even know when my blog birthday is. Sometimes it feels like I’m still in labor.
Posted by GeekLady on 01/21/13 at 05:54 PM
Happy blog birthday! I do enjoy reading your blog, but don’t comment much. It’s really the pictures of all your gorgeous children that make me smile. You’re a good picture taker!
Posted by Helene on 01/21/13 at 06:01 PM
Bonus points for consistency and thanks for sharing your faith and family. I began in 2005 but have not been consistent at all. God bless you.
Posted by Owen on 01/21/13 at 06:23 PM
GeekLady,
We have a long family tradition of playing with lobsters and crawfish before they go in the pot. I’m always surprised at their lack of fear.
Helene,
Thanks. I do love taking photos. It’s funny to think I didn’t have any pictures at all in my first few years of blogging. What a difference it makes! I sometimes wonder what I might be able to do with a good camera.
Thanks, Owen, you might not be consistent but you have other great qualities that make up for it.
Posted by Melanie Bettinelli on 01/21/13 at 08:29 PM
I hope you know that I enjoy everything that you post. Thank-you for sharing! Yours is always one of the first blogs that I check.
Posted by Jocelyn on 01/22/13 at 12:31 AM
Blog readers definitely come and go ... There are some whom I *really* miss, and I have no way of knowing what happened to them .... At least when bloggers decide to stop writing, they can put up a post to that effect .... Hard to lose readers who seemed ‘chums’.
Happy eight years! On the one hand, I want to say “eight years?! No way!” But I have been blogging since 2006 myself, so there you go ....
{{hugs}}
Oh, PS: I do like the shared links, that you originally posted on facebook. I don’t do facebook, but when bloggers share on their blogs things they linked to there, it is always such interesting stuff ...
Posted by Ellie on 01/22/13 at 02:06 PM
Happy Blogaversary! I remember when I found your blog… James followed Dom’s blog and introduced me to yours. I think that was about 6 1/2 years ago though… where has the time gone!?!
I know for me it has gotten a bit harder to keep up with blogs. I do manage and I do comment here and there, but there are, as you know, many great blogs with great blog posts to read and many little ones demanding attention constantly - hence I often wind up playing blog-reading catch up.
Congratulations again!
Posted by Katherine on 01/22/13 at 02:37 PM
Happy Anniversary, Melanie! I share your ambivalence about Facebook… and feel trapped by it because so many people/groups use it to post events and invites and I’m afraid I’ll miss something if I don’t check it.
I used to think I spent too much time reading blogs, but you always learn something - like awesome hairstyling tricks!
Posted by Emily J on 01/22/13 at 05:05 PM
Oh man, I MISSED IT!!! So glad you reminded me! Happy blog-birthday, twin!
Posted by Lissa on 01/22/13 at 08:36 PM
Hi Melanie,
I’m not a frequent commenter, but I do so enjoy your blog! You and Melissa Wiley give me some of my favorite book recommendations, so it’s very appropriate that you both started at the same time! =)
And thanks for sharing links from facebook, which I’d otherwise miss. I try to limit my facebook use, too, but can’t quite leave it since it’s so many people’s way of planning events and communicating…
All the best for your family and blog in 2013!
Posted by Heather on 01/23/13 at 03:00 AM
+JMJ+
Belated Happy Blog Birthday, Melanie! =D
Yours is the only blog I can think of that has a twin and knows of it! How lucky is that?
Posted by Enbrethiliel on 01/23/13 at 09:51 AM
Happy Blogversary! Still going with five little children—pretty amazing!
I’ve followed you, after learning of your blog from Dom’s—through your engagement, wedding, births, etc. Didn’t comment much at first as I could never get the sign-in to work.
I too love the photos and feel such an attachment to all the Bettinellis. My grandhcildren are growing up too fast and there will be no more babies, so I’m “borrowing” your children to fill in the empty space. Keeping you and your mother in my prayers for strength and good health.
Keep up the good work! Your faith is an inspiration.
Posted by Margaret on 01/23/13 at 02:24 PM
Thanks, everyone. Without you guys I’d be talking to myself, which would just be sad and boring.
Since my first linky post generated a great conversation I’m working on another one. Up with blogs!
Posted by Melanie Bettinelli on 01/23/13 at 05:11 PM
Happy Birthday!! Yes, eight is a great age. I can’t believe it’s been about four years since i started reading your blog, around the time I first considered homeschooling. Thanks for the inspiration, interesting rabbit trails, and baby photos
and friendship too of course…
Posted by Idoya on 01/30/13 at 01:41 PM