Preserving Through Printing

I began my first blog in November 2005. It's crazy to think that I've been at this for 4.5 years! Through the years, I have claimed -- as well as my fellow blogging friends -- that we are writing for our posterity... that our blogs are our journals. And, mine had definitely been my journal. I gave up my pen and paper journal that sits in the nightstand next to my bed. I do all my writing here.

The other day I was thinking about all this blogging I have done and I realized that it can't be for my posterity if these blogs don't ever get printed!! Sure, everything is saved electronically, but the files are in the hands of someone else, who doesn't care about them the same way I do. There is also the very real chance that I could lose the addresses of my blogs (I've had a few!) and lose all the information, stories and photos forever.

This weekend I began the process of copying my posts so I can get them printed. I looked into online printing and binding, but decided that the copy shop here in town can do as good a job as anyone, and probably cost less. PLUS, if there are any problems I can speak to a person and look them in the eye while it gets resolved -- hopefully to my satisfaction.

I decided to print the blogs off by the year. So my first printing will be 2006 with the addition of November and December 2005. I have copied and pasted each entry into a Word document, formatted it to my liking and saved it. Yes, there is probably a faster/easier way to do this, but this works for me....

It works for me because I get to go back and re-read my journal. These things only happened 4 years ago, but I forgot a lot of our activities in the intervening years!

I find it interesting that while my children have changed, I haven't changed so much. Most of my opinions are exactly the same. So far I have copied posts from February 2006 and 2007. I noticed that I wrote two posts regarding my dislike of Valentine's Day.... it made me realize that I probably should give it (and you) a rest!! (I haven't looked forward to see if I post my negative opinion each and every year.... Sorry, if I have!)

I still love American Idol and still write about it! I just copied a post from February 2007 and in it I was talking about Season 6. The Top 24 had just performed and I was completely underwhelmed. I made the prediction that a girl would win that year and... YUP! I was right! Jordin Sparks was in my top 3 girl choices that first week. Blake Lewis was in my top two for the men-- because I only liked two guys.

I have been pleased to see that my relationship with my daughter has improved by leaps and bounds!!!! There has been a lot of growth on both of our parts.... I was very reluctant to let Buttercup grow up and start gaining her independence. I can see the error of my ways now. Of course, she was going through the worst time of a young person's life... The Jr. High Years: the hormones, the drama.... augh! Time and maturity has softened all of that and just as she's getting ready to graduate, we have brought our relationship back to where it was when she was a little girl and I am happy to say that we are friends!

I have enjoyed re-reading all of Inigo's funny anecdotes: Putting his boogers back in his nose when a Kleenex wasn't available; hugging me and telling me that "You're a good woman"; taking his pants off in the middle of McDonald's Playland -- heck! He spent most of his toddler years completely naked running through the neighborhood!

I'm so glad I wrote them all down. I read some of them to him and he giggled uncontrollably at himself. It made me wish that there were blogs when Buttercup was little, because I wasn't good at writing down her little funny moments... (in my defense, I videoed her CONSTANTLY!! We have boxes of videos of her and hardly any of Inigo....)

I have also made sure to include any comments that my posts received. I think it's important to preserve the thoughts of those who took the time to come visit and read my blog.

My first year has 170 pages -- 80,718 words. That's a lot of readin' and writin'!