Summer is here, and with summer comes the new ad for Christine Tremoulet in Weddings in Houston magazine! This time around, we’ve decided to go BIG! It will be full page ad that will come out in the very near future – I’ll keep you posted when it hits the store shelves! Swoon!
(PS – I totally blew off getting this ad turned in yesterday by writing the 8 year Blogiversary post instead. Shhh… don’t tell! I have to have some priorities!)
Whoa. It is May 8th (and I haven’t posted in over a week – oops) and my blog is 8 years old today!
The Golden Birthday! I couldn’t let it pass without pointing it out. Happy Blogiversary!
Crazy to think how much has changed in 8 years, and how much this blog has been a part of it all. From the incredible amazing people I have met – especially Mike! – and all of the life altering things that have happened as a result.
– I wouldn’t have met or married Mike if this blog wasn’t a part of it.
– My photography wouldn’t be where it is today. (See below. Several times.)
– I wouldn’t have met Kathy who set up the original Bayou Blurb which lead to H-Town Blogs and meeting Elaine which lead to my previous comment about my photography being where it is today.
– I wouldn’t know Chuck, my go to political advisor, who is actually the first person that Mike met in Houston and who I finally got to meet in person the same day I met Mike. UPDATE: I just commented to Mike that I probably would have met him eventually thanks to Chuck, and he pointed out that HE is responsible, at least in part, for Chuck blogging. How is THAT for circular?
– I wouldn’t have met Ann through her blog and her photography — and she was one of the first bloggers Mike ever met in person over in London, and she kept nudging me to meet him when he was back in Houston. (Ann still gets credit for me meeting Mike, not Chuck. Ann pointed out his blog while he still lived in London, probably 6-8 months before I met him. I never read his blog much though because it was way too geek for me.)
– I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet Jennifer, who means a lot more to me than she probably even realizes (my fault) and has helped me out a zillion times over with a slew of blogging things. She truly is the ScriptyGoddess. I’m thankful for her letting me visit her when she still lived in fabulous Boston, and I dream of visiting her now in Salt Lake City someday.
– Boston of course leads me to thinking of Erika, Su, Sooz (who was a huge help in putting together the big blogger bash the second time I visited Boston) and really – more people than I could list.
– Blogging lead me to meet Mac who inspired me to knit – and to attempt spinning – and graciously let me come visit her, took me all around Philly for knit shop tours (this is a very big thing for knitters), and best of all – let me visit for a trip to Maryland Sheep & Wool last year! Mmmm… fiber. Lots of fiber.
– Then there is the whole knowing Matt since he was in high school – before WordPress even was a dream yet – and spending days at the coffee shop with him & Mike as he geeked out and talked about the dream we would later know as WordPress. Once I gave it a name.
– OH! And HOW can I forget about Chris Pirillo and the Call for Help days? I think talking to Chris on the phone was one of the first time I squealed over meeting a geek celebrity. First of many times, I’m sad to say.
– While I’m naming names, I should point out Heather Champ who has been a huge source of inspiration since day 1, and a big supporter back when I launched Picture Yourself. She also lead me to Flickr, my constant addiction.
– Flickr then lead me to Laanba who lead me to meeting
countless awesome photographers in the Houston area that I didn’t already know through the blog circles. I learned later that my blog was one of the first blogs that she followed. The crazy circle of blogging.
– And my blog wouldn’t be where it is today if Ben & Mena hadn’t come up with the fabulousness that is MovableType that saved me from Blogger back when Blogger went through a slump and Greymatter couldn’t handle my posts. I resisted leaving MT for a long time and only converted when Matt came over to my house and did the migration himself. It is INCREDIBLE to see where SixApart has gone since MT first launched.
– Another VIP in the blogistory? Robyn, the blogger formerly known as Tampa Tantrum. Like Erika and Su, it is incredible to think of how much our lives have changed since those early blogging days of 2001. She has been an incredible help for my photography business – and a constant inspiration. I’m most grateful.
My list could go on and on and on as I pondered everyone I know and how they all interconnect. At the root of it all is the blog. 8 years, nearly 5000 posts, and countless memories.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to every single person reading this. My life truly would not be the same without you. Say hello if you have a moment – it is a day worthy of a celebration!
The cat in the Pink Passion KITTY WIG looks just like my cat, Mona. I think I need to get her one of those wigs.
Bad cough today and no voice. Every time I laugh, I cough, but that site? Sooooo worth it!
Last week I went to hear Guy Kawasaki at the Houston Technology Center here in Houston, where he spoke about the Art of the Start. It was AWESOME. You may not know this about me, but I’m a total marketing and sales junkie. My all-time favorite job ever when working for someone else was working in sales for the web design companies, except for the fact that half the time I couldn’t get my ideas implemented. You know, the problem with working for the man. Now, I’m the boss — and I can’t get enough of the marketing stuff! (This is probably a good thing!)
At the end of Guy’s speech, he started talking about AllTop. I had seen the site before, but I didn’t “get” it. Once he started talking about it, it all made sense. If you use a feed reader already, you may not be the perfect user for AllTop. But imagine if someone asked you to share with them some sites that had cool information about Photography. You could send them to photography.alltop.com – quick and easy to remember. They go there, and they see links to some pretty great blogs on photography related topics. Fantastic! Or maybe you’re bored at work and you don’t want to surf people’s blogrolls. You want something new and fresh. Easy – just head over to Alltop and poke around – see what you can find.
Oh, and that banner across the middle of the page? It isn’t a design flaw. They meant for it to be there. Because AllTop has things covered. Covered. Heehee!
Strangest thing happened on Friday. Here I had just seen Guy Kawasaki the night before – although I didn’t get to meet him in person because The Bloggess whisked him away and was hoarding him all for herself – and in my sleep deprived haze I decided to finally start reading “Selling the Invisible”. First chapter, first page … Guy Kawasaki is mentioned.
It was sort of surreal. Or it could have been my complete lack of sleep. I’m not sure.
Jenny and Erica, I shake my fist at you for hoarding Guy. You could have at least come and hung out with us at The Front Porch afterwards. Meanies.
I have to confess … I am quite in love with my Mac. I still miss the right click though, but at least the two finger tap on the trackpad fills my need for the right click love.