For the past six or eight months I've been going through serious "blogging fatigue" and I had almost come to the point of just scrapping the blog altogether. But in the past week I've come to some writing-related decisions and one of them was that I did not want to give up on blogging. As time has gone by I've realized I've missed it and I knew that if I did quit, I would really miss the relationships I've been lucky enough to develop and the camaraderie that exists around the blogosphere.
Once I decided I definitely wanted to get back to blogging I couldn't think of a better way to do that than by re-joining the Celebrate the Small Things hop. I used to participate this hop and am looking forward to being part of it again. The hop is hosted by my buddy Lexa Cain and co-hosted by L.G Keltner at Writing Off the Edge, Tonja Drecker at Kidbits, and Katie at The Cyborg Mom. Visit Lexa's blog here to see what to do if you want to join in the hop yourself and to see the list of participants.
So what am I celebrating this week?
1. I'm thrilled to have finally come to some writing decisions as far as future projects, which I'll share in next week's IWSG post. In turn, I'm thrilled that those decisions made me realize how much I have missed blogging. I'm celebrating being back in blog land!
2. The X-Files is back! I enjoyed the show's return and look forward to the rest of the episodes. It was fun to have Mulder and Scully back on my screen. If you're an X-Files fan like me you may be interested in the post I wrote about my favorite episodes on Untethered Realms a few weeks back.
3. This really isn't a small thing, for my family it is a BIG thing for sure, but I'm celebrating the fact that we are taking my mom out for her 88th birthday this weekend. Not only is she turning 88, she's celebrating a year of remission from her cancer. She is happy and healthy and doing so well that I can't really believe how far she has come in a year.
Now to hop around and see what everyone else is celebrating. Happy weekend, all!
Yeh, Julie's back! :)
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear about your Mom's health! Hope you all have a wonderful celebration!
Happy Birthday to your Mom!
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to take a break from blogging especially when real life gets too real. But it's also a wonderful, supportive place that surprises you when you least expect it!
Today I am feeling very blessed!
Eighty-eight years - that's awesome! That is a big thing.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're not giving up on us. Sometimes it just takes a break to refuel.
And enjoying the X-Files. Like revisiting old friends.
@Madeline, thanks!! I'm sure we will.
ReplyDelete@Yolanda, yeah, the break was what I needed I guess. Great to hear you are having a good day - I have a feeling I know why! :)
@Alex, I feel the same about the X-Files, nice to have old pals back. And thanks about my mom!
Welcome back! :) Happy birthday to your mom! 88 is a big thing! I've been thoroughly enjoying X-Files too. I love that they have the old beginning to it, and even more so, I love it's making me paranoid about everything! *LOL* Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about blogging really is the camaraderie. I'm looking forward to hear about your writing decisions, Julie. And I'm excited The X-Files is back, although I haven't watched the new ones yet. They're recorded, though. Happy Birthday to your mom!
ReplyDeleteGood news about your mom! Definitely something to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad you found your blogging mojo again. I've really been out of it (okay, still am), but I also miss the camaraderie of regular blogging.
That's great to hear about your mom. Happy Birthday to her! It sounds like you're in a much better place with your writing plans. I took a short break over the holidays. I just had too many things on my plate and needed some space. It really helped. Good luck with your future plans!
ReplyDelete@Christine, oh, I LOVED that they still kept the old beginning! Made me smile to see that. And I'm getting paranoid too LOL.
ReplyDelete@Cherie, I hope you will enjoy them too. Thanks!
@LG, I hope you come back to blogging sometime, I miss your blog!
@lori, thank you! And I'm glad taking a little break helped you. I guess sometimes we just need that.
Welcome back! I sometimes feel like giving up on my blog, especially on a Friday when it's been a bad week and I don't have much to celebrate, but somehow I keep on with it. I enjoy the discpline and, as you say, the connections. Enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have plenty to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't seen the new X-Files yet. Just lazy I guess. Anyway, it is good to see your name.
ReplyDelete@Julia, good point about the discipline - I've realized that is good for me as well.
ReplyDelete@Kate, yeah, a nice week. :)
@Susan, thanks!
Happy birthday to your mum!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel, I haven't been into blogging at all for a very long time. I just recently got back into it again, and I can't believe how much I've missed it. I'm happy to be back in the blogging world :)
@Laura, I feel the same way. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYay! Welcome back. ^_^
ReplyDeleteAlso, congrats to your mom.
Happy Birthday to your mom!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI need to watch the X-Files episodes that have already been on.
Yay for writing decisions! I'll be back on IWSG Day to hear all about them. :)
So excited you're back to blogging. We missed you! Very happy about the excellent news for your Mom. Have a great birthday celebration with her. I'll be thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteWow! Lots of awesome celebrations! I'm so glad that your mom is 88 and cancer-free!!!
ReplyDeleteI miss Celebrate the Small Things, but I'm taking blogging at a super slow pace this year.
Julie, welcome back to Celebrate the Small Things! It's good to have a break in blogging. This allows you to get your priorities in perspective. I find taking mini blog breaks a couple of times each year refreshes me mentally. We are watching the return of X-Files. They are doing a fabulous job on it. I hope this means they will continue next year with a full season. Happy Birthday to your mother and congrats to her for being cancer free for a year. That's wonderful news! Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteI was really happy to see the X-Files make a return, too, especially since it features the same actors. (They ARE Mulder and Scully...)
ReplyDeleteYour #3 is the best one of all. It's such a blessing to have been able to celebrate your mom's birthday with her. I hope you can do the same for many more years to come.
Have a fantabulous weekend!
@Misha, thank you!
ReplyDelete@Chrys, thanks and I will pass that on to my mom. :)
@Deanie, that's so nice, I appreciate it!
@Tyrean, we are so lucky that she is healthy again. Thanks!
@Cathy, I am hoping for more X-Files too, I heard that the ratings have been good so maybe so. Thanks for your comments!
@Susan, yeah, I wouldn't care about other actors or characters, this is the X-Files to me. I hope we can too with my mom, so far, so good. Thanks!
Congratulations on getting your groove back.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful that your mom's still in remission and celebrating her 88th birthday! Wow! I'm so glad you decided to give the blogosphere another try. I have to admit that I sometimes feel burned out too, but I've noticed that it's my blog friends (not FB or Twitter) who are the most staunch supporters of my life, career, and books. I've also noticed that by keeping to one blog post a week, I avoid burn out. So happy to have you on the hop!
ReplyDeleteI had a blogging hiatus last year and hated every minute of it. So great to be back. Glad you decided to continue blogging. Congrats on your mother's 88th birthday and cancer remission. X-Files is amazing and I need to start watching the new version. Thanks for popping in to share!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie - good to see you back .. and you're your usual cheery, chatty self - that makes me smile. Such good news about your mother - enjoy that day with her ... I enjoyed birthdays with my mother - even though she was confined to bed and a nursing centre ... she coped and so did I. One year we watched 101 Dalmatians with Glenn Close as Cruella de Ville - kept us very amused. These times are good to have ...
ReplyDeleteAll the best and welcome back, then see you in the IWSG ... cheers Hilary
It feels good to have writing choices figured out.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your mom.
Happy Birthday to your mom. Sending healing energy her way.
ReplyDeleteLike you I too don't want to give up blogging. I will have to make a lot of adjustments, but I will try my best to continue blogging.
Here in England, we're having to wait until next week for the new series of the X-Files to be aired so don't give anything away without putting up spoiler alert - please!! Lovey to have you on board for the Celebrate blog hop :) Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace
ReplyDeleteWelcome Back!!!!! And A Blessed and Happy Birthday to your Mom!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat list of "small" things to celebrate, Julie! Funny how nothing is truly small when we're able to appreciate it, right? Haven't watched the new X-files yet, but I'm looking forward to it. When the original first aired, way back when, I was still living in Mexico and Mexican TV used to be notoriously unreliable when it came to schedules, so I missed a lot of episodes (and some I got to see over and over). Hey—there's an idea. I can look for the whole original series and watch it all again!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for coming by to Quiet Laughter and Yolanda's cover reveal. Happy weekend!
Welcome back to the blogging world! I'm going through something similar with blogging, so I understand.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your mom!
So glad to see you back! Sometimes blogging does get a bit much, so I can totally understand the break. Congrats to your mother's birthday! What a blessing to be able to celebrate with her like that :)
ReplyDeleteYay, you're back. I missed your posts!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful news about your mother. And I can't wait to hear about your writing projects.
Congratulations to your mom for her remission from cancer and to you for getting back to the things you love. Hope this is a wonderful year for you.
ReplyDeleteWonderful news about your mother, I hope you have a lovely family celebration.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you back to blogging, sometimes we all need to take a break.
So glad you're back! It's great to see you again. Happy Birthday to your mom and Happy Continued health to her too. My husband is also enjoying the return of X-Files. He said they're doing a great job of it too.
ReplyDelete@Richard, thanks!
ReplyDelete@Lexa, I agree completely about the support. The blogosphere is definitely where I find it the most.
@Sheena-kay, I'm glad you are back as well! I guess we all need a break sometimes. And I agree about the X-Files!
@Hilary, aw, that is a great memory with your mom. We had a wonderful time for my mom's birthday yesterday. Thanks!
@MRR, thank you!
@Rachna, I guess lots of us are in the same boat but I'm glad you aren't giving up either.
@SENCO, what a great user name you have LOL. And don't worry I hate spoilers more than anything so I will keep quiet!
@Cathy, thank you.
@Guilie, that sounds like a good idea! :)
@Jackie, thank you, I appreciate that.
@Annalisa, aww, thank you!
@T, it really was, we are so fortunate to have her with us still. Thanks!
@Elizabeth, thank you, I hope so.
@Suzanne, we had a great little party, thanks so much.
@Elise, thanks!! And I agree with your husband, I hope that continues for the rest of the episodes.
Congratulations on your mom's health, and I'm glad you haven't given up on blogging.
ReplyDeleteGood choice of a blog hop to reconnect. It's perfect as a once a week post. I haven't joined again because I've cut back significantly in my hopping! While I love it, I'm just too frazzled to do justice to several. Great to see you rejuvenated.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to hear your mom is doing so much better! Congratulations! I hope you all had a good time. It is so nice to have you back!
ReplyDeleteI hope your mom had a wonderful birthday! So glad to hear she's in remission. So happy I'm doing my happy dance.
ReplyDelete@Michael, thanks!
ReplyDelete@Lee, thank you, I hope I can keep it going this time.
@Murees, thank you, we did have a great time!
@TB, Aww, thanks for the dance! :D
Hi, Julie!
ReplyDeleteWHAT SPECTACULAR NEWS about your MOM!!!! I couldn't me more happy.... For those who don't believe in the power of prayer, live a very sad existence... YAY, MOM! And HAPPY 88th!
Glad to hear you are still going to blog... we all have cut back, and just the rare few can keep up the momentum. But I know I will never give up blogging. I LOVE this community and even though I may not be around as often as I'd like, my heart will always be here...
Looking forward to your IWSG post tomorrow!
Happy Birthday to your mom! Wow, what a milestone!
ReplyDeleteEverybody seems to be talking about the return of X-files. I've read it on lots of different blogs.
It's good to hear that you'll continue blogging, Julie!
I love my blogging too, even though I can't post as often as I want to. There's just not enough time.
@Michael, thanks so much again for all your prayers for my mom. That meant so much to me that you would do that!
ReplyDelete@Michelle, thanks and I'm glad you are still blogging as well. I know the time factor cuts in to all of us, no doubt.
What wonderful news about your mom. Wish her a Happy Birthday for me. Awesome on those writing decisions. Figuring out what to write about can be difficult.
ReplyDeleteHi human, Julie,
ReplyDeleteI'm finally here. Had to take a couple of doggy naps on my way here :)
My human totally relates to blogging fatigue. In fact, if it wasn't for me taking over, his blog site would now be closed. Yes, the pawsitive interaction within the blogging community can be quite the incentive to continue. Glad to see you.
Lots of encouraging stuff in your pawst, dear Julie. Especially the wonderful news about your beloved mother.
Pawsitive wishes and doggy kisses,
Penny xx
@Tabatha, I will, thanks!!
ReplyDelete@Karen, I noticed the blogger thing too and was annoyed until I read about it happening to others. I hope you won't give up blogging completely as I always enjoy your posts. :)
@Penny, I'm glad you kept Gary's blog going. I would miss both of you!! Thanks so much for your sweet comments.