It's the end of the world as we know it.
Well, at least the end of 2012, and through this past year of blogging, I have "met" some new friends, gotten to know old ones even better, and been really thankful for this gift of community.
I just wanted to do a few shout outs to everyone who inspires me daily to be a better mom, wife, worker, Christian, and human in general.
The Fine Print: The names are in no particular order, and I tried to include all my daily blog reads and regular commenters here. I am heartily sorry if I have offended thee (oh wait, this isn't Confession). If you've only been a lurker, please introduce yourself so I can come meet you too!
To The Queen Bean for opening my eyes to this whole blogging world and always leaving me wondering how does she do it all??
Sarah, one of my first and BEST friends ever in the blogosphere. It would be a dream if we could meet in real life. Have you ever had one person that you just completely click with no matter what? Yup...she's that for me!
Dwija taught me the importance of rocking a good pair of boots and why caring about one's appearance shows our children that they are worth the effort.
Cari never ceases to amaze me with her polite homeschooled kids, and the relationship between her and her husband is just so sweet that it's not even annoying.
Grace always makes even the worst mothering moments seem funny and has given me some great diet advice.
Laura is a real-life friend whose son happens to have a crush on my daughter...or is it the other way around? I love when she manages to post in between feeding the chickens, working in the Emergency Room, and shopping at Loft :)
Katie Rose is a fellow Steubenville alum, accountant, and mom of many. Her nice posts and sweet children always put a smile on my face.
Kendra and Emily have inspired lots of us to start dressing up for Mass again with their fashion/modesty/faith blog. Love the WIWS weekly linkups.
Sarah always provides great toy ideas around the holidays and reminds me to simplify, simplify, simplify!
Margaret has husbands everywhere thanking her for her ideas on being a more loving wife.
I feel like I am following along in Rachel's shoes (lots of boys, close in age...and one!girl!) just my shoes aren't as fancy or pretty as hers!
Ana let me in on the best deal in glasses and reminds me of all things Steubenville (Go Gabe's!).
If only I could be half as gorgeous and loving as Christine, I would be completely happy. And so would my husband and kids.
Michelle is someone I see in real life, but feel like I know her so well through her blog. What an amazing example of a mom she is!
I think of Stacy and her struggle to start a family often. Plus, she is my go-to cat lady for any feline questions I have!
Mary is a waaaay better mom of boys than I'll ever be, but for now I'll just keep on getting inspired by her. Her Intentional Advent series was magazine-worthy.
Maggie is cool just because of her name, duh. But also because she never hesitates to speak of her struggles with faith in a relatable (and gif filled) way.
I'm so glad that blogs don't move away just because people do. Jenny's heading to Italy and we'll be enjoying tales of her travels immensely.
Tina changed her blog and blog name, but not her wonderful personality. Sweet, faith filled, inspirational, all while on crutches? Yup, she's got it!
Mary makes me laugh and keeps it real with all of her straight shooting. I only wish we could have been friends when we went to Steubie/Austria together (I think I was too busy only having eyes for Phil!).
Well, Liz and I can be motherly matchmakers since she has four gorgeous girls and I have four, ummm, boys. And then she can take their wedding photos too since she is amazing!
Jamie is like the next door neighbor you wish you had to go over and get a hug and a cup of coffee. Her sweet Simeon has gone through so much and her whole family has handled it with such faith and grace.
If you want to read a blog by one of the most intelligent person I've ever met, Jen is your lady. She's even a reality star now. And yes, I realize you all know her already!
Marijanna is another friend in real life that just happens to be the future mother-in-law for my baby, Alexander! Her love for her husband and daughter just oozes through her writing.
Paige has the most uniquely written blog I've ever read, and cracks me up with every post. I think with toddler twins, a new baby, and a house that's literally caving in, there's nothing to do but laugh!
When I got the chance to meet Simcha at a retreat, I said "Oh! You write that awesome blog 'I Have to Sit Down', right?" and she replied "Yes, and now I need to find my seat." You just can't make this stuff up people. Her writing is beyond inspired - if you're a woman, mother, or Catholic, her blog is a must.
If you've ever thought about creating a dollhouse soap opera, don't. Because Robyn has already done it and here's no way you can one up her.
Suz's blog always makes me smile when I see pictures of those warm Florida sunny days. When not saving the Earth, she's raising two gorgeous teenage girls and I know I'll have tons of questions for her as Maggie gets older!
Beth cracks me up with her realistic posts on raising kids and the funny things they do. She even gave "the talk" to her son recently, and believe me, I was taking notes!
Aimee, oh Aimee, my sister from another mister. I feel like we've had at least twelve babies simultaneously. Or maybe we just took turns. Aimee is another old blog friend that I WILL meet one day, as soon as we can be not pregnant at the same time!!
Emma is a friend in real life (sorta - if someone is friends with your sister and you sometimes run into them randomly, can you call them a friend? Yes? Great!) who is busy raising three of the cutest boys on the planet, and doing a great job at it!
Remember when I needed some mascara advice from the man in Sephora? Well, I should have just asked Brooke because she took the time to let me in on her grandma's secret for great lash. Just use an old, cleaned mascara brush as a comb to run through your lashes after you've put on your mascara. Ain't she smart?
Kate doesn't blog as much anymore but when she does she always types straight to this mother's heart.
Can we please move Texas next to Massachusetts so Lisa and I can be together again? Oh I miss seeing the Gale family on our holidays, but I am enjoying the pictures of their new home and dry county stories!
Kim writes about all the hilarious life bloopers that come along with raising multitudes of children. How she handles it all with a sense of humor, I will never know!
You know how sometimes you want to dislike someone because they are just too beautiful, too put-together, too happy to seem real? But then you realize that they actually are that perfect, and super nice to boot, and you can't help but love them? Yup, that's Bridget in a nutshell.
Kathleen and I have a lot in common - 5 kids, a shared last name/Maiden name, and a love of photography. If only I could do it all partially as well as she does :)
My favorite Hallie posts are the ones about marriage, especially the topics I can't write about because the moms read my blog ;) The comments are *almost* as good as the posts - lots of fun and full of tips!
Katie blogs about homeschooling her three boys and fitness and adoption, and rallied the troops in the Little Flowers 5K back in October. She's a supermom.
Natalie's sidebar list of "Things That Have Gone into the Toilet" should be a mandatory mommy blogger list. So funny! And so is her life with three little boys.
Jen was another of the first bloggers I read. At the time, we both had four kids and stayed (mostly) at home. Now we both work in the same field and have an Evie in the house (coincidence or stalker-ence?)
Katie has such a natural ease at this motherhood gig that I feel more at peace and ready to tackle the day whenever she blesses us with a post.
Susan inspires me to get my run on and makes having five boys look easy!
Another friend in real life, Rose, writes about life in America with a fresh perspective since moving here from South Africa not too long ago. Plus, you can get a baby fix seeing pictures of her newest addition!
Jiza can somehow keep it all together while her husband serves our country oversees. Go give her some love and support!
Therese is another longtime bloggy friend who shares the 3-boys-then-a-girl-path-we-were-on before adding Alexander. She even helped me with some NFP questions, how nice!
Billie Jo is a new writer I discovered whose blog makes me so happy because she just might be the sweetest woman out there. So cute!
Thank you lovely ladies for being my online social happy hour(s). Your wit, family stories, shared tragedies, laugh out loud tidbits and relatable moments have helped me though so much over these past 5ish years of blogging. You all mean more to me than you will ever know :)
