happy birthday little blog

Guess what?  I started this blog "following an unknown path" a year ago today. 

There are two times each year where I have a little "culture something"--not really culture shock and not really culture stress.  The weeks before and of Christmas as well as sometime near spring break--I just kinda wanna break.  For 20 something years, I've always had a vacation at that time.  However, now that I'm in Taiwan, a break doesn't come like it is "supposed to."

So, I kinda revolt. :)  I vegg out for awhile.  And, last year, my vegging included discovering flickr and finding an audience for the writing and semi-blogging or blogging-wannabe I had been doing. Mostly thanks to Marla Swoffer (who doesn't blog anymore) and Sallie with her Carnival of Beauty.

(And, just FYI, it is not really a good time to be vegging out--it's the end of the semester and finals are coming.)

Anywho, I thought I would do an end-of-the-year meme I've seen out in bloggyland for my first blog-a-versary.  Here is the first sentence of the first post of each month for the past year:

五 . . . 四 . . . 三 . . . 二 . . . 一 . . . 新年快樂!! (January)

I am back home!! (Feb)

Well, I am home again--the Taiwan home that is. :) (March)

5 minutes ago! we had an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 that lasted LONG time! (April)

Well . . . we made it!  (My baby sister got married.  Sarah is now a wife.) (May)

You know the feeling.  I know you do. (June)

This is a picture of me on a jungle path to a secret snorkeling location. (July)

It's been a while since our whirlwind trip to the north, but I still wanna share about it.  (August)

What are they?  Do you know what they mean?? (Sept)

This weekend (Friday to Monday night) I was blessed to have a guest in my home. (Oct)

I've been to 6 weddings (so far) in 2006.  (Nov)

Around 100 of my students will graduate in the spring (above is only one of the three Applied English graduating classes). (Dec)

So, what do we learn about me from these 12 sentences? 

I know some Chinese.  I travel a lot.  I take pictures. I live where there are earthquakes and jungles, but I claim to have more than one home.  I am a teacher and a sister.  I ask questions and make assumptions.  Sometimes people come stay with me.  And, well, I went to a lot of weddings this year.  Last, but not least, I am blessed.

For some randomly choosen sentences, it gives a pretty cursory but accurate overview, huh?

I wish I had more thoughtful, reflective things to share with you right now--about life, about blogging, about blogging life--but, alas, I do not.  So, I will ponder for awhile and let my thoughts seep.  Perhaps I will share them with you later--but I make no promises.

I do want to thank you (yes you) for being part of this journey.  I've made some pretty cool bloggy friends while following this path.  I am also thankful for being able to share what's happening in my world licketysplit with my family on the other side of the ocean--made possible because they take the time to visit me here (betcha didn't know that all my grandparents actually read my blog).  I don't know what'd I'd do if I had to wait months for letters to arrive by sea.  That is something I do not want to ponder at all!! :)

Anywho, if you decide to play along with the year-end meme, please either send a trackback or leave a comment, so I can see your 12 sentence-year.  And, don't forget what you are invited to next week. ;)