In So Many Words

I can hardly believe a whole year has passed since I first start blogging. I really had no idea what I was doing but just decided to jump in and figure it out as I went along. One of the things that inspired this blog was how people often compare autism to a puzzle. I really see it as just one piece of a bigger puzzle, and how you approach that bigger puzzle is what’s really important.

Anyway, since today is a special day for me, I wanted to give a shout out to two special bloggers who are, more importantly, my best friends: Hands-Free Heart and Lisa. Ironically, they represent the first blog I started reading and the most recent one, and they are both loving, creative people who give to others everyday.

I mentioned creative – check out this amazing turtle cheesecake Hands-Free Heart made for my husband’s birthday earlier this month. It was an amazing concoction of crust, cheesecake, caramel, and chocolate-covered toasted pecans.

I had told him to be ready to answer the door that Sunday morning (the day before his birthday) because there was a surprise coming. He couldn’t imagine who would be coming or what they could possibly be bringing, but this wonderful dessert certainly made it worth being up and dressed earlier than he likes on a Sunday! (Before you think we are heathens, I will tell you that we attend church on Saturday night most of the time.)

My other friend, Lisa, is a paradigm of both creativity and generosity, making homemade goodies and crafts for all occasions. She whipped out these scarves in what seemed like mere moments for Bob and I (plus another one for Michael that is not in the picture, much to his chagrin) at Christmastime. She even made one for my coworker, and all I did was pick out the yarn. They are incredibly soft and warm, which is great given how cold it is this winter!

Lisa is also an avid stamper and scrapbooker and has started a volunteer project for the non-profit social services agency she works for. The goal is to help individuals who don’t have a way to tell their story make scrapbooks to share their lives and interests with others. She has started a blog, Life On a Page, to talk about this project, which I can see becoming a template for similar projects in other places.

So, anyway, I just wanted to thank both of these women for their friendship and support and tell them how much I appreciate their presence in my life, especially as Hands-Free Heart is going through a difficult time and Lisa is stepping out to get Life On a Page up and running. If you have a moment to visit their blogs and encourage them, that would be a wonderful thing!

Wow, I can’t believe I am already at my 100th post – what an adventure this has been so far! From my first post at the end of January ’til now, I have had incredible fun learning the ins and outs of blogging, as well as discovering more about myself through the experience, and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you.

One huge reward has been getting to meet so many wonderful people, both through their comments here and on their own blogs. My very first comment was from Hands-Free Heart, who inspires me more than she will ever know, and my second was from JoyntHeir, who is actually my aunt in real life. How exciting it has been to reconnect with her over this shared interest! My third comment was . . . just kidding, I’ll stop now.

I was also honored to participate in Blogging for Autism Awareness this April and to join with over 150 other bloggers to share our various experiences with autism spectrum disorder. On a lighter note, it has also been a lot of fun to enter various contests and giveaways, and I have won 5 different prizes (thanks Sadie, Daniel, TCC, 5 Minutes for Mom, and Melody)!!

It seems there is somewhat of a tradition in the blogosphere to write a list of 100 things about yourself for your 100th post. I’m honestly not sure I could come up with 100 things, but I did recently do a shorter list of 38 Things, so feel free to check it out.

Thanks so much for celebrating my first big bloggy milestone with me! I am looking forward to many more.