I Have a Blog? Alternate Title: I Hate Anything with an Umlaut.

07 January 2014

My name is Michelle and I’ve been missing for three weeks.

cell 294 Christmas 2013

130 cell 316

029

Oh, hello.  Um.  I missed you guys?  I was soaking up having the kids around, Dave, Christmas, my best friend, extended family and just taking a vacation.  I just hadn’t intended it to be an extended vacation, but there it is.  Extended.  BAM.

There is this whole blogging thing that it’s a little like fight club.  You’re not supposed to talk about blogging in and of itself unless of course your blog is about blogging, then you’re supposed to ONLY talk about blogging.  But I’m not really a rules kind of girl except in the car lane at school because non-rules followers in the car lane make me irate.  There is parking all over and willy nilly dropping off and obnoxious assholes who turn left when there is clearly a sign saying not to turn left.

But here on the blog?  Eh.  Left turn away, suckas.

Blogging is incredible.  It has afforded me all kinds of opportunities like having my stuff on Queen Latifah’s site, trips across the country, getting mentioned by people like the food editor of the Associated Press, being featured on Life Hacker, working with some fantastic companies, getting courted by Huffington Post, and meeting some of the best people in the universe, some of which I now call friends.  It’s flattering, it’s awesome, and it makes me all glowy, but for me, having all of you to talk to every day, that’s where it’s at.  Your comments keep me laughing, your emails make me all choked up, and your stories are as varied as Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.  I like it.  Blogging, that is, and you too.  But, it is a fuckton of work and sometimes I very much need a break to sit around mostly camera-less and just take a mental picture instead. 

Only… to take a break or a vacation as a blogger, you’re supposed to work four times as hard and schedule out posts to appear like you’re there.  This is the part we’re not supposed to mention because it’s supposed to be this magical thing where *** poof! *** pretty things appear, you actually sleep while simultaneously making yourself available to social media 24/7 and the words flow like Natty Light at the college party Dave once took me to when I was 26 years old. 

Note to any college age boys out there: if you are lucky enough to date a woman 3 years older than you, with a job, an apartment and clearly fabulous, you should probably not take her to any keg-ers.  You might end up with a wife.

Then of course after your extended break, there is just this awkward figuring out what to say to rejoin the land of the living.  And yaaaaaawn, do I really need to get out of bed?  Plus, you know that people don’t want to hear that you’ve been sitting around playing with your kids with their elflocked hair and staying in your pajamas until afternoon while drinking all the coffee in the universe and snuggling with your husband.  There was also some Harry Potter reading, much Lego building, My Little Pony Equestria Girls watching, and figuring out to do with all of this snow.

cell 370 cell 376

Yep.

So here I am in a graceless sort of way, hoping you’re still reading, still in my pajamas, day three of being house-bound, day eighteen of school break, and hating pfeffernüsse.  Mostly because Dave loves it and eats it non-stop for weeks around Christmas and also partly because it has an umlat which makes writing pfeffernüsse a pain in the ass.  I’d promise that next time I’ll be better and schedule out those posts so we can all pretend that I’m here, but you and I both know, I probably won’t. 

I hope you’re ok with that.

Just how cold is it in your neck of the woods? 

17 comments:

Shannon said...

Love it. Left turn away, sister! And...uh, it was 9 freaking degrees in Alabama this morning. No snow or anything. Naturally, the start of school was delayed...because...COLD.

Anonymous said...

That picture of Tate was worth the wait.

Angela said...

You are back! Woman you sure do make up for lost posts don'tcha? I had to google pfeffernüsse just to see what the heck that was and then a second google search to be sure I remembered correctly what umlat was.
It was a brisk seven degrees on the dash of my car this morning outside the Nation's Capital in southern Maryland!
Loved the pics, glad that you are enjoying some family time and so happy to have you back!

Ryan Knoblauch said...

I'm still here :) hehe. Our hair is horrible here as well!!!

Renee Anne said...

I shouldn't tell you about the projected high of 65F here in "northern" California because it's just rude.

Oops.

Unknown said...

OH MY GOSH. That family picture is amazing - so perfect!! You, D and Finn look seriously like models and Tate.....looks like she's being Tate. You're wearing your "trying not to laugh out loud at the chaos" face. But really, FJ is a child model.

Anonymous said...

It is in the 40s here in north Texas. Friday it is going to be in the 60's. I love living here!

Jennifer said...

Left turns are necessary for everyone, although not at school. Never at school. It's been in the negative numbers here in Milwaukee for the past two days, but today it actually reached a high of 0! We're supposed to get back near the upper 20's/low 30's by the weekend. It'll be nice when frostbite isn't quite so immediate.

AfGolden said...

Welcome back!! Glad your back and I understand the left turns!!! Left turn away sister. :) it was a whopping 10 degrees here which was feeling like a heat wave considering we've been in negative digits here..it's been C-O-L-D! :)

Nita said...

Missed you. Welcome back. Looks like a lovely holiday.

Unknown said...

I so enjoy reading your blog.....no matter when you write it (or how often)! I'm in Indiana and we have had below 0 temps with -35 to -45 wind chills. This is on top of 16 inches of snow that has now been packed down into 3 inches of ice on EVERY ROADWAY IN TOWN!!

Unknown said...

I so enjoy reading your blog.....no matter when you write it (or how often)! I'm in Indiana and we have had below 0 temps with -35 to -45 wind chills. This is on top of 16 inches of snow that has now been packed down into 3 inches of ice on EVERY ROADWAY IN TOWN!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Michelle,
love your blog, you are magic, it is below zero here, and you have good eyebrows.
Diane

Just A Normal Mom said...

I did that scheduling thing when I first started blogging. I don't even think about doing it now. I say if you are going to take time off, take it off, sister. But, um, don't stay gone too long, mmm-kay? Cause everyone took a vacation over the holidays and I miss my blog reads! Oh, and in the 20's here. I won't rub it in that it's high 40's - low 50's by afternoon. I'm serious when I say we really need some snow... just not any below zero temps, please and thank you.

Jessica @ Wanting Adventure said...

Looks like you guys had a great time over the holidays! I was stuck at home for two days and was by myself most of the time, as husband was gone for training. I have a really clean house now! :) Plus, I have blog posts scheduled. Which is unusual for me. So yay for that!

Shari Steelsmith Duffin said...

My second cousin in the midwest: below zero
Friends in Utah: Big Snow
Me: Rain & wind in the 40's in the Pacific NW
Friend in Florida: 45 degrees and they cancelled recess and afterschool activities because it's "too cold"
Relatives in Southern Calif: 80 degrees on Christmas

Life is clearly not fair! Happy to be in the milder middle of things...

Anonymous said...

Everybody needs a vacation! So take it, don't worry about the blog posts!

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