100,000 Views and Counting…WOW!!!

“Small goals and small dreams often turn into fabulous feats of magic.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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I’m sitting here with a cup of tea and my iPad, basking in the glow of my recent achievement. I knew I was getting close yesterday, but this morning, I turned over in bed, grabbed my phone and checked the time, then my WordPress stats. YES! 100,022 views. Amazing! Yes, I am.

Now granted, that’s the total number of views from when I first started my blog way back in 2013, but I never thought I’d keep writing and sharing. When I started my Blog about nothing. It’s just about my daily life, and I related it to the Seinfeld TV episode where Jerry tried to pitch a sitcom to NBC and based it on nothing.

When I started writing January 1, 2013, I was just the everyday average happily married suburban housewife living in the quaint city of McKinney, Texas, writing about happenings on the square, my family and friends, and my lovely life in Texas. My goal was to see if I could write a blog and post every single day for entire year. Little did I know that just a few months later, My heart and my world would plummet down from the sky, get dragged through the flaming mud of hell, and id be forced to survive an excruciatingly painful and devastating divorce after 39 years of marriage.

But guess what? I survived and I flourished with the help of family and friends. And, I never stopped writing or sharing. Through the tears and the laughter, this blog and this writing helped me get through the worst of times and open my eyes to the wonderful world I had been missing. I have written 2,235 consecutive posts, with 53,594 visitors, and have more than surpassed my goal of trying to write for just one year. I’ve made a zillion new friends along the way, and I’ve been inspired by each one. Writing about my “nothing life” just might inspire someone else. Who knows? How great is that?

I currently have 844 WordPress followers, 347 Facebook followers, 133 friends on Twitter and 42 friends on Tumblr. That’s a lot of friends. How blessed am I? Bless YOU all for being a part of it. Sending virtual hugs.

Saturday:) Spectacular Statistics On my Blog

“All the statistics in the world can’t measure the warmth of a smile.” ― Chris Hart

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I’m amazed at the number of friends I’ve made here on the whacky World Wide Web. I started writing my “blob” (my mom calls it a blob) January 1st 2013, and I’ve written every day since. I was thrilled when I had my first thousand views, then ten thousand views. When I had over a hundred followers, I couldn’t believe it. Who would want to read my silly ramblings. Today, when I looked at my stats, I was, well, overwhelmed, grateful, honored, and just downright stunned. 

70,231 views and 1,593 consecutive posts, with 35,629 visitors.

I have 646 WordPress followers, 347 Facebook followers, 131 Twitter followers, and 36 Tumblr followers. WOW! I had to get out the calculator…that’s 1,160 total followers. I can’t believe it! 

“All the statistics in the world can’t measure the warmth of a smile.” 

― Chris Hart

And all the smiles in the world could not measure how thrilled I am with the many stories I’ve shared with the many readers who have dropped by to visit my blog. You are the reason I write, and you have all given me motivation and inspiration. I’ve shared happy times and sad times, and you’ve been there every step of the way.

THANK YOU!

Fantabulous Friday:) 50, 000 Views and Counting

” I never thought I’d get 500 views on my blog, much less 50,000. Now, I believe anything is possible.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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“What the mind can conceive and believe, and the heart desire, you can achieve.” ― Norman Vincent Peale

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My goal when I first started writing my blog on January 1, 2013 was to see if I could write a blog every day for one entire. Well, I haven’t missed a day yet, more than three years later, I haven’t run out of things to say. Blog writing is like a drug. Once you start, you get hooked and can’t stop. 1,168 consecutive posts, hundreds of followers, this is what writing is all about.

I’ve made many interesting friends along the way. People that I probably will never meet, but I’ve become a part of their lives, and they have become a part of mine. It’s a very interesting world out there if you take the time to open your eyes.

I thought a few weeks ago that I was  getting very near to a landmark 50,000 views, but I thought I had a long way to go. When I looked yesterday at my stats, I found that I had already passed that magic number. Amazing!!! I am proud and honored and humbled and excited, all rolled into one bundle of ecstatic achievement. Thank you for reading., looking at all the goofy pictures, and not laughing too hard at me.Thank you for being a part of my life and my journey.

   
 Is this cool or what??????? Try and stop me from writing now! 

  

Monday: Motivation, Mindless Meandering and Junk Mail

If you are the author of one of the many blogs that I follow, rest assured, I read your stories, poems and enjoy your photos. I often get motivated by your words. This morning, I was commiserating with the dieting waitress about her struggles to lose weight and keep up with exercise while working two jobs. I commented on her post, “You are an inspiration. I’m going to go and do some sit ups right now.” Guess what? I closed my iPad, turned on HGTV for background noise, and did 200 sit ups. See, I do get inspired!

Dan motivates me with his historical photos, Seth has knock-down gorgeous photos, and Becca is one wild and crazy gal. I get tips on writing, poetry, blogging, art and more. The blogging world is amazing.

After my inspirational exercise, I hopped in the car and drove over to Office Max to get some copies made of some of my artwork and photos. When you’re an artist, you get to know your friendly neighborhood copy guys. Here’s Daniel at the computer and Chris’ arm. Hi Guys!

Next stop, Bed Bath and Beyond to buy some more wine glasses for painting. Then, next door to Half Price Books to check out the art books. I always find something good. A couple hours fly by, and I haven’t had lunch. Panera is my favorite people watching spot, (that isn’t on the Square.) Good time to check more emails and blogs. (I didn’t mention that all these places were within walking distance.)

Enough meandering, the dogs are home and getting hungry too.

Oops! I needed a couple things from the store. Sorry puppies! Market Street was on the way home. I picked up a few things and scurried home, grabbing the mail on my way in the door. The mailbox was jam packed with junk mail. What’s with that? I think five full grown trees died just for today’s pile of paper. Don’t you hate that?

Well, that was my day of meandering. Now we’ll see what inspiration arrives in my inbox tomorrow.

New Year’s Resolutions

SALUTATIONS AND FULMINATIONS

It’s a new day. It’s a new year. It’s a new blog. As I get ready to toss out the old, well-worn 2012 calendar, I’m reminded of two things. One: I always make New Year’s resolutions that I seldom keep for very long. Two: I don’t have a new 2013 calendar. Now what? But, with all the fancy-dancy digital and techno-gadgets at my disposal, who really needs a paper calendar? Let’s face it, I don’t need one, but I still like the old fashioned ways. I prefer turning the real pages of a book as opposed to swiping my index finger across an illuminated tablet, and I enjoy the tactile custom of flipping over a calendar page filled with scribbled appointments and birthday reminders. Don’t get me wrong, my iPad is jammed with info, pictures, contacts, stories and reminders. I just need both.

This year, my resolution is not just to do more writing, but to share my writing with more people. So, here I am, and if you are reading this, I’m off to a good start. Thank you!

It was difficult to come up with a title for my new blog. It seemed like every idea I had was already out there when I Googled it. I wanted to use words like ruminations, contemplations, or rantings, but they were taken. Therefore, I did what every perplexed writer does in time of need. I looked up some words in my red Webster dictionary. In this case, I used the on-line version, but many times, I actually use the old fashioned hard cover copy on the book shelf.

The word fulminate popped up during my exhaustive search. Whoa! That’s a good one, and low and behold, my Google search didn’t bring up much with that word. Perfect! If you aren’t familiar with the word, as it was a new one to me, the synonyms are rant, rave or spout. Yes, perfect.

My plan is to share happy news, discoveries, stories about new places and fun people, thus the salutations. But, once in a while, I get a bee in my bonnet, and I start ranting or complaining about politics, phone solicitors, or the ever popular things my husband does to aggravate me, therefore, the fulminations.

Today is New Year’s Day, a great day to start a new project. I think I’m getting off to a good start with my inaugural post. Wish me luck!