today my blog turns three. you should buy it a cupcake.
Three years!
I’ve been writing here for THREE YEARS.
That’s a LOT OF WRITING. Maybe not as much writing in the last six months or so, but still… MegFowler.com has been hours and hours and hours in the making. Days, even. Maybe a month?
Granted, what’s here is not all that I’ve written in that time.
I have actually deleted a lot of posts over that period, for about thirty different reasons. I don’t regret that, though. If this is really a record of me, and my thoughts, then it’s okay to let things go when I let things go, now and then. And what remains is still 1,259 posts, which means I posted an average of 1.14 times a day (with the deleted posts, it’s closer to 1.6.)
Anyway.
Three years of me.
That’s kind of a crazy thought.
So much has changed in that time.
When I started here, Eric — who helped me set it up — was due to come here in a month’s time to meet me and my lovely roomie and best friend, Catherine.
Now they’re married, and he lives here. And they’re planning they’re “with everyone else” wedding in about six months time, in which I shall be a bridesmaid. I’d say that’s a pretty dramatic change. But all of this happened because he is fantastic.
When I started here, I hadn’t had a vacation or a flight anywhere in ages. Now I’ve been to California twice (one time via a road trip that was SO MUCH FUN), and to Boston three times.
When I started here, I was looking forward to settling down one day with some nice guy and having a pile of babies… although I really didn’t know any nice guys. I still had faith in love. And men.
Now I know that any babies I have will be adopted ones because of my diagnosis, and I found a FANTASTIC guy who has a fantastic kid of his own. Wow. We have a ton in common in terms of our loves and not-loves, despite the fact we have almost nothing in common in terms of how our lives have evolved to this point. But now we’re looking forward to sharing everything. And among our new commonalities? A fledgling non-profit. What?!
When I started here, I was living with two girls in an apartment in North Vancouver. Then one girl who loves games.
Now I’m living on my own in a totally different neighbourhood, and preparing to make the BIG leap to Boston early next year. Holy cow.
When I started here, my parents were in limbo with their own living situation, and helping my grandfather in his last days.
He passed away in late May, 2007, and now it’s just the two of them again, in their own home.
When I started here, my brother was dating a really nice girl that I hadn’t met, way up in the frozen North. Now they’re happily married, and my primary souvenir of their wedding was an on-and-off case of pneumonia that lasted the better part of nine months.
A pneumonia baby!
Anyway, big changes. HUGE changes.
Some of which been really difficult along the way, and some of which have been blessedly, amazingly easy.
I’m going to write another post about what blogging for three years has taught me, but for now? I’m just amazed I kept it going this long, seeing as I have the attention span of a gnat.
I have no idea what will happen in the next three years, and I’m not even going to TRY and predict, since it seems to go better that way.
All I can say for sure is that…
1. I will continue to be thankful for the amazing people I know, and the amazing experiences I have.
2. It won’t all be easy, because it never is.
3. The name “Gradon” will probably come up a few times.
Thanks for reading. Seriously.
STUFF FROM THREE YEARS OF BABBLING
I joined Facebook. Whoa.
This is a city, not a village.
Love Lists galore. Actually, just a LOT OF LISTS.
Smart boobs? You too can have them.
Video did not kill me — I’m still a radio star!
I’ve forced you to make a lot of choices.
I learned about love before I had it. Lots of lessons.
Sometimes I drink too much coffee. No, really.
There are SO many more posts — more than a thousand, actually, so I can’t link to ALL the stuff that seems most telling of my life, and most emblematic of my voice.
Because it all is, really.
Happy 3, wee blog.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Remember what I said to you? “Thank you for writing such an honest, personal blog.” In this world of writing to gain an audience to gain an income, you eschew the “blogging strategy” for honest communication, and for that, I’m still thankful.
Happy blogiversary, love.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I was thinking about that, actually — the first thing you “said” to me was a compliment about my blog. And now look at us!
I guess the way to a girl’s heart is through her blog.:)
June 8th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Yay! Happy blogiversary! I would send you a cupcake but it would be stale by the time it got there from Sweden, so I eated it.
June 8th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Happy Blog Bday! I’ve only been visiting for about a year of it, but it’s been thoroughly enjoyable.
And I think a cupcake is an excellent idea.
June 8th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I didn’t realize my blog was older than yours! (It’s going to be five! years for my site in just a couple of weeks. Crazy, that.)
Hurrah! for three years of writing and learning and growing, and laughing. xo
June 8th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Happy blogiversary, dearest. I remember the first time I found your blog, I spent a while reading and reading. I LOVED everything about the way you wrote. It was fresh (in the good way) and relatable. That’s when I read about your diagnosis and my heart just broke for you and I read this paragraph that I thought was so fantastically well put that I had it up on my Facebook quotes for almost a year:
“What it does do is make me frost over when people tell me it’s not the end of the world. Of course it isn’t. Of course it isn’t. Only the end of the world is the end of the world, and if that was the only measure for grieving, then no one should be doing anything but smiling like the sun itself was shoved up their ass. Until the world ends, that is. Then get out your Kleenex.”
When I discovered your blog I thought, this gal is cool. And I’d like to be her friend. And now I’m so glad I can say I am.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Three years? Awesome! Congratulations on everything and good luck with your move to Boston - how exciting!
June 8th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Happy blogiversary, Meg! I have enjoyed reading your writing since your Salon days. You’ll love Boston, I’m sure. Thanks for sharing your life with us.
June 8th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Yay…Meg’s blog is a toddler. No more terrible two’s!
Congrats and here’s to the next 3…or 30. Whatev makes you happy, honey!
ps- -OMG- did you not totally GET Gradon in the whole FANTASTIC GUY dept? That’s why it’s good to have a list. Cause you’ll know what to recognize when the list comes calling in real life!
xoxo
June 8th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
hope you had the happiest third birthday ever megfowler.com! as a gift, i will share with you what i did on my third birthday: it was a kermit the frog themed birthday party. i had a funny hat and got sick on green icing. i received castle greyskull for my big present, and a bee sting to go with it.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Yay for Meg and for everyone lucky enough to read her words! Happy birthday, blog! Again, yay!
June 9th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Happy blogiversary, Meg!
I have absolutely nothing to add to Grandon’s comment (”Thank you for writing such an honest, personal blog.”).
Keep up the great writing and here’s to the next 3!
June 9th, 2009 at 3:59 am
Happy Blogday, from the givers of pneumonia.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:48 am
happy anniversary!
i’ve been reading you since the blog cabin days - hard to believe you made the move 3 years ago
June 9th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
It’s hard to believe your blog’s only 3. It just acts so much older. Granted, it makes me laugh like most 3 year-olds do, but it does so many other things that belie it’s age. It organizes it’s thoughts into conversational tones; it says things that go straight to my soul; it empathizes and sympathizes with and to me; it speaks truthfully of things most others don’t…or won’t. I’m glad to have been here to watch it grow.
Happy Birthday little blog!
June 19th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Happy 3 years!!! Here’s a cupcake. http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/04/make-your-cupcakes-pop.html