I'm a comment reader. I always have been. Long before I started my little decorating blog, I have been fascinated with people's opinions. Sometimes I'm drawn to a new idea, sometimes I just get a chuckle. Sometimes I wholeheartedly agree, while sometimes I couldn't disagree more. But I love to see what other people think.
As I've mentioned before, I started my blog in July. I had thought about writing a blog for a long time, but I didn't have the courage. There were a couple of factors stopping me. First, I didn't think anyone would care about my ideas or projects. I mean, there are tons of great blogs out there already (I know because I've been reading them for a long time!). And second, I was nervous about putting myself 'out there'. I have even mentioned that I was afraid to tell anyone about my blog for weeks (or maybe it was months). I wasn't ready to be 'judged'.
Well, I've learned that this blogging community is very supportive. I am amazed at how wonderful everyone has been. I have watched my very little blog begin to grow. I am so grateful to my readers. AND I'm so grateful to the other bloggers who have been so kind - whether they have featured one of my projects, returned an email, answered one of my questions (remember - I'm new here and I still have no idea what I'm doing), or just left a comment. I appreciate all of it. And most nights, I sit with my husband, Craig, and go on and on about what went on with my blog today. He's been incredibly supportive - I can't thank him enough. And he listens to me talk about this blogger or that reader. And he sees how excited I get about all of the interaction I have through my blog.
I'm new to this blogging world. I'm still fine tuning My Covered Bridge. And I'm still learning. I'm not only learning how to put HTML in a gadget in the sidebar, but I'm learning what I want this blog to be about. I hope that the content is getting better as I go. I have treated it like a business (no, I'm not really making money but I still take it seriously). I'm constantly planning what I want to do with this blog. How to grow it, make it better, and have fun with it. I have fine tuned it and added regular features, like Oldies but Goodies on Sunday and My Friday Five on Fridays. And although I take this blog very seriously, I understand completely that the content is just for fun. Decorating is very frivolous. I know. And sometimes life should be just fun.
Which brings me to my point (I know you've been wondering what the point is from the first paragraph) - my blog is just for fun. I hope that when my readers read my post, they enjoy seeing a tutorial, get inspired to try something at home, or just laugh at my lame jokes (and I'm very aware that sometimes I'm not funny at all - sorry I'm really trying). And that's it. Just have fun. And I'm aware that some of my projects might not be everyone's cup of tea. Which is ok. But I was not prepared to read a comment last night on yesterday's post. And I know that if one person was willing to take the time to bring it to my attention (thank you for doing so), that more people were thinking it. I did not mention Veteran's Day in my post. And I would like the opportunity to explain why. I am from a military family. My father and uncle fought in Vietnam. And our military background goes back way before that. I have the utmost respect for veterans. I thanked many in person (which by the way I do many days). It's very personal for me. And I thought that talking about it on a decorating blog would be, for me, impersonal.
Everyone will have a different opinion on this subject. And I'm very sorry if I offended anyone. It was not my intention. But it has given me pause. I will definitely rethink the future of this blog. I may be too sensitive for this endeavor. As I take this weekend to do some fun things with my family, I will give some thought to My Covered Bridge.