Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Photobucket IT'S MY BLOGOVERSARY WEEK!!!!
(This will stay at the top until Sunday - scroll down for new posts)

I began this blog 3 years ago on Labor Day, September 5, 2005. If you are into nostalgia, you can read the first post here. The blog was started during the time that I was on bedrest AFTER having Stacia. Who knew you could develop eclampsia AFTER birth?!?! ::snort::

Stacia and Zander figure quite predominently in the early entries. Jamin was suiting up for Freshman Football, the girls were packing up to move to WA, Josiah was entering his Jr year and looking for outside work, our younger children REALLY missed Alaska and were very lonely here..... we were new to our assignment here in W. TX.

Blogs have many purposes. Some are political, some are a launching platform to fame, some just provide an outlet for the author's thoughts, some are political or focus on religious teaching......

I view Choosing Joy as a ministry to my family. As faithful readers will know, it began as a way to allow our older children who were moving into new seasons to be able to keep up with the newer family members. During Mike's deployment it allowed him to see daily photos of the growing and changing children and family life. Stacia was 6 months old when he deployed....she learned to talk, walk, and recognize family while he was gone. Who can forget Stacia's Sunday chapel revelation months after he returned - I LIKE my daddy? The children have come to enjoy having a record of our days as a family. At the heart of Choosing Joy is family. Early on I had trouble remembering to post. Family began to complain. I made a committment to post at least once a week...and from that point on I've found that I've posted quite more often than once a week. ::snort::

I also began Choosing Joy as a way to reach out to friends who "didn't feel three years was enough time to know the G family". We are military and move often. The blog has allowed us to maintain relationships.

I did NOT expect others would read. I did NOT expect the sitemeter to move up as quickly as it has. I did NOT expect to make new friends (internet and real life) because of the blog. I didn't really see mentoring happing on a bigger scale than my daughters via the blog.....We have now posted 2,873 entries. We have had 105,281 hits. We have had visitors from EVERY continent. We've had fun.

Choosing Joy has become a mish-mash. I blog about homeschooling, about being quiverful, about PWOC, about being a pastor's wife, about lessons God is teaching me and books and Scriptures I'm reading....but in all it's about relationship. I write as I would write to my dear friends and family - because that is the bottom line of this blog.

I thank those of you who have taken the time over the past three years to get to know me and my family a bit better. I thank those who have shared their thoughts and sharpened me. I've always lived life in a fish bowl. I was born into a Pastor's family. My children have always lived life in a fish bowl (I married a Pastor). The blog is simply one more way that I've learned to embrace the fish bowl. I pray that being real somehow helps others to see how a homeschooling, quiverful, pastor's wife can fail, get up, experience God's amazing grace and continue to move forward....and encourages others that they too can fulfill God's call on their life - regardless of what that may be. For more on why I try to be real read this. It's important to me that my readers KNOW that I NEVER tell another's story without their permission. If weaknesses of my dh or children show up here - they've allowed me to share. Oh MUCH goes on that is never blogged about. Would YOU want your intimate discussions on a blog? ::snort::

In the past three years we've laughed together(Zanderisms et al), cried together (kids leaving home, miscarriage), prayed together, and grown together. I appreciate each of my readers. BTW feel free to comment. ::snort:: I'm always surprised when someone comes up to me at an event and says, "I read your blog" - what an honor that you care enough about this family to spend time reading our daily trivia. Miss Pat you made my week!

This week at Choosing Joy we will party! We will celebrate all that God has done in our lives in the past three years.....and I have a few fun things planned for y'all!

OK - y'all - how do you make a post stay at the top now that we have "scheduled posting"? When I put a future date it doesn't publish? Maybe this won't stay at the top!

©2008 D.R.G.