Blog hatin' or lovin'?

Sometimes, I look at others' blogs and start to get a little covety. Other people have so much useful or interesting information to offer and they seem to just "get" it, whatever it is they're blogging about. Fashion, urban farming, food, dating -- you name it, it's being very effectively blogged about somewhere. Then, I come back over here and think, What's my THING? Let's face it -- my blog is so random. And at times, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Should I embrace the lack of direction or should I start trying to figure out who I am? Questions, questions.

A few weeks ago, I went to a fun Arizona bloggers' meet-up at this place called The Duce in downtown Phoenix. First of all, The Duce is an absolute HOOT. Dill and I will definitely be heading back for a date night once we can get off this endless Ferris wheel of strep throat/stomach bug that we're currently stuck on. But anyway, The Duce is a grill, bar, shake shop, boutique and rec center all in one. It even has a boxing ring. A BOXING RING. Not to mention hula hoops, board games, shuffleboard, bean bag toss and a big screen for spontaneous movie-watching. The staff at The Duce hooked us bloggers up with some of the most amazing cheesecake to ever touch my lips. The best was their S'mores cheesecake -- graham cracker crust, chocolate cheesecake in the middle and a toasted marshmallow topping. I might have had three slices of that goodness.

We all eventually took some time away from the cheesecake and Blogger Bingo for a photo op. Can you spot the Intern?

I met so many great women at this function and almost all of them had something unique and specific to offer to the Blogosphere. (There were a few randoms like myself and we hit it off nicely -- I'm talking about you, Ali!) Don't get me wrong; I had a blast getting to know these ladies while hanging out at The Duce, but all night I couldn't shake the feeling that my blog just "is what it is" while other blogs seem to have a clear purpose and direction. I started to even get embarrassed to explain my blog. At some point, I simply stopped talking about it altogether. What's the point? No one cares, I thought dejectedly. Poor blog!

But then, I remembered that some people do care. There are at least three people who faithfully read whatever I write, even when it's crap, and they are Dill, my mom and my dad. They don't always comment, but they read it. These people loved me long before I ever started this blog way back in January of 2009. They think I am such a fabulous writer that I should pen a novel or something (not sure I agree with that, but I'll take it). So, at the end of the day, if everyone stopped reading except for them, I'd keep writing. Why? Because I love them, and they're the reason I started writing in the first place.

At the blogger meet-up, I had my picture taken with the Frame of Fame, despite feeling a little mediocre compared to all the fabulous writers around me. But hey, I may not understand my blog and maybe it doesn't have a specific purpose, but it's my baby. As you know, moms love their babies no matter what. Even if they're a little awkward or funny-looking. And Mom, the Intern loves her funny-looking 4-year-old blog baby, too. I have no plans to become a famous blogger anytime soon, but I do plan to keep this thing up until it reaches adulthood and starts playing video games and eating cheese puffs in the basement all day. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

And hey, if you're reading this, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.