Blogging for Scrapbookers.

Blogging and scrapbooking both offer platforms from which to tell my stories. Sometimes I tell my stories for my own benefit. I write to work out my thoughts, to understand myself better, to clear my head. The act of writing and recording is hard wired into my bones, as much a part of who I am as the color of my eyes and the thickness of my hair.

Sometimes (though not often enough) I tell my stories for Eli, to share my feelings with him and for him. Often I've forgotten to do this. Over the years I've grown so close to him and so comfortable that I had sort of forgotten he is another person entirely, not a part of me, not inside my head. That may sound strange, but it is true.

Often, I tell my stories for our son, so that he might know the depth of my love for him, so that he might remember how we were together through magical times and through terrible times, and through the boring, everyday times, and that I've loved him unconditionally and without hesitation through it all.

At other times, my stories are simply a record, a mark on the world to proclaim, "Rachel was here!" My stories are the testament of my existence: I laughed; I cried; I danced; I collapsed; I breathed; I lived; I was; I am.

Since I began Stop. Drop. Roll. in 2007, I have often turned to my blog in times of crisis (hence the title). In fact, I began my blog at one of the very moments I wanted more than anything to crawl beneath the covers of my bed and retreat from the world. Instead, that day I sat down at my keyboard and fumbled through the darkness, not for light, necessarily, but for something, anything, to hold onto.

And this is what I found.

Lately, my blog has become pretty silent, for a variety of reasons, none of which I'll go into just now. Suffice it to say, I've been following dear Mom's perennial advice: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!" ;)

But I have missed this space. And I have more stories to tell.

So. A few weeks ago I received an email in my inbox introducing Shimelle Laine's online course,"Blogging for Scrapbookers." And it felt like just the thing I needed to get back into the groove. No. Scratch that. I don't want to get back into the groove. I want to make a new one. And that is just what I intend to do.

If you've landed here from Shimelle, welcome to my space! I'm excited to join the party, and I hope you are too. If you've landed here because you're a friend or family member, then, hi, guys. I love you. Thanks for being in my life, even when I don't have anything nice to say.