The Birthday Blog

Tomorrow is my blog's first birthday ... wow. How did a year pass so quickly???

My first post was a bit of an introduction to the stream of consciousness and cheerful babbling that readers would find, a rambling and tangential discourse from someone who has a nasty tendency to be verbose and who wasn't quite sure how to present herself to the world. After all, there are how many blogs out there, and blogs devoted to food? Why would anyone read mine, follow mine, care about mine? I have no particular pedigree or claim to fame; I just love to cook, to bake, to eat and to write!

And yet, I built it and you came! As of this morning, I have nearly 600 followers (not that everyone actually reads what I post each day, but ...). Of all those followers, I have a coterie of very dear friends whom I try to check in with daily, who offer encouragement and praise and -- most importantly -- their hearts; and you're people I would never, ever have had the joy of knowing without this little platform of mine. Too many of you, unfortunately, live just way too far from Ann Arbor!

I've always maintained that people bond over food, even in cyberspace. Even if we're not sharing a table or kibbitzing over choices at a buffet, we're still sharing recipes and stories and friendship ... and these, of course, are the vital ingredients (pun intended!). Because I always want people who come to visit me to feel as though we're in the kitchen preparing food, gossiping, laughing, and enjoying nourishment not just for our bodies but for our souls.

So thank you -- thank you far more than I can convey in a blog post -- for having taken time out of your busy lives, with so many other blogs and media competing for your attention, and sharing my food adventures with me. You've been with me through holidays, through ups and downs in my life, through happy occasions ... it wouldn't have been the same without you, truly ... :)

So rather than a toast to my blog, here's a toast to all of you! May we all share many more birthdays together!

Image: maple / FreeDigitalPhotos.net