January 17th, 2012 I entered the blogosphere. It seems only fitting that my Facebook 2012 year in review began with my sharing the first post “The Tipping Point” from my newly minted blog with friends and family. Looking back I cannot believe all that I’ve learned, experienced and over shared. I truly was a blogging virgin and completely unaware of Social Media’s vast web. It took me 3 months to realize that pictures are worth a thousand words, well, a couple hundred at least and 6 months to finally tag my posts. Initially when I came to WordPress I just wanted to write. Boy did I write, however, that’s about all I did too. I wasn’t active in reading other blogs let alone interacting with the blogging community as a whole. I simply steamrolled ahead letting the words flow and settle here online. My prior history with writing has been spotty, I typically ripped out my journal pages to start over, to get it right, to get it perfect. Poetry- read: tight and concise text- amassed only to collect dust throughout the years in the few notebooks that survived my dissection of perfection. It surprises me now that about a year later, after 61 posts, thousands of visitors from 57 countries, three blog titles {Anachel, My Renaissance Life and A Renaissance Glow} that I’ve built a blog. Truly a piece of my heart and soul collected as polaroids in time, for which I can sift through reliving the moments spurring each post; expression of self expansion of happiness as I like to frame it. It’s not all roses as I had many a night frustrated in figuring out how to add media, link a URL with text opposed to the whole web address showing up or using Adobe Photoshop to transform a simple photo of mine into an image for the blog title banner using the sun setting as the O in Glow. They say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but the truth is while it may seem impossible, it’s not. Anything is possible. That’s part of what I learned in 2012 and with the year winding down I’d like to share some of my favorite blogging moments. Life is in the moments you choose to feel the depth and I choose to wholeheartedly. Hope you enjoy my 2012 yearbook yearblog!
Most likely to succeed {top viewed post in 2012}: My Renaissance Life
My Renaissance Life is about renewal, rebirth, a new beginning. It’s about connecting back into myself, a story of love, enjoying sunshine for dinner and looking up feeling the sky upon your face, being open to all the universe sends my way. It’s about running the hills, about seeing my smile as more than a passive reflection in the mirror but a feeling sprouting from within. It’s about writing unabashedly uncensored the fancy words that flow from the tip of my tongue to the pads of my fingertips forever expressing here in this moment. It is about change; the snowflake patterned expression of my soul through self. This is about being aware of that deeper self, being perfectly imperfect, being present and mindful… Read more
Best Legs: My Renaissance Cake List
Let them eat cake!
Reading the blog, Truth and Cake, is akin to enjoying my morning iced soy latte; a little respite before commencing my work day. A recent Truth and Cake blog post, The Cake List, resulted in a verbose reply, even for me, so I cut a fare share of the words and decided to pay tribute to Rian by sharing my own Renaissance Cake List. So in the falsely attributed words of Marie Antoinette “Let Them Eat Cake!” I love sweets. Period. I believe my particular love of ice cream is encoded in my DNA as I seem to have passed this to my daughter, Mars. She will always ask for ice cream as her treat, especially when on vacation. Last summer we frequented a local ice cream shop, The Big Dipper, in my childhood hometown which offered any of the available flavors, huckleberry and coconut two faves, dipped in chocolate. The handmade ice cream is delicious and reminds me of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. Her story is inspiring and in addition to her own ice cream shop she has a cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, so that we all can enjoy amazing flavors like salted caramel, goat cheese with red cherries, juniper and lemon curd, and reisling poached pear while wearing our P.J’s and catching up on The Big Bang Theory, or maybe that’s just me! … Read more
Most Original: Jar of Delight
“Every object, every being is a jar full of delight. Be a connoisseur and taste with caution.” ~Rumi
I recently entered the realm of Pinterest, a website that taps into the creative outlet of expression via web images. Tiny polaroids that capture the essence of the moment exactly as one wants to share that you then assemble on pin-boards with crafted titles and witty descriptions. {globe-trot, deeeelish, whimsy and wonder, flight of fancy, oooh la la, cafe artiste, style pillar, myriad of mark are a few examples of mine.}
When I was in High School I used to cut images out of magazines as well as a plethora of words and then assemble as collages for notebooks, binders or little vessels that I would give away to friends and family. I used scissors and modge podge then, however, now the glue holding things together seems virtual and yet there is a reality in the matrix bringing us together, here and now… Read more
Best Smile: Real Southern Red Velvet Cake and Me
Sweet nothings that taste like something!
My love of red velvet cake goes back as far as I can remember, which on a good day is age 4 or 5, on a bad day, I’m lucky if I remember the details of yesterday. Recently I was chatting with my friend, Elijah, and while discussing red velvet funnel cake he mentioned that there’s a secret to Southern Red Velvet Cake. I love learning secrets so I used my charm asked him to share the recipe and that prompted this foray into the art of baking Real Southern Red Velvet Cake, or in my case cupcakes. For those of you stuck on thered velvet funnel cake, and I don’t judge you, check out the link. Upon learning about the new level of funnel cake luvin’, I promptly added the red velvet version to the top of my Fork List. Yes, my Fork List, rather than a Bucket List I have a Fork List. All the dishes, desserts and delicacies that have not yet tantalized my taste buds. Food is central to the human experience; be it while traveling discovering new lands and cultures, enjoying traditions with family and friends, or trying something new from afar. I don’t live anywhere near the South, however, I can kick back on my patio with a cupcake and sweet tea, er glass of Bordeaux and pretend the little bugs flying by my flood lights are lightening bugs… Read more
Most likely to start a rock band: Cranberry Brie Grilled Cheese and My Blogging Pulse
Ooey Gooey Cranberry Brie Goodness!
Wow, I cannot believe it’s been over a month since my last post. I’ve been silent. I’ve been reflective. I’ve been recharging my battery. When I do such I spiral in and center. It’s been especially necessary for centering lately with life tying some loose ends, family illness, holidays that just keep cropping up despite the fact they come every year, with the final surprising blow being a car accident that I was in a few weeks ago. My neck is out of alignment as well as the back of my car pretty much toast; I was rear ended full force with the fleeting thought of “this is it, this is how my life will end” only to be filled with gratitude to walk away with minor injuries. I counted my blessings for strong bumpers, seat belts and the fact my little girl was not in the car. I vowed I would not let things get away from me again, so here I am… Read more
Best eyes: I Am…Enough
Curly Q in shades.
A Renaissance Glow is about a new beginning in life; to one-day wake up realizing I was unhappy as the checklist I had completed for happiness {Degree, House, Marriage, Dog, Blonde Highlights} ended up being a recipe for hard lessons lived. I wrote a poem, Zombie, one I could not ignore once my little girl entered the world. It is hard enough taking care of oneself; let alone raising an adult-to-be. She helped me realize none of us know what the hell we’re doing, but we’re still here doing it, the best we can. Soon after, a story kept surfacing in my mind, one about a female angel and a human boy {Glow}, the simple act of taking that leap of faith, resulted in me finally crossing the threshold in finding my happily ever after as I learned to set my heart free, choosing love, choosing to slay the dragon of resistance and write; just write, write, write. They say one of the most interesting things about ourselves is the story we’re living and in living through such, the journey, we then reach out and greet one another with our flax-woven tales to feel as if not alone, to share in the colorful human experience, to share in truth, in little white lies, in cake, as well as in the discovery of ourselves and the world around; the things that make us tick. The I am… Read more
Filed under: Expression of Self, Writings Tagged: 2012, blogging, creative writing, Facebook, old dog new tricks, recipes, Red Velvet Cake, Renaissance Cake, renaissance life, Rodney Smith, Self-confidence, Wordpress, writing, yearblog
