A-Z Challenge is Almost Here!

The A-Z Challenge is almost here!  If you've never participated in it, it's a wonderful way to meet lots of new blogger friends!  Every day except Sundays, in the month of April, post something that corresponds to each letter of the alphabet from A-Z.  It seems to work best if you have an overall theme to tie all your posts together and write at least some of them in advance, but you can choose to do it randomly as well and as creativity strikes you (it's just a lot harder that way!).  

It all started back in 2010, when Arlee Bird decided to start the challenge to celebrate his 200th follower!  Since 2010 it has grown exponentially in participants.  This year there are already 940 blogs signed up to participate!

I think this will be my 6th year doing the challenge.  I'm excited this year because I'm actually a little more organized!  I have planned to pre-write most of my posts so that I'm not scrambling around each day!  And even though I haven't been blogging much lately, I think it's a great way for me to get back into the swing of things.  After all The A-Z is one of the most fun and challenging blog hops I've ever participated in!  Check out all the details here and add your blog to the list!  March 21st is A-Z Blog Theme Reveal Day, so sign up for that too! And don't forget to read yesterday's post on the A-Z blog for great tips on how to get your blog ready for the Challenge.


Have you signed up yet?

Hope you're having a great week so far!

Kathy 

Zucchinis and Zen

Count-down: 17 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

I can’t believe today is already the last day!  The Challenge went so fast this year! 

I have a hard time with “Z”.  I always want my last post to be really good, but “Z” words often don’t fit too well with my themes.  Last night my son, who’s nine, was trying to help me come up with a good “Z” word.  It was getting late because I’m a procrastinator and we started rattling off all the “Z” words we could think of.  Finally, he blurted out, “zucchini”.  I told him zucchinis didn’t have anything to do with Alaska.  He thought for a moment and told me we needed to take a zucchini with us on our trip, then we’ll have one in Alaska and I can write about it.  

Amid bursts of laughter we thought about drawing sharpie eyes on the zucchini and dressing him in a hat and sunglasses.  We would name him Zorba the Zucchini.  I told Ryan he might not make it through airport security.

My actual “Z” word, I decided is Zen.  I’ve only attempted meditation a few times, but I feel like our long drive will be a sort of meditative experience.  There will be long stretches of looking inside myself while my eyes focus on the constancy of the road.  I can let go of the everyday stressors and concentrate on breathing. On Being.  

Being not an individual, but a part of something bigger;  a family, a mountain valley, a speck in this grand universe.

   

Thanks for stopping by each day to read my posts! I had a great time this year and I learned so much from everybody. I want to thank Arlee for creating this wonderful A-Z Challenge! And thanks to all the co-hosts and helpers who help to make it run smoothly.  I know it takes a lot of time and effort. You guys/gals are awesome!  

Kathy :)

Are You Signed Up?

I just signed up and...

wow, I'm number 1321!  

I don't know how many bloggers were involved in the A-Z Challenge my first year, but I'm pretty sure it was around 300.  I'm blown away that it has grown so much!

Thanks to Arlee, the creator and all his wonderful co-hosts for putting it on again this year!  If you're not signed up yet head on over to A-Z Challenge, to sign up and read what it's all about.  Every year I meet so many great new blogging buddies through the Challenge.  And it's a lot of fun to see what everyone comes up with.

Last year's challenge took a lot out of me.  My theme was What My Grandpa Taught Me, and it was right after his passing.  There were many mornings I left my laptop in tears.  By the time May rolled around, I just didn't have the strength to post anymore.  I had used it all up.
I think I maybe wrote ten more posts the rest of the year.

But this year I feel refreshed.
I have a theme all ready (not telling yet!) and it won't bring on the facial waterfalls.  So I'm excited to get started.  I've started planning my posts, but I haven't written any yet.  Hopefully, I'll get to that tomorrow.  In the past, I haven't pre-written posts, but this year for me is all about trying new things.  I'll let you know if it works.

Are you signed up?  Is this your first year or have you been in it since the beginning?
Do you have a theme yet?

Have a great Wednesday!

Kathy :)

X is for Xcellent!

X is for Xcellent!


This has been an excellent challenge!   I can't believe there's only 2 letters left!

Thanks so much to Arlee Bird and his wonderful team of co-hosts for helping to bring us all together.  I've met so many new blogger buddies!  I love seeing the variety of everyone's posts, even when people pick the same word, they write it in such different styles that no two posts are alike.  This writing community abounds with creativity!  I'm so happy to be a part of it.  

I also want to thank everyone who supported my efforts in the challenge and made wonderfully encouraging comments.  And a huge thanks to all my followers both new and old!  You guys are awesome!

Don't forget that today is the last day for Alex's giveaway to celebrate his 1500 followers and on May 7 join in on the A-Z Reflection post, where we can tell all our thoughts from this year's challenge.

Don't forget to check out the A-Z blog for more great entries!

Have an xceptional day!!!

Kathy :)