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Strangest Browser Searches Tag

Tracey Dyck 35 Comments

Way back in the days of cave paintings and sabre-toothed tigers (ahem, last July) Madeline J. Rose tagged me with a thingamajig of her own creation, the Strangest Browser Searches tag! It’s so fun when blogger friends make up their own tags, isn’t it? And this particular tag is pretty entertaining too.

The rules:

  • Get access to your browser history, and look through it
  • Pick at least 5 of the strangest searches you’ve had to look up as a writer
  • List them below with a short explanation as to why exactly you had to look them up
  • Tag 2-5 other bloggers

I apologize in advance–due to my slow writing lately, most of my Google searches were boring things like “how to calculate equal payments” (for math class) and “what is a contra account” (for accounting class) and “who retains rights in traditional publishing” (for a paper I wrote in business communication class). I dug through THREE MONTHS of history for these, guys, and most of them aren’t even that spectacular.

If you don’t have anything better to do with the next three minutes of your life, read on!

Note: they’re almost all related to my Snow White retelling, so perhaps you’ll glean some interesting tidbits of previously undisclosed knowledge. Or just random trivia, but pffft, what’s the difference?

snow white original version

I looked this up because it’s been a long time since I read the real thing, and I always go back to the source material before writing a retelling.

list of cold words

Snow. Frost. Shiver. Ice. Blizzard. Wow, what a great list. I must’ve been in a writing slump if I needed synonyms for cold.

norse mythical creatures

I found me a fearsome lindwyrm, thanks to this search!

how big is a hamlet

I don’t remember the answer, but Skadi’s home (in my inconsistent first draft of Snow White) goes back and forth between a hamlet and a village, so . . . methinks the research wasn’t very effective.

how to skin a rabbit

I found some kind of hunting website and actually scrolled through bloody pictures of every step in the rabbit-skinning process. Be very proud of me.

scandinavian sailing medieval times / medieval animal skin canoes

Skadi paddles around a fjord while thinking gloomy thoughts, so I wanted to be able to visualize her vessel.

mbti and guilt

Because Skadi wrestles with more than her fair share of guilt, and I wanted to see how her personality type deals with it. (What is her personality type again? I forgot.)

how long should a chapter be in a ya novel

Short answer: nobody knows! Suggestion: 2500-5000 words.

how serious is a wound to the side

Because what would a fantasy novella be without a stabbing?!

do big five publishers accept christian manuscripts

I don’t think I dug deep enough to find the answer, but I think I was contemplating the great big world of publishing that day, and simply looked this up out of curiosity.

tips for fast signature

You should see the margins of some of my notebooks, or the scrap paper I used for math equations back in high school–I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve practiced my signature for future book signings. Still not happy with it, and still wondering if I should change the style of it so that it’s different from what I use to sign important documents. o_O But on another note, HOW do authors manage to sign hundreds of books in an hour?

lies characters believe

I remembered reading a couple of blog posts on the subject, but didn’t know where they were, so I searched them down again to help develop Skadi’s inner conflict.

meaning of Skadi / Wilhelmina name origin

Meaningful names are important to me! I love hiding symbolism in my stories–it’s just another secret that only I know. That is, until I blog about it or until sharp-eyed readers pick up on it. But half of the fun of these secrets is divulging them, so I don’t mind. Anyway, Skadi is my Snow White character, and her name belongs to a Norse goddess of winter and archery! Wilhelmina is a German name meaning willing to protect; it fits pretty well with a secondary character who’s come up in two of my stories, yet has never been “on screen.”

aurora winter bird lyrics

I’m pretty sure it was Katie Grace who introduced me to AURORA, a young Norwegian singer with an ethereal voice and songs that inspire my writer brain. This particular song, Winter Bird, reminds me of my Snow White story!

sinew bowstrings

Skadi is an archer (and no, I shan’t apologize for using that cliché), so I took some time to research more primitive forms of bows and arrows. I also needed to know what kind of bowstring she’d likely have access to . . . and what kind of bowstring might snap under extreme heat. *insert malicious smile*

why don’t i like my protagonist

You’ve heard me grouse about that issue more than once here, so I won’t go over it again! Since reading over my novella, I think much of my problem was imagined/the result of less-than-ideal writing circumstances, so hopefully whatever small issues are left can be corrected when I edit.

other odd things I’ve researched in times gone by:

This was YEARS ago, but one time I spent an afternoon performing mathematical equations for my dragon novel, The Prophet’s Quest. Two characters are given special seeds they’re instructed to plant in a long, continuous line across one corner of the country, and it occurred to me about five million drafts later that I’d never actually figured out how many seeds they would need. So I:

  • guesstimated the size of said fantasy country by comparing it to real life Britain or something like that
  • decided how long dragon’s tails are (because the dragons are told to plant the seeds one dragon tail-length apart)
  • calculated how many dragon tails it would take to stretch across the section of land I’d drawn out . . .
  • . . . which equals how many seeds are needed
  • then I figured that the seeds were about the size of kidney beans
  • so I went to the kitchen and counted out how many kidney beans fill one measuring cup
  • converted cups to gallons
  • estimated how many gallons of seeds each dragon could carry
  • realized they needed A LOT OF HELP to transport all these seeds
  • and so I invented a species of birds called seolfor that could each carry a gallon’s worth of seeds, and threw a whole flock of them into the story to solve the problem
  • WHEW.

And of course I’ve researched other, more typical writerly things like:

  • gunshot wounds
  • types of guns
  • types of swords
  • infection
  • injuries
  • facial burn scars
  • healing herbs
  • how far a human can walk in a day
  • how far a horse can run in a day
  • how long a person can survive without food/water
  • how far a league is (because there’s no better way to jerk a reader out of your epic high fantasy story than to have the king say, “I shall travel thirteen miles to thy secret abode of magical trees,” so leagues it is)
  • old cars from the 90’s most likely to have engine trouble
  • blood types
  • what happens when you get a blood transfusion of the wrong type (bad stuff, okay)
  • how long it takes to fly to _____
  • how far a Beaver plane can fly on one tank of fuel
  • how many people can a dragon carry if they’re about four or five times the size of a horse
  • how would a psychologist diagnose a kid who says he was a hero and fought battles on another bacon-flipping WORLD (answer: he’s schizophrenic or has delusions of grandeur)
  • ETC.

In short, the life of a writer involves many questions. Sometimes Google has the answers, sometimes not. I used to think that writing fantasy was a good way to avoid research, but HA, I’ve never been more wrong! At least I get to research pretty cool stuff this way.

(Sorry, I’ve run out of time to tag anyone today, since I have to run off to work, but if you like this tag, by all means snatch it!)

What’s the weirdest thing YOU have ever researched, in the name of writing or not?

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The Bibliophile Sweater Tag

Tracey Dyck 24 Comments

GUYS. I haven’t done a tag in an eon or three, and while I’m pretty sure I’ve got a few stockpiled somewhere, the lovely Mary Horton @ Sunshine and Scribblings just created a tag of her own . . . and tagged me with it! It’s all about books and sweaters, which are two of my favorite things. So I had to jump in on it now, while it’s still sweater weather!*

*Yes, Canada is preparing for another six months of sweater weather. Don’t laugh.

Rules:

  • Give the person who tagged you a never-ending supply of cookies (or just thank them – either works) [Mary, your lifetime supply of gingersnaps is in the mail!]
  • Answer all the questions and use the blog graphic for this tag somewhere in your post
  • Pass along the tag to at least five other people [Read on till the end, my curious questers.]
  • Wear a sweater (okay, this is optional…but why wouldn’t you want to??) [I would love to wear a sweater, but today was unseasonably warm–it’s a t-shirt for me!]

Before we get going, two teensy tiny announcements:

  1. I’m on Instagram! I’m painfully new at it, but I’ve been participating in #drachtober over there, which is super fun, and I’d love for you to pop by and say hello. Also my social media icons are now conveniently on the blog’s sidebar for your clicking convenience.
  2. I’ve got an email address! Okay, yes, I’ve always had an email address (I don’t live under that big of a rock), but now I have one I’m sharing publicly. So if you have thoughts about the existence of ladybugs or questions about how to tame the fiery rage of the nearest bookdragon, you can shoot me an email at traceydyckauthor[at]gmail.com.

All right, now let’s hop right to it, shall we?

lovely graphic by the lovely Mary Horton

Fuzzy sweater (a book that is the epitome of comfort)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis // Yes, this counts, because my copy is the whole series in one volume! I reread it for the first time in forever about a year and a half ago, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve missed Narnia since then. The familiar adventures, the delightful prose, the deep-yet-simple themes, all the nostalgia . . . I seriously need more time so I can reread more often.

Striped sweater (book which you devoured every line of)

Reaper Reborn by Bryan Davis // I HAVE TO PICK JUST ONE? I feel like I’m betraying so many other riveting reads. Why do you do this to me? But okay. Fine. I’ll play along and go with what I’m currently reading. It is intense. Bad stuff is happening, people, and I’m not sure how Phoenix and his mates are going to fix everything in the last 50% of the book. I am definitely devouring every line!

Ugly Christmas sweater (book with a weird cover)

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher // I had to search through my Goodreads list for a while to find this. (Apparently I read a lot of attractive books.) That face/mask thingy is just . . . creepy. And I honestly remember next to nothing about this book. Either it was rather bland, or so terrible I blocked it out of my memory.

Cashmere sweater (most expensive book you’ve bought)

The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan // I don’t actually know which is the most expensive book I’ve bought. #bookdragonfail But this is one of those monstrously priced hardcovers–well, fine, it was $20. So not awful. But not cheap either. BUT PRICE ASIDE, I’m picking this one because I don’t talk about the Ranger’s Apprentice series enough around here, considering how much I love it! I know some people complain that this 12th book ruined the series ending, but I actually enjoyed seeing Will all grown up and training a new Ranger. Bittersweet.

Hoodie (favorite classic book)

sadly, I don’t own it. but I would love
this version!

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie // Since I already picked Chronicles of Narnia for the Fuzzy Sweater, I’ll pick one of the next best classics: Peter Pan. I was supremely late to that party, seeing as I read it for the first time last year. But I’m hooked! (Ha. Terrible pun intended.) It’s so whimsical and arbitrary in a childlike way, and I adore it.

Cardigan (book that you bought on impulse)

Siren’s Song by Mary Weber // I promise you I was shopping for someone else at the bookstore. Yet somehow I walked out with a book for myself? How did that happen? I’m not sure if this was a true impulse buy, because I’ve been meaning to buy it ever since finishing Storm Siren earlier this year. But obviously I bought this book so fast, I didn’t realize this is BOOK 3. AND I DON’T YET OWN BOOK 2. OOPS.

Turtleneck sweater (book from your childhood)

The Black and White Rainbow by John Trent // I’m going waaaay back to my early childhood here. This was one of my absolute favorite picture books, a story about MooseBerry Mouse and his friends trying to restore color to their black and white world. (I specifically remember my parents giving Monty the Mole a funny voice when he talked with his mouth full.) And the illustrations–my word, they are gorgeous.

Homemade knitted sweater (book that is Indie-published)

Prodigy Prince by Natasha Sapienza // My reading diet is a little sparse in this category, unfortunately! But I’ve got one very intriguing indie book waiting for me right now. It’s high fantasy and involves a banished villain, six gifted youths, and a second-in-line prince. Sounds like my cup of tea!

V-neck sweater (book that did not meet your expectations)

The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead // I thought I would love this one–goodness, I wanted to love it–but unfortunately, the great cover and the fact that Ross Lawhead is Stephen R. Lawhead’s son didn’t translate to a five star book for me. The concept was pretty cool, though, and I will eventually read the sequel. It’s just not . . . on the top of my TBR pile right now.

Argyle sweater (book with a unique format)

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke // It contains copious footnotes. Does that count? It’s also a faint-inducing one thousand pages or so–that definitely counts, right?! But despite its density, I loved it to pieces. Like I mentioned, I don’t do enough rereading, but this is absolutely going to be something I return to one day. I keep eyeing it on my shelf, promising, “One day . . . one day.”

Polka dot sweater (a book with well-rounded characters)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater // Again, there are so many books I could highlight here! But this was one of the first to come to mind. Despite my quibbles with the Raven Cycle, the deft characterization is my favorite part. Every gesture, every description, is artfully nuanced and painfully real. I’m kind of in love with Steifvater’s prose, especially as it relates to characters.

Well, that was super cozy and fun, and now I want to go read allll the things! Thanks again, Mary! You are a tag genius. And now I get to pass that genius along to five other bloggers.

(because all my siblings are bibliophiles and bloggers too!)
Emily @ Stranger Worlds (formerly known as Ink, Inc.)
+ anyone who’s wearing a sweater and wants to grab this tag!
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Sunshine Blogger Award

Tracey Dyck 31 Comments

Hello! I’m currently off in some secret location on a vacation with my family, so this is me speaking to you from the past. I needed a quick post to schedule for today, since I hate to leave this place lonesome and deserted, and a tag seemed like just the thing.

I’ve done the Sunshine Blogger Award before (a Q&A is about as easy as it gets, thank goodness). This one comes from the lovely lass who goes by the name Blue, over at To Be a Sennachie. Thanks, Blue!


1. How are you today?

As of the day I’m writing this, very well, thank you! My brain is racing a hundred different directions because I’m on the verge of flying away to Realm Makers. (But as of today, I’m probably sitting in the sunshine with a book in hand and feeling much more relaxed.)

2. What’s one thing you love about your job/school?

I enjoy the mindless organizational aspect of restocking the store (I work in clothing retail), but I love the endless stories of customer interactions more. Character fodder, you know! Takes all kinds to make the world go round, and I’ve seen some rather interesting kinds during my two years at this job.

3. Know any other languages?

Besides English . . . no. Does a handful of words I’ve made up for fantasy novels count?

4. What’s one thing you adore- but think you will be able to give up for the rest of your life?

Oi, this is a hard one! If I adore something, naturally I’ll want to keep it around for the rest of my life, or at least for a good long while! But . . . I suppose if forced, I could give up movies. Though I’d hate not getting the chance to see the rest of the Marvel movies. And the eventual new Narnia movie. And all the rewatches of LOTR and the Hobbit that I want to partake of. And every single Disney reboot they come up with. And all the funny, tragic, moving, suspenseful films I want to see. GAH, I CHANGE MY MIND. I couldn’t give up movies! How about chocolate? I’d miss it terribly, but I’d rather feed my mind and heart than my stomach.

5. What’s one thing you despise- but think you will be able to endure for the rest of your life?

Bureaucracy! Red tape! Political correctness! I hates, it precious! (I’m really a harsh little rebel somewhere deep inside, but I tend to keep that shady corner of myself hidden from the public eye.) But being as this is the world we live in, and this sort of nonsensical lack of common sense and justice is entrenched so deeply, I suppose I may have to endure my fair share of it. Though I would like to affect some changes during my lifetime. How, you ask? By burning it all down and starting a benevolent dictatorship on my own little island–ah, I kid. Mostly.

6. The doorbell rings. You answer it, and find the future you at the doorstep.  What do you do?

Invite her in for chai lattes and gingersnaps, knowing she simply can’t resist those, and ply her with questions. Most importantly, how did she get where she is today, is she happy there, and what’s one piece of advice she’d give her younger self (aka me).

7. Have you ever gotten lost, but enjoyed the experience?

I’ve probably gotten turned about in the woods someplace, but there’s always been trails around. Any other times I’ve gotten lost, it’s been driving around in the city, and I do not enjoy that.

8. Do you have any culinary quirks?

I am a messier baker than my mother. *wink* I can’t help but leave flour dust in my wake! And I don’t particularly enjoy handling raw meat, though I’ll do it.

9. Imagine that a theme song from a film or show played every time you entered a room. Which theme song would you want it to be?

Ohhhh, THIS is what you were referring to, Blue, when you mentioned this question was familiar! (On my brother’s blog, I believe?) Anyway, I’d probably pick something light and airy and vaguely epic, with Celtic undertones. Like THIS, perhaps? But if I’m being more accurate, it would probably be something quirky and strange, like Radagast’s theme music.

10. Where would you rather live? A houseboat, a mountain cabin, a farmhouse, or an apartment overlooking the whole city?

The mountain cabin, if you please! Although the farmhouse would be my second choice. I’m not fond enough of the rocking sensation of boats to live on one, and a city–though fun at times–makes my tree-loving soul feel cramped.

11. Where’s Waldo?

Good question. If you find him, you’ll make a killing, because I’m sure there are a good many people who are wondering the same thing.

***

Aaaand I would come up with a set of new questions and tag more people, but I’ve run out of time! Feel free to pick some of these questions to answer in the comments, though! I’ll see you in a short while, and I’ll probably come dump an overly long post full of Realm Makers stories. Until then, fare thee well!

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Two Year Blogoversary + Blogger Recognition Tag + Musings

Tracey Dyck 29 Comments

On March 31st, Adventure Awaits turned two! Being as all my energy was directed elsewhere last month, I had no time to prepare a blogoversary celebration quite like the first time. It was fun taking a survey and hosting a giveaway in 2016, and for a while I expected to do something similar this year, but alas and alack, dear questers–circumstances are different.

I do fully intend to come up with another giveaway sometime. I’m also getting the inklings of a plan for breathing fresh life into this blog come summer. But for now, we’ll have a quiet little party with as much chocolate cake and gingersnap cookies as you can imagine!*

*Because sadly, I have yet to figure out how to deliver sweets through the computer screen. So you’ll just have to pretend, okay?

[image via Pinterest, text my own]


The Itinerary of This Miniature Blogoversary:

  1. Blogger Recognition Tag
  2. Stats (because measuring growth is fun and motivating, yes?)
  3. Some musings about my blogging experience

1. Blogger Recognition Tag

See, I didn’t quite finish catching up on tags last month. Kate @ Story and Dark Chocolate gave me this Blogger Recognition Tag, which says:

  • Tell us a little about how you started blogging.
  • Give two pieces of advice for new bloggers.

How did I start this thing? Well, let’s see if my homework-muddled mind can think back to two years ago . . . Ah, yes, I remember. For some time already, I had wanted an online platform for my writing/a public place to put my thoughts out there. But I was taking my own sweet time fiddling with Blogger until Bryan Davis wanted to share my book review of To Kill a Mockingbird on his blog and asked if I had a website to link to. That provided the motivation to pull myself together and finally launch Adventure Awaits.

And that’s how it started.

It took me a while to find my groove, and to be honest, I’m still finding it. But now I can see more clearly how almost everything here centers around story somehow, whether it’s reading them, writing them, or living them. As time goes on, I hope to hone my focus even more.

If you want to read more trivia on the beginnings of the blog, check out my first blogoversary post.

Advice for new bloggers:

There’s the usual “be careful how much personal info you share,” and “be consistent,” but you can find those tips everywhere, so let’s talk about the fun stuff instead.

1. Be yourself! Yes, it’s cliché, but that’s because it’s true. Don’t bother copying another blogger’s voice or style, but don’t get too caught up in originality either. Just write the way YOU write (or the way you speak, if you want to be more casual). Figure out what feels natural to you, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Maybe you’re sarcastic or nonsensical or practical or poetic. Maybe you do lists. Maybe you tell stories. Maybe your posts are mainly photos with a handful of succinct thoughts thrown in. Maybe reading your blog feels like sitting down for a cup of coffee with a friend, or maybe it feels like a drive-through classroom where readers can learn something new during a five-minute break in their busy day. I don’t know! You get to figure it out!

2. Write about what’s on your heart. What do you ponder? What makes your pulse race and your chest tighten with anticipation? What makes you question? What makes you dream? What matters to you? You have something to offer. For me, I see life through the lens of story. It’s more than the books I read or the tales I type: it’s the adventure I’m living that’s headed toward a beautiful ending. So that’s what I blog about, because ultimately all those different kinds of stories, whether read or written or lived, all intersect. You get to blog about what matters to you. When you do that, you’ll write with passion, and you’ll attract people who care about that subject too.

This tag didn’t have any rules for how many new people to tag, which is fine because I’ve almost exhausted my list of available bloggers! If you feel like ruminating on the blogging life, feel free to steal it for yourself. 🙂

Stats & Things

78 followers across GFC and Bloglovin’–an increase of 40 since last year, hooray!
133 posts
2,938 comments (half of them are mine, LOL)
81,738 pageviews, over six times as many as last year (although I know I’ve been getting a lot of views from spammy URLS, so I’m not sure how much that actually counts)

Top ten countries from whence the pageviews came:
1. United States
2. Canada
3. Russia
4. France
5. United Kingdom
6. Germany
7. Ukraine
8. Australia
9. Brazil
10. Singapore

A collection of odd search results:
– wallpaper photos (I wonder which photos?)

– Tracey Dyck author (Yes! One day!)

– can I read eyes wide open without r . . . (Blogger cut off the sentence, but I’m assuming it would be “without reading [insert some other book in Ted Dekker’s Outlaw series])

– quest adventure awaits (I love the word quest. Also the word adventure.)

– tracy dyck hayd [insert swear word] (What?!)

– adventure awaits (That’s the expected search result, yes.)

– a girl walking alone in the road picture (I think I remember which post that was from . . .)

– pictures of people walking alone (See above.)

– tracy dyck accurate scale (Maybe learn how to spell my name accurately, hmm?)

– dekker “the creative way” writing course (Highly recommend!)

– Riley and Tracey Dyck [insert name of nearby town] (The fact that a local community name led to my blog is somewhat concerning. And who’s Riley?)

– bleck crying spm (Say what now?)

– the silmarillion 2016 (Ahh, that was a good ol’ time.)

– content (What do you mean? Being content? Offering good content? IS IT A NOUN OR AN ADJECTIVE? CONTEXT, PEOPLE.)

– tracy dyck Edmonton (I’ve never been there.)

– bryan davis dragons in our midst (You have great reading taste, my friend.)


Ten most popular posts:
Again, I’m really not sure how accurate this is with the amount of spammy views I’ve been getting, because these posts are pretty random.

1. Book Review: Five Enchanted Roses
2. Subplots and Storylines – October 2016
3. Subplots and Storylines – November 2016
4. Beautiful Books – Writing Goals
5. The Cage // a spooky story
6. A Glimmer of Hope (Happy Birthday, LOTR!)
7. Why Fiction Matters
8. The Silmarillion Awards 2016: Riddling and Poetry Nominations
9. Problematic Opportunities and Opportunistic Problems
10. First Lines (Part 1)

I’d say the blog has definitely grown since March 2016, but like I mentioned earlier, I want to freshen things up around here in the coming months. Make this place even more inviting for you dear questers! (And if any of you have tips for minimizing the annoying spammy stuff, please let me know.)

Musings on Blogging

I’ve been thinking about the nature of social media lately. It’s so incomplete. We read each other’s updates and blogs, see each other’s photos, and think everyone else has it all together. Even the ones who openly confess they’re falling apart seem to be doing so gracefully and oh-so-photogenically.

Subplots and Storylines goes up near the end of every month, and while I thoroughly enjoy reflecting on the happenings of my life and the ways I’m growing, even those journal-like entries feel incomplete. Not only that, but I seem to give the impression that I’m super productive, accomplishing all sorts of things in the midst of a busy life. Is that true? Yes. And also no.

For being an INFJ, I’m terrible at analyzing myself. I never know if I’m too harsh or too lax, and thus in this case, I’m not sure if I actually am as “superhuman” as I seem to portray, or if what I do is actually pretty average and summing it up in one breath just sounds cool.

This is in NO WAY a critique on any of you wonderful commenters who encourage me! I love you guys! I’m just saying the whole concept makes me think. It makes me wonder about the inaccuracy of our online facades.

That being said, the internet is not the place to dump every single detail of one’s life, whether it’s in the name of being genuine or not! Even if I did do that, the picture would still not be complete. I think even with the people we see face-to-face every day, our pictures of each other are incomplete, because in a sense only you know your life. (You and God, of course.)

So maybe the point is not to try to offer the complete picture on your blog or Instagram or Twitter or whatever.

Maybe the point is to offer a sliver of the picture as honestly as you can, in a way that helps and uplifts as many people as you can. And if we all approached our online lives this way–as millions of slivers intersecting and touching and twining around each other–we would do a better job of it.

Well.

That got all introspective and challenging, and not very party-like, but that’s how I think sometimes, y’all.

Now, just so you don’t think that I’ve fallen out of love with blogging, you must know that I am so grateful for this little adventuresome community! I love interacting with y’all and sharing stories both on the page and in real life. THANK YOU ALL for your kind and encouraging comments, your feedback, your readership, your presence here. I’m not throwing words into a void; I get the chance to sit around the bonfire with real people and exchange real stories. Real embers of hope. It’s your names, your faces, that make blogging worth it. I’m truly honored to have you here.

Here’s to another year of well-spun tales and adventures waiting around every corner! Huzzah! Now pass around those leftover gingersnaps, why don’t you?

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