New Links. . .

I'm kind of a blog-hopper. I'm not even sure if that's a word, but it's what I do sometimes. Like tonight. Kevin's out of town and Emma's in bed. I don't need to do laundry or clean my house because someone else does that for me. (Yes, I'm spoiled here.) I've already showered, responded to quite a few emails, read a little, checked for lizards and cockroaches, and locked all the doors. I'm ready for bed. Except that it's only 9pm. I don't really want to go to bed yet. Instead of wasting time on Facebook ('cause I kind of feel like it's a waste of my time now), I'm choosing to blog-hop. I really enjoy reading what other people have to write and I love critiquing and learning from other photographers. Yesterday I added a few more links to My Favorites (over there to the right). So I thought I'd explain a few of the new ones, and possibly a few of the old. Yes, I have better things to do.
Resolved2Worship is a blog I've been following for a long time now. My friend recommended it on her blog one time and I've been hooked ever since. This woman is an amazing photographer and she has 7, yes seven!!, beautiful kids to photograph. Oh, and she's only 32. I don't know her whole story, but I like how she writes. She's intriguing and inspiring. I really like how she writes about her husband; she honors and respects him with her words and that's not very common to hear these days. Did I mention her children are beautiful? She's very talented, but very real. I kind of think we could be friends. No, I'm not a psychotic blog-follower. I'll never contact her and ask to be friends with her. 'Cause that would just be weird. However, I'm inspired by her faith and her honesty and her photography. So I hop over to visit her sometimes.
The Bruns family happen to have the only other American child in this crazy, foreign little town. Oh, I happened to witness the birth of their firstborn child just a few weeks ago. We're kind of in this ex-pat thing together and it's been fun to get to know them, along with my running friend, Mollie. She's been like an aunt to Emma and keeps me bustin' my butt through running, walking, exercise videos, and clean eating. She also acts as my therapist when I've had a really bad day. Jen is another friend who used to live in Horizontina. Her blog, Where the Tall Corn Grows, is private, so you can't be a weird blog-stalker with her, but she's awesome. Wish you could know her.
Then there's the Pioneer Woman. I guess she's famous. I didn't know it until recently. One night, when Kevin was traveling and I was blog-hopping, I came across her site. I'm always up for a good story, so I clicked on the link that led me to her account of how her husband romanced her. Her writing style is funny to me. She reminds me of some of my sisters with her choice of words. I laugh, thinking, "That's something I (or one of my sisters) would have said." (Except I'm not famous so I don't write some of those things!) She has some great tips on photography, some incredible (and easy) recipes to try, funny little stories and a great sense of humor. However, what drew me to her and why I continue to enjoy reading her posts is that she's in love with her husband. I love listening to women write encouraging words about the men in their lives. I'm sure her husband isn't perfect, but I wouldn't know that by the way she writes about him. Anyway, that's encouraging to me. They've been married for quite a few years now. Kevin and I have only been married for 7. When I see (or perceive) happiness in an older (not old, just older) married couple, it inspires me to make the most of what we have. I try to be more creative, more encouraging, more honest, more respectful, more loving. I've been blog-hopping a lot more over the last year and I think part of that is because my social interaction has drastically decreased. We don't spend a lot of time with other married couples and if we do, there's quite a cultural barrier to muddle through. Kevin's on the road more than he's ever been before and I have more time alone in the evenings once Emma's in bed. So, some of those blogs, along with quite a few of my other favorites (already listed), have been like mentors to me this year. I'm thankful for them. I don't feel so alone on nights like tonight.
Oh, and if you're in the mood to blog-hop, I have some pretty neat friends whose names are off to the right under Some of our Favorites. They have some pretty cool friends whose blogs you can hop to from hopping from mine. (As if you don't have better things to do!) Happy blog-hopping:)