the blog has a birthday

like the doting e-parent that i am, i am pleased to announce that a blog for frances is now a precocious one-year-old. next up, potty training!

seriously though.

this milestone was actually passed back in november, but i put off mentioning it because i wasn't exactly sure how to mark the occassion. a cake? a party? gifts all around? i think you can see the dilemma. so, i decided to go with that old stand-by, introspection.

here is what i have to say about this whole blogging business.

i started the blog because i was going to india and i was pretty sure it was going to be fabulous and i wanted everyone else to enjoy it along with me. beyond that, i wasn't really sure what was going to happen in my internet life, and i had no expectations about how the blog would work out or how long it would last.

i don't mean to sound like angelina jolie here, complaining about the guilded cage of fame, but frankly, the world of blogging is sort of a mixed bag. there is pressure to be funny, interesting and to take at least some photos without a double chin. there is worry about whether anyone is reading anyway, and if they even care that i lost the office belching contest. and sometimes i think it would be easier to just give the whole thing up.

but, every time i get anxiety about the blog, i try to remember why i started it in the first place. or, maybe more accurately, why i keep doing it. the fact of the matter is, i think most of my life is actually pretty fabulous, and i want everyone else to enjoy it along with me. i think it's valuable to have a record of one's life, of the goings-on both big and small, and since i gave up on keeping a journal ages ago, this is my best shot. and, though it can be scary to put yourself out into the web of the world wide, and though not every single thing i think and feel appears here, i really relish the chance to reflect, process and share the people, places and things that are important to me. (and that includes you!)

so, to celebrate one year of blogging bliss, i have decided to delve into the archives and choose some of my favorite moments in a blog for frances history. (another favorite thing about blogging: license for complete self-indulgence. don't like it? stop reading.)

1. the purpose of the blog is manifest. and a miracle is witnessed.
2. frances rides an elephant, advances cultural understanding and sees the taj mahal.
3. another new york adventure, there and back.
4. frances cake is born. and francey-pants is celebrated.
5. frances meets captain adama.
6. one word: hardcore.
7. frances survives zion.
8. frances takes stock of her life. and it looks pretty good. (whew.)
9. frances jumps out of an airplane.
10. frances becomes a groupie (and survives internet censorship), rides in a helicopter and makes an important step on the road to celebrity. but no making out with the killers. sigh.
11. history is made.
12. frances learns a little about love. and falls in love.

there now. wasn't that fun? and don't worry, you can get in on the self-indulgence game, too! by which i mean, indulge me! and celebrate by sharing your own favorite a blog for frances moments. it is my (blog's) birthday, after all.