/End NaBloPoMo.

And NaBloPoMo is over.

Let's all exhale.

(And while I'm exhaling, I might just start reading blogs again. Thanksgiving break coincided with NaBloPoMo to leave me with over 600 unread items in my Google Reader. I should post a little less and read a little more. Look sharp, old blog posts.)

And now! The winner of my giveaway was Kate P! Congrats, Kate! Just email your address to ashleymarie6(at)gmail(dot)com.

I'll answer her question first: What is one thing you've always wanted that you would never buy for yourself?

I'm not afraid to want many things. Currently? Adobe CS4, a new PowerBook, a Canon Rebel, and half a dozen design books.

I cannot justify spending all that money, so I will continue to pine away for these things. Le sigh. Maybe next year, when I start to take more design classes (squee!).

And now, I'll answer one more question.

Auburn Kat asks: Why did you start blogging? What is your favorite part about blogging?

In January of 2005, I started a blog to keep in touch with my friends while I went to Hawaii to study for a semester (and play on the beach and work at Coldstone and meet random homeless men. It was the best decision in my whole life, possibly. Other than marrying Mike, of course. Heehee.)

I blogged there very sporadically for a year or two, until I discovered the World of Blogging. It all happened one afternoon my senior year of college when I was trying to find the lyrics to a song. I stumbled across Arwen's blog and I was hooked. What a fascinating idea! People sharing their thoughts, struggles, and triumphs with others through writing. My roommate and I were quickly hooked on reading blogs, despite our friends' taunting . "You don't understand!" we insisted. My roommate even text messaged me when Arwen had her baby. :) No one else understood how we could care about "strangers."

Eventually, I started blogging again. I started reading more blogs and commenting on them. And so it began.

Mike never really understood why I would want to share my "feelings with the whole wide world," so I stopped. And I missed writing. I missed reading. I missed blogging. Shortly after we got married, he had to idea to launch a blog dedicated to personal actions related to the environment and sustainability. I jumped at the chance to blog again, I really missed the satisfaction, almost relief, that comes with expressing myself through words. It morphed from a strictly environmental focus to a somewhat environmental-with-lots-of-randomness-and-self-exploration-thrown-in focus. And that's where are now. And I still love it. (And Mike still teases me about my "online friends".)

My favorite part about blogging is writing and people. I adore writing and being able to put my thoughts into words and my words into coherent posts. It's what I've always loved about journaling. And the friendship and feedback from others is an amazing benefit that I never expected.

I've gotten things in the mail, sent goodies, and made friends with wonderful people I'd never get to interact with otherwise. The beautiful thing about blogging is that we can express ourselves honestly and openly. I could go on gushing about what I love about blogging, but basically, it's YOU.

Seriously.

How's that for a corny answer?

Look out for more answers soon! (And I'd love to hear your answers to these questions as well.)