A Look Back on the First Year

Today is the one year anniversary of A Midwestern Girl (in Cowboy Country). In honor of this special day, which I consider not just the anniversary of this blog but also the anniversary of my decision to start tiptoeing toward a longtime dream of mine, I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane. (I "borrowed" this idea from a fellow Wisconsinite-turned-Texan blogger - thanks, Jacoba!)

Here are this year's most viewed Midwestern Girl posts:

10. Tradition: Let's Get Our Yell On!: 86 views

9. Dabbling in Photography: 95 views

8. An Up-and-Coming Country Superstar: 106 views

7. Texas in the Spring: 114 views

6. Houston, We Have a Purple: 115 views

5. Times Are Changing: 121 views

4. The Birds: 154 views

3. Tradition: Reveille: 208 views

2. The Piston Cup, or Not: 312 views

1. No Bully Tour: 1,186 views

I'm not at all surprised that the No Bully Tour was my most-viewed post, as it's about a concert tour that is likely Googled by tweens, teens, and young adults on a regular basis.  I am surprised, however, at the popularity of posts like Houston, We Have a Purple, which is about purple nail polish.  Unpredictable, these interwebs...

If you like what you read here, please consider "following" my blog (click on "Join This Site" on the righthand side of the page under "Followers") or sharing your favorite posts in one way or another. Thank you so very much for reading - you have no idea how much your support means to me!

100 Down...

Moving to Texas was a shock to my system. New city, new house, new family schedules, no job outside the home. I was busy (taking care of the kids, unpacking into our rental house, searching for a more permanent house, etc.), but I needed more structure and direction.

I found both when I started writing Midwestern Girl. It didn't matter if anyone ever read what I wrote (though I've now discovered that the whole process is a lot more fun when people DO read and follow and occasionally comment on what I write); documenting our family's experiences, on both Wiggles and Midwestern Girl, made me feel like I was contributing - in a small way - to the success and strength of relationships within our immediate and extended families.

I figured I'd give it a few months, then reassess to decide if blogging was really a worthwhile way to spend my time. Now, today, after 100 Midwestern Girl posts and a brief reassessment, I've decided I'm in.

Let's be honest - I'm not making any money. And that's alright, because I'm not blogging to make money. But because I'm not making any money, the benefits associated with blogging need to be pretty significant in order for me to justify spending 7-10 hours a week on writing and photographing for Wiggles, Midwestern Girl, and the Red Cross. Luckily for me, the benefits rock.

Blogging connects me to family members, friends, and networks of women, mothers, writers, and now Red Crossers in ways I could never have imagined. We live thousands of miles away from nearly all of our family members and close friends, and blogging allows me to share our children and experiences with those we love. Additionally I've found information, guidance, reassurance, and support through the blogs of other women, mothers, and writers who are working and/or playing in this crazy world of internet connectivity.

Blogging creates a beautiful - even when it's not - chronological picture of our lives.

- (IMO) Blogging tells a more accurate and truthful story than journaling, at least in my case. While I enjoy reading my journal entries from high school and college, the pictures these entries paint in my memory are never complete. I journaled frequently when I was in angry or sad (break-ups, friend troubles, family crises) but very little when life was good, so a quick skim through one of my journals reminds me only of the heartache - and not the joy - I experienced during a particular time period.

- (IMO) Blogging tells a more accurate and truthful story than baby books and scrapbooking. Both highlight only the cheerful moments and milestones reached, and are the opposite of journals (or at least my journals) which highlight the rocky roads traveled. I'm not all that interested in the "sugar-coated" version of life, and when my kids and I look back on their youth, I want the words they read, pictures they see, and videos they watch to be representative of their entire lives, not JUST the parts that were all sunshine and roses. Will should understand how difficult it was for him to join his first soccer team, and appreciate how terribly hard he had to work to learn how to swim. Hallie should read about how she used to destroy everything under the sun and know how we ALL struggled when she said goodbye to her sucker. Childhood can be joyful without being perfect, and I want to chronicle this beautiful and messy ride just as it played out.

Blogging adds depth to my days. I now look at and absorb my day-to-day experiences differently than I've done in the past, knowing that every encounter, conversation, and outing could turn into something more. My eyes and ears are more open to and appreciative of the world around me.

Blogging is a step - a small step, but a step none-the-less - in a new direction for me. For eight years I dedicated myself (professionally and in some ways personally as well) to the Red Cross. And while I'm still incredibly committed to the organization and its mission, as evidenced by my new partnership with the National American Red Cross blog, I know and have accepted that I will very likely never find what I had at the Ann Arbor Red Cross here in College Station. I'm not yet ready to define this new direction, but I am willing to say that writing here and for the Red Cross are baby steps down the path.

So like I said, the benefits rock and I'm in. For 100 more, 200 more, wherever this thing takes me. Thanks for reading, for following if you feel so inclined, and for your support.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I'm changing things up a little here at Midwestern Girl. Because of my new writing opportunity and a few other less important and interesting reasons, I'm going to transition from writing here on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to writing here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

In case you want to keep up with my other projects, I'll be writing at Wiggles (my family/kids blog) on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at the Red Cross blog early in the week. (I can't give you an exact day of the week for that one, because regardless of when I submit my posts for review it's up to the social media team at National when they're actually posted.) I hope you'll join me, and spread the word!

I'm Back! And I'm Moving This Week.

Hey strangers!

As you may have guessed, Tom, Will, Hallie, and I were out of town last week. We were visiting family in a remote area of Northern Wisconsin (stay tuned for a post or two about our vacation adventures) with VERY limited internet access, which meant I wasn't able to blog as often as I would have liked.

We're home again though (we finally crawled into our own beds at 3:45 AM this morning), and I plan to jump right back in to my regular blogging schedule starting tomorrow. I should mention, however, that our family is moving this week - and Tom's entire department at TAMU is moving this week - so there's a chance my home internet may cut out for a day or two as our cable/internet company transfers our service from our old house to our new house. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a smooth transition, but am asking for your forgiveness in advance should there be bumps in the road.

Here's to a busy but exciting week!

Change of Plans

Next week, because of internet access challenges, my blog posts won't follow the usual Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday schedule. While I still plan write and post pictures for all you fabulous followers, my posts will be up whenever I find myself with access to my computer, an electrical outlet (my computer battery is toast, and only lasts for about 10 minutes if not plugged in), and the internet all at the same time. I hope to talk to you (write/post pictures for you) soon!

The Plan

As you may know, I took over writing the blog my husband started for our kids in January. Since then I’ve posted on Will and Hallie’s page (“Wiggles”) nearly every weekday, and I’ve found this schedule suits me as I seem to have exactly enough time, energy, and ideas for once-a-day posting. I’m fairly certain that if I tried to post more than five times a week I’d quickly be overwhelmed, and if I posted fewer than five times a week I’d drift away and soon find I’d forgotten all about keeping track of our lives.

Now that I’m writing two blogs, I’m still going to post five (or six) times a week but I’ll split my time between Midwestern Girl and Wiggles. I’ll be here on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; and over at Wiggles on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

I’d love it if you’d join me, or, as they say here in Texas (I heard these exact words last week) – Y’all come back now, y’hear?!

Also, a big thank you to Ferris Creative Media for their help setting up this blog. Visit their website and Facebook page to learn more about the logo creation, design, editing, proofreading, and website development services they provide. Tell 'em the Midwestern Girl sent you!

Howdy!

Howdy! My name is Erin, and I’m currently a 32-year-old stay-at-home wife and mother living in College Station, Texas. I haven’t always been a stay-at-home wife and mother though, and I haven’t always been a resident of the great state of Texas.

I was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. My parents, who recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, still live and work in this great city. I have one younger sister, who growing up was both my best friend and greatest adversary, depending on the day/hour/minute. We had two cats, Pearl (who, poor thing, was neither female or white) and Jingle Bells, who didn’t care much for us because we dressed them in doll clothes. We went to public school, took piano lessons, played soccer (my dad was our coach), competed on our pool’s summer swim team, and participated in Girl Scouts (my mom was our troop leader). We had love, guidance, structure, discipline, all we needed, and enough of what we wanted. You might consider my childhood an idyllic one, and though I wouldn’t have agreed with you during my teenage years, you would be right.

I went to college at the University of Iowa and graduated in 2002 with a BA in sociology. (In case you’re wondering, an undergraduate degree in sociology prepares you for nothing, except maybe working towards a master’s degree in sociology.) A family friend once told me I’d better enjoy my college years, as they were the “good old days” I’d remember in the years ahead. He was right. Those five years in Iowa City (yes, it took me five years to graduate – thanks, Mom and Dad) allowed me – an uncertain, brace-faced, and spectacled high-schooler – to reinvent myself and become who I wanted and was meant to be.

I met my husband, Tom, while we were students at the University of Iowa, so though neither of us were born or raised in Iowa and we don’t live there now, we both consider Iowa City to be a home of sorts. We dream of someday moving back, not so much to relive our college days (reliving my college days as a 32-year-old might kill me), but to raise our children in and give back to the community that helped us begin our careers, find each other, and become a family in the first place.

After graduation I worked in fundraising and special event for the American Red Cross in Cedar Rapids, IA. Eventually Tom’s desire to pursue a master’s degree and PhD in industrial engineering took us to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where for six years I worked for the Red Cross in volunteer management/administration and youth programming. I LOVE the Red Cross. The mission of the organization – to provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies – speaks to my heart and soul.

Six years and two kids (Will is four and a half and Hallie just turned two) later Tom finally graduated from the University of Michigan with his PhD and accepted a faculty position at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. We left our families, friends, my job at the Red Cross, and the only home our children had ever known to head south to Texas.

So here I am now, trying to figure out what I’m doing and where I’m going (you know, besides taking care of my family and our household and driving to and from preschool, the grocery store, Target, and the gym). I’m not a writer by trade, but I like to write. I’m not a photographer by trade, but I like to take pictures. I’m not a Texan by birth, but I’d like to learn what it means to be one, as long as I can do so without forgetting my Midwestern roots.