Category: Community

Note: This post isn’t directed at anyone, outside of the Top Commentators section which was added this morning, this was a scheduled post that I’d written several weeks ago. These are just some random observations, from someone that hasn’t done too much personal blogging in over a year.

Adding a blogroll to my main page, is a good indication that I’m happy with my virtual home, and I intend to hang out at that virtual spot for quite a while.

Around a year ago, when I created Celebrate Life, I didn’t have a blogroll on my main page. Sure, I had a links page that has a variety of links that covers numerous topics, but although I recognized several within my blog posts, none of them ever made it to my main page.  That was because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with this website.

I’m happy to say that I’ve stopped dragging my virtual feet, and have added small blogroll to my main page. Not all of the bloggers update their site on a weekly or monthly basis, however, I’ve found them to be friendly folks, and I’m always been inspired by what they do.

I’ve been making money online for several years now, and a big part of how I make money is through some of my sites. While those sites might be a bit more structured to get Google’s blessings, in the past my personal blogs, like Vegan Momma, did fairly well too. making hundreds monthly. That wasn’t bad for a personal blog. I have no plans on monetizing this site for some time, however when I do it won’t be tastefully done.

Since I enjoy giving back to my visitors, I’ve also included a Top commentators widget on the right hand side of this blog. The top weekly commentators get a link bank to their site. At the moment, that’s not too spectacular since I’m still recreating this site, but in time I’m hoping it sends traffic to my online pals. Currently, the widget is set to rotate on a weekly basis. I’ve set it for the top ten commentators. I recently started becoming active with this site, so my traffic is still small. Therefore, I could get away with setting the widget to a monthly basis.

Dofollow is included on this site, along with my others. I don’t require you to comment X amount of time before your links are followed. I’ve always thought to be a bit silly. I feel the same way about way regarding some  of the CommentLuv features, where some bloggers force me to promote their post in order to link to anything besides my current post. You’ve got to be kidding me? I won’t be doing that here, I never liked forcing my readers to promote my sites. If you like what you’ve read, definitely promote my work through Twitter, Google +, Facebook, etc., but I won’t force you to do that. With my business, and personal blogs I still was able to promote my work without dangling a carrot.

Although it’s been a while since I’ve done any personal blogging, I believe I’ll be able to accomplish that on this site too. Sure, I’ll eventually purchase CommentLuv premium. It’s a great addon, but you won’t have to worry about the dangling carrot to link to another one of your posts. It doesn’t bother me if you link to a business site either, as long your comment isn’t spam. Regarding spam, I get hundreds of those daily. You’ll never see them on my site, since those comments get tossed into my virtual trash.

Of course it’s not always necessary to leave a comment for every person, or every post. However, it’s always nice to see a blogger interacting with their visitors, by dropping by their comment section and leaving a response to questions asked. For a person just popping by their site, it always gave the impression that they weren’t even reading their comments, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be adding a few other WordPress Plugins to recognize those who leave comments, so please stop by again and join in on the conversation.

Finlindia is one of my favorite pieces by Jean Sibelius. Recently I stumbled upon music from Finlindia on Youtube. As a child, I’d played some of his pieces on the piano.

Did you know that this particular piece became a popular hymn? Be Still My Soul was written by Katharine von Schlegel. According to the scant information I learned about her, she was Lutheran.

This particular song was said to be the favorite of the 1924 Olympic runner, Eric Liddel. What made him famous was his refusal too run on the Sabbath. The movie, Chariots of Fire, was made about this.  When he was older he became a missionary to China. He was imprisoned, during World War II, and it’s said that he taught this song to others while in the prison camp. He never made it out alive. He died from a brain tumor.

Lyrics: Be Still My Soul

Although life has been extremely busy, I’m still taking time to ‘smell the roses’. I imagine (at times) it’s something many of us might forget to do at times. I know it’s happened to me repeatedly. I’m happy with the new clients I’ve acquired. These days it seems as if I’m writing my fingers to the bone. I cannot complain, since it’s something I enjoy doing immensely. Fortunately I have some great editors that have given me some amazing feedback on my writings.

Although life has been extremely busy, I’m still taking time to ‘smell the roses’. I imagine (at times) it’s something many of us might forget to do at times. I know it’s happened to me repeatedly. I’m happy with the new clients I’ve acquired. These days it seems as if I’m writing my fingers to the bone. I cannot complain, since it’s something I enjoy doing immensely.

Fortunately, I have some great editors that have given me some amazing feedback on my writings. Fitness, nutrition, and alternative therapy are topics I write about a lot. That comes as no surprise to those that know me, since it’s incorporated into my daily lifestyle.

In other news…

My workouts have intensified. Spring is right around the corner, and I’ve tentatively put myself out there for some amateur Figure competitions. I’m stoked! I’m also looking to enter a few marathons, but that will be during the summer months. I run about 30 miles weekly. Not a lot compared to some of my buddies, but my goals are different from theirs.

Pirates of the Caribean Remix: Captain Sparrow

Here’s one of my favorite songs from Pirates of the Caribbean, naturally I purchased this on iTunes and uploaded to my iPod. Listen to the song, you might like it. 😉 Naturally, I included this song in my workout mix.

I’m hoping everyone is having a  fabulous Christmas. My daughter and I are spending quiet time at home. She got a Nintendo DSL Xi (25th anniversary Super Mario Bros. edition) for Christmas so she’s been happily playing with that. She even let me play Mario Kart for a few minutes.

Although things are still busy in our little world, I’ll be able to post a little more. I decided to post a video the show In Living Color. Although I haven’t seen this particular clip in a while it still makes me chuckle.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

ETA:

Many thanks to Evelyn of Become a Healthier You for letting me know the coding for the above video was broken.

This past Saturday I turned 40, it passed quietly since I don’t get into celebrations that much. I love doing things for others though. I would have escaped the bulk of well-wishes if I weren’t a member of Facebook, family, friends (past and present) and even two lovely ladies from the blogging community Megan and Kaozz popped by my page to wish me a Happy Birthday, thanks you two! It was nice receiving from people I’ve met throughout the years. A few days later, I was finally able to respond to the individual notes left on my page. In a few instances, the contact spurred an additional email or phone call to catch up with one another.

With friends like these…

My oldest friend, naturally gave me a supportive comment. Hey old bag, it’s all downhill from here. Ahh, the lady has jokes! I did point out to her that she’s an older bag than I, since she’s older than I by a few months. We haven’t seen each other in a while, but we’re planning to meet up within the next few months to hang out, reconnect, and move forward with our friendship.

Renewing my membership

Initially, I was going to purchase an iPad for my birthday instead I renewed my gym membership by an additional three years. My membership was coming up for renewal soon. Since my daughter has gone back to school, my workouts begin within hours after I drop her off in the morning. Initially, I’d make the mistake of coming home and completing a few client projects before beginning my workout. Of course, there were many times I didn’t get into the gym since I became wrapped up in my projects so I’d work out at home. Monday, I decided to do something different and go directly to the gym, after dropping her off at school. I get an amazing workout at home, but as a business owner who works at home I do enjoy getting out of the house too.

Just do It!

Physically going to the gym turns the “I need to get out of the house and do something!” into a reality. If you’ve worked from home, you might have had that feeling a few times also. My initial concern was establishing a set gym time might throw me off with my work, and although it’s still too early I am happy to say that I am able to complete my assignments even with two hours knocked out of my morning schedule. I’ve always worked better after a morning workout. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been physically active since I was a child. Making smart food choices, feeding my emotions with things that are nurturing, and staying physically healthy by incorporating exercise into my daily lifestyle had kept me fairly sane even when I’ve encountered major obstacles within my life.

It’s ok to do things for yourself…

This time of year is extremely hectic, however, I do realize that I still have to deal with the busy aspects of my life. It’s not going away, so I have to handle whatever challenges I might face. I’m doing that. Part of that means taking time for myself too. At times, I feel guilty doing things for me. I tend to put others first, and myself last. However, I realize I need to put myself in the equation too. Even though I work out at home, scheduling workout time at the gym (even though minor) is an excellent way to take care of me.

Caron Wheeler: Wonder