…for a very important date!
In March of 2007 when my brother told me he was going to start a blog for me I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the technology. He convinced me everything would be ok. We were at Greg’s brother’s home in Anaheim Hills, California. We started brain storming about what I should name it. We came up with a few fun names but the way I came up with my keeper is…
a. I’m generally a very happy person.
b. I’m also someone who wonders about a lot of things and have a deep need to know.
So as we were discussing point a and b my husband came up with The Happy Wonderer.
As far as the purpose of my blog I chose “to Honor and Encourage”. I’m an encourager to people around me and I wanted that reflected in the relationships I’d develop on my blog. It is very important to me to Honor Jesus Christ who is my LORD. I want my words and posts to be things that will encourage people and be something that won’t reflect poorly on my relationship with Jesus.
My blog was born on March 3, 2007 which means I’m a little late in celebrating my 17th Bloggy Anniversary!
I’ve had a few headers over the course of the 17 years.
Conwy Castle from our trip to Wales, Scotland and England in 2006 was one of my first headers. Greg took that photo.
I had a different view of this table from our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Tea to celebrate our second cookbook as my header for a few years.
My current header is just a stock header that I find easy to look at.
I used Photobucket for several years to store and post my photos to my blog and sadly they stopped being a free service and hijacked my photos. They will let me have them again if I’m willing to pay but it is more than I want to pay. That was very disappointing to me. I have a lot of clean-up to do on my older posts.
I did have some technical challenges off and on with my blog and my brother Steve was my go to person who could fix things for me at the beginning.
I’m not participating in many blog carnivals anymore. They were very helpful at the beginning to get connected with others in the blogging community. Blue Monday, Tablescape Thursday, Photo Hunters, Friday Feast, Mosaic Monday, ABC Wednesday, WFMW, Show and Tell, Thankful Thursday, Friday’s Fave Five, Sky Watch, Recipe Round-Up, Ruby Tuesday, Before and After, Wordless Wednesday, and many more were fun to join.
These days I’m participating in Hodgepodge Wednesday. On Thursdays I have my Truth for Today Bible Verse posts. Sundays are my Hymn days. The rest of the days are for what’s happening with family, our country bungalow, weather, travels and other events.
A big thanks to my brother Steve for nudging me into this fun activity that has opened up so much more of the world to me. Blogging has also improved my photography and given me ‘eyes to see’.
Lovella’s Blog is what connected me to my Mennonite Girls and my life is better because of my relationship with these ladies.
I’m grateful for the many friendships that have developed over the years with fellow bloggers. I met my walking buddy, Willow, in Camarillo through our blogs. I’ve been able to meet up with other bloggers from California, Kansas, Canada, Utah and Washington.
Thank you for visiting my blog and for the comments you leave. I have one survey question for fellow bloggers and those of you who leave comments. Do you prefer a reply to any comments even if it isn’t a question that you leave on a blog or would you rather someone visits your blog in return and reads and comments on your posts? Hope that question makes sense.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Hello Ellen,
Happy Blog Anniversary. I enjoy visiting your blog, keep the post coming.
Take care, have a great day!
So many of us started our blogs in 2007. What a lot of writing we have all done! Keep wondering!
…I just that I’m a newbie, congrats!
I will always be grateful for our blogs because that is how I met you in person. That ‘a-ha’ moment when I yelled to myself, ‘Hey, I know that park in Ellen’s photo’!
In answer to your question, I will say that I enjoy reading all the responses on my blog and others’. My only issue is that my blog doesn’t have a way to inform me about the comments.
And congratulations on your blog-versary! Willow
You were my first real blogger meet up and it’s funny to think back at how scary and fun it was all mixed together to get out of the car and find you in the coffee shop. What a blessing it was to walk and talk and grow together in friendship.
And realize how much we had in common.
I enjoyed your post and finding out about how and when you started posting. I started about a year and a half after you (September13, 2008). I suppose I like someone visiting back and commenting. If I’ve asked a question, I do enjoy an answer and that can be on my blog or an email.
Thank you for answering the question, Cathy.
Congratulations on your blog anniversary – wowza!!!
Thank you, Mary! It was a little shocking to see that number. 🙂
So nice to read the history of your blog.
I’d rather have people return to my blog to read and comment on it. No need to reply to every comment but nice when questions are answered.
Happy Blog Anniversary, Ellen!
I also began blogging in 2007, but at the end of the year. It has been a fulfilling adventure. I tease my friends who like to do Wordle or crossword puzzles by telling them that blogging is my form of “mental exercise” to keep dementia at bay.
I volunteer many hours in the week at our community historical society as we have a big project going on, so my blogging time has been limited lately, but it’s still enjoyable,
I don’t feel a reply to a blog comment is always required or needed, only if someone asks a question. I read every comment as I use comment moderation these days and don’t receive them in e-mail. so sometimes a reply in e-mail can be unavailable if I don’t know someone’s e-mail address, therefore I will answer those questions in a blog comment.
geminipvb, Could you leave your blog address here sometime so I know where to visit your blog, please? I so agree about your about the good mental exercise that blogging affords. Thank you for your visits and comments. Hope your project goes well!
Well, Happy 17th Blogging Anniversary, my friend! I know I have certainly enjoyed getting to know you through your faithfulness to blog. I’ve enjoyed getting to “meet” and “know” your family through posts you share regarding them. Your love for Jesus is certainly a blessing to my heart.
As for your question…Either way works for me. I enjoy the visits and commenting because, for me, it gives a sense of community. In the day in which we live, it’s wonderful having like-minded people to share life with.
Dianna, I so appreciate and am grateful for the community of bloggers. Thank you for your encouragement to me.
Hi Ellen, Happy Blogaversary! I started blogging in 2002 at my website. I still have the site, but started blogging with Blogger in 2020 because people did not understand inline frames. I had to use HTML for my pages and so I could do a lot of pages with layered backgrounds and moving graphics and so on. I have over 300 pages there. I live in the city next to Anaheim Hills. Willow is a former CA girl. Did you live here at one time? How nice that you could meet. I have met a few women I have met through different groups online. Enjoy the rest of your week!
hi Susan, Willow and I lived in Camarillo when we met. I grew up in Montebello, lived in LA Mirada, Huntington Beach and Ventura b4 moving to Washington state. My husband’s brother’s family lived in Anaheim Hills. We have family and friends living in Southern California still. After living in Washington state for many years My husband worked in Thousand Oaks for four years and that is where I started blogging and met Willow. We now live in North Eastern Washington state.
Hi Ellen, I like to go to Huntington Beach. I know all the cities you mentioned. I have been to Oregon a few times and only Seattle Washington. Thanks for getting back to me!