Fun Monday: The Anniversary Edition

For the first anniversary of Fun Monday, one of its co-creators, Vicki has kindly agreed to host the festivities.

The assignment is two-fold:

For those of you who did NOT post a picture of your view from your front door, then your assignment is to post a view from your front door. To do this you stand in your doorway looking outside and take a picture. That simple. We (I) want to see what you see when you look out your front door.

For those of you who DID post your view, link back to that post you posted a year ago, and then re-list your very first post ever. We want to see how far you've come baby! Also, if you can, post the comments you received on that post.

For part one, I'm going to cheat. Because of technical issues, I don't have a means for taking a picture out of my front door. However, thanks to Hootin' Annie's Fun Monday, I have a picture that is close. This is the view from about twelve feet to the right of my front door.

Now, for the second part, I am interpreting this as a request to re-post our first ever blog post, so we can reflect on how far we've come. I started blogging almost exactly three years ago. When I started, I lived in Wheaton, Illinois and was self-employed. I had no idea that just three weeks later, I would make the fateful suggestion that would change our lives.

My first post, written on Friday, January 28, 2005 was short and self-conscious:

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A Blog Is Born

OK, first of all, I hate that word - blog. It sounds like something you should only ever do in private. But, since my dad (http://careerguy.blogspot.com) just started one this week, I feel the pressure to start one. (Yes, if my dad jumped off a bridge, I probably would too.)

Do you think people make snap judgements about blogs the way they do when they meet someone in person? If I were meeting my blog, I'd guess the author was a runner, with a lot of energy, who likes things simple and straightforward. If I guessed that, I would be right. If you met me in person, you'd think I was a low-maintenance, incredibly quiet, average sort of person. You'd be right, except for the quiet part. I'm only quiet around strangers. Once I get comfortable with you, watch out.

My plan for this blog (ugh - have to think of different word) is to detail my marathon training and my other activities, particularly in the writing world. I'm a freelance writer, I'm trying to launch my own company, I'm looking for a publisher for my first book, and I'm writing my second book. And since all of those activities, enjoyable though they are, currently pay practically nothing, I'm looking for a part-time job.

Will I find time for all that? Will a publisher ever fall in love with my book? Will my second book get written? Will I FINALLY break 5 hours in the marathon? Stay tuned to find out.
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The only commenter was my dad:
Yay! Very well done. I loved your introduction--much better than mine. I am still looking for my voice, I guess. Love, dadeye

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That time and place seems so long ago and far away, it's almost like reading about someone else's life. My template was different, of course, one of the plain start-up ones. And I had a pretentious title instead of just the simple title.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm still trying to break five hours in the marathon and find a publisher for my book(s).

Be sure to check out all the other Fun Monday participants.