(New readers...do you have a buck for me? ->see sidebar)
If you're a regular you will get sick of seeing this so just learn to ignore it.

Alright, since Echo went and wrote this interesting post with lots of cute pix, it gave me blog envy. I have been wanting to post today, but really I don't want to write unless I have something interesting to say. I want this blog to be more than just a journal or diary and it's just not my thing to write a post that says "I really have nothing to say, everything here is boring and the same, whine whine blah blah." Not right now anyway. Perhaps one day I will run out of things to say and will post something that sounds like that. (By the way, when I do that, please cyberslap me, people.)

This all got me to thinkin' -why are the popular blogs popular? Okay, think of the most popular/well known blog that pops into your head. I'm thinking Dooce and ljc fyi. What is it about these two blogs, that are completely different yet successful, that makes them something people keep coming back to? Dooce- humorous stories, told with a smartalecky twist, but also you have the mushy love factor mixed in there, and you have a continuing story line- baby Leta. Ljcfyi - this is a cute blog, no obscenity, short funny entries, updated regularly, ongoing story lines with the pets, crafts, adventures w hubby. Her graphics are super adorable as well. And The Daily Echo - ongoing story, unique skins, humor, endearing little stories about the babies, pictures, more.

With all these blogs you have a feeling that you know these people even though maybe you only read them and never even comment. You have a specific idea of where they live, what the inside of their houses look like, it's like dude- you're there.

So what is my point here? I am not saying my goal is to become a "big name" blog like these so don't be like "you're a cheesy wannabe cool blogger." But I do think that the readers who come here regularly have just a little glimpse into my life. I want the people who do come here to find something that makes them want to return. Corny? Maybe. Truthful? Definitely. Here's my deal. Right now I am not comfortable stating exactly where I live so that's out of the question. And I won't say anything specific about my job because it's a professional position and I respect my employers. So those are my only limitations. Everything else is fair game. Some people reading this are family and friends who know me personally, or not so personally. Some people only know what I have written on this blog. Some are in between.

So what do you want to know about me, my kids, my house, my car, my life specifically? Don't be afraid to ask me anything. If I'm not comfortable telling you, I'll say so. Come on people, lurking readers, you can even do it anonymously if you want to. Once I get questions, I will start posting the answers and pictures to go with them if you want.

On that note I decided I will start taking pictures regularly around here in Monkeyville so you can have glimpses into my everyday life, what I see, what I do, the people I meet. Thus the pictures below of our excursion this afternoon to the local coffeeshop. After we stopped there, I went to the drugstore to pick up some prints I had ordered from Ofoto. They give you like 10 prints free when you join and you have to use em or lose em. You can get them mailed to you or pick them up locally. Cool.

By the way, Monkeyville is:
North of Florida
South of Maine
East of the Mississippi River
A rural area, but within driving distance(1-2 hours) to urban areas.
A place where your kids can play outside and ride their bike on Main Street.
A place where, corny as it may sound, a man's handshake is still as good as his signature.
A place where you may have to slow down to pass a tractor on a narrow backroad, or wait for a neighborhood dog to trot across the street.
A place where there are never any traffic jams.
A place where everybody waves to everybody when they pass on the road, whether they know them personally or not. (this freaked out my husband when we first moved back here bc he grew up in the city)
All this sounds too good to be true, but it really is.