Post, Comment & Friend #1 - First Things First

Hello to y'all on this Tuesday morning! Like I've said before, Tuesday's are always fun for me here in blog-land, because Tuesday's always mean the First Things First link up! This is actually our 11th week of this link up, and the third week of awesome co-hosts. And of course today's co-host's are no exception. Today's co-hosts are Jenna @ Life is Sweet and Kristyn @ Carolina Fireflies! I feel special connections with these two, because Jenna lives not too far from me here in Florida, and Kristyn attended FSU and is a Florida State Seminole's fan like myself!

And our first topics for today are all blog-related:

First ever blog post

First ever blog comment

First ever blog-friend or friends

First ever blog post:
I first started "blogging" in college, when I had to write a couple blogs as part of class assignments. (My degree is in communication.) So I actually had three other blogs before I started this one. ("Serving in Love" - about doing mission work and serving others; "Song & Verse Connections" - trying to find deeper meanings in 'secular' songs; and "My Digital Imagination" - was for my photojournalism class. I still add pictures to this one very rarely.)

Anyways, I knew about blogging and how to blog, but didn't have one of my own. Some of my friends from college did though, and I loved them. Then while on an amazing 10-day road trip with some of my bestest girlfriends, they convinced me that I really could and should start a blog. So the day after we got back, and went on to Blogger, and created yet another blog - but this time it was personal. (That sounded like I was talking about a threat or something...) My first post was just something short and sweet, stating that I was (obviously) starting a blog. To me, I can't decide whether that post makes me sound really dumb/silly or whether I still sound exactly the same...? Real exciting stuff nonetheless. At least I've gotten better since then, right?

However, it did make me realize that I've still never talked about that awesome vacation - the GART - which stands for Great American Road Trip. So I most definitely need to do that sometime.

First ever blog comment:
This first ever comment I got on this blog was from my Youth Pastor turned mentor turned employer turned friend turned who-even-knows-what-exactly-to-call-him-now, back just a few weeks into this blog. I had posted about ordering my first pair of TOMS, and he commented on that post wanting to know if I ever gotten them! I did of course, and loved them right away. Then for months and months and months, I really only shared my blog with my friends and family. And all of them were so good about commenting all the time! And I loved knowing they were reading my blog too. (Kaley, Maggie, Dani, Christina, Nicole, Megan, Amanda, & Rae).

Then the first comment I ever got from a "stranger" was just last March, on this Picture Every Hour post from just a little over a year ago, from Jesse at Well, It's Okay. She said she loved all the things in my blog title, and loved looking at the pictures from my trip! I was overjoyed and excited with this first comment from a stranger! I hardly knew what to do with myself. Then a few more months went by with just comments from friends and family, and then finally I started to really get serious about this blogging thing last September. Since then, I feel like it's just blown up and I love how this blog has taken off lately. Love it! And love making friends with all you wonderful ladies! :)

First ever blog-friend or friends:
Ummm....I'm think my first ever blog-friend was probably the lovely Hallie at Life: Oceanside!! I'm not sure which one of us found the other one first, but we were so excited, because we are so similar! Our names are really close, obviously, we both live in Florida, we both love the Seminoles and we definitely love the beach. She was the first one I ever "guest posted" for, with a super yummy pumpkin cupcake recipe. From then on, we exchanged lots of emails and comments and bloggy-love, and eventually, we even started this very link up together!! (For those that are new, she's taking a break from co-hosting for a couple months, because she's super busy getting ready for her wedding, which is now just under two weeks away!!)

Then some of the other girls who I made connections with around that time were: Syndal at Synfully Delicious, Amy at Positively Amy (formerly Not Your Average Baby Blog) and Lauren at Outside the Frame.Since then, I have made seemingly countless friendships here in the blog world! And that is something I am seriously soooo thankful for!! Not that I think I will remember them all, but here are some other awesome ladies that I'm so glad I'm blog-friends with now: Angie, Erin, Robin, Kaitlyn, Gayle, Ricci, Jenna, Kayla, Jess, Whitney, Aunie, Veronica, Bri & Rachel. And of course Jenna & Kristyn! Glad to have you ladies as part of my blog-life, and my real life too! :)

If you'd like to join in on this fun link up, check out the super simple 'rules' below, and get to writing! Can't wait to see all the new link ups this week, meet new friends, and read y'all's posts!

1. Write your own post about this week's topics

2. Please follow me, as well as this week's co-hosts, Jenna & Kristyn.

3. Put the new button on your post or somewhere on your blog

4. Link up with us! (Link will appear on all three blogs.)

5. Visit some of the other links, and share the love with them on their posts!

6. Spread the word on Twitter and/or Facebook

Tweet

And if you'd like to prepare and get ready for next week's First Things First link up, start by checking out next week's awesome co-hosts,  Veronica @ Passion, Pink & Pearls and Jess @ Jess Is More.  Next week's first topics will be about the beginning of our college days, with:
1. First roommate(s)
2. First time living away from home (when/where/why)
3. First college dorm room (we want to see pictures and read explanations!)