Better really, really late than even later.

So, I caved. Somewhere in the middle of the country, Heather Petersen Harper is feeling mighty proud of herself. Down the hall, once he learns about this, there will be a man who isn't sure how he feels about his wife taking on one more thing. And typing this post right now is a mom who likes to talk a LOT. And so it begins.

Yes, I like to talk a lot, about a LOT of very differing subjects, and I get the biggest kick in the world out of learning new things, and then sharing the knowledge. It's pretty much the basis for my love of talking: I love to teach. I love to discuss. I love to flail open my brain for people to peruse and explore, and if I'm lucky they'll add some new treasures of knowledge to the landscape while they're there. Unfortunately for me, I'm also pretty naive. Being naive AND loving to open yourself to everyone on the planet is a dangerous combination. You get caught in some really unhappy situations when you aren't careful. I've had to learn to be careful. It's a work in progress.

Being naive also makes me forget something important. People might not CARE what is in my brain. I might flail myself open and ...they aren't remotely interested. I've realized that I can come across as maybe full of myself, just assuming that everyone wants to know what I'm thinking. But that isn't it! Oh, poor misunderstood me. Really, I just love to share. It's not vanity that propels me, it's a love of interaction.

Last night we had a Relief Society activity. There was one part of the night when we had a discussion (joy!) and we were asked to volunteer comments about what worked for us in different areas of the home. WELL! You can imagine...my mind was going a million miles a minute. I had SO MANY good ideas. Not because I think I know it all, have all the answers, or like to hear my own voice. And definitely not because my family is perfect and everyone should try to be like me. But because, again...I love to share! To teach! To exchange ideas! I might be able to better your life, and you could better mine! How cool is that? I feel myself getting excited by the idea right now.

I offered lots of comments, but then started to feel like I was monopolizing the conversation. Shocking, I know. I got embarrassed. I went quiet. But then the subject changed and a million new thoughts came into my head. Oh! Oh! Oh! They have to hear this! This is the coolest thing! But, oh...they've heard enough from me already tonight. So I hold it in. Oh, the pain! I actually feel mean for withholding what I know, for not passing along what I've been fortunate enough to learn myself. It's like I'm keeping a secret that would help everybody, but I just don't tell it.

It's ridiculous, because they probably all already know the very thing I'm dying to share. Just because I think it's cool, doesn't mean anybody else will. I might have had an epiphany the other day that really changed my life, but for all I know, others may have had that epiphany years ago! And here I am, overjoyed at the epiphany I've been given and wanting to pass on that joy...and all along they already know. Or they don't, but heck, the epiphany wouldn't hit them as hard. They just wouldn't care, maybe. And there's my naïveté again. See? Bad combination.

So I kept quiet and tried to comment less. But I still left last night feeling stupid, and telling myself, "you did it again!" I just can't help it. I. Love. To. Talk.

One of the topics of discussion during that Relief Society activity was becoming better journal writers. I used to be awesome about my journal. Through the years it's gotten harder, and I'm sad about it. Especially since I have so much to say! :)

So after I went home feeling bad about talking too much, but also feeling sad about not writing in my journal, it hit me. DUH! A BLOG! I can talk all I want, and nobody has to listen unless they want to! They can even walk out halfway through an over-long blog entry without worrying about hurting my feelings. I'll never even know! And it's better than Facebook, because on FB there's a news feed and my frequent thoughts and posts clog up the queue, and anyone who is my friend -- even a sorta friend who doesn't really care -- is forced to see my stuff whether they like it or not. Unless they hide me. So what's the point? No... A blog is better.

Heather was right.

In this blog, there won't be any continuing theme. There might be recipes, but it's certainly not a cooking blog. There might be jokes, but I'm no comedian. There will definitely be political rants and/or complaints, but I'll try not to be annoying. I won't be able to help making many LDS church references. That's Mormon, in other words. My non-LDS friends, just ask me to clarify if something goes over your heads. I will absolutely brag a lot about my children. Just full disclosure.

The only continuing theme you can count on will be "whatever I woke up thinking of this morning" or "I just saw something on TV that reminds me of something I really wanted to tell someone" type categories.

I'll be trying very hard to use proper language and grammar. I hate bad grammar, but mine isn't perfect. So I'll make mistakes. Likely, I already have. Some days I might have enough time to proof read and edit. Other days, no. So just let stuff slide, okay? I'll try to do the same for you.

You might not agree with everything I have to say. That's ok, talk to me anyway. We can be respectful. Please don't fight with my other readers, though. That makes things awkward for me. You love me, you don't want that.

Okey dokey, guys! Here we go! I hope it lasts. ;)