Out Of Hibernation

I didn't know I was hibernating. That wasn't the plan. Actually, if there was any sort of plan when we packed up our CityLife and moved to Napa last year -- yes, a year ago now -- it was that I was going to spend my time "reuniting" with the internet as a participant, instead of someone on the outside looking in.

Let me back up.

My grand notion when I started working for BlogHer back in November of 2006 was that it would throw me head-long into the world of blogging. I mean, beyond my own blog and the handful of other blogs I read. I'd hoped that I would learn more about The Social Media Industry AND that my blog would become more popular in the process.

"In the process." Why? How? Through what process? I didn't quite know. Unfortunately, I never had time to figure it out.

When I left BlogHer 2.5 years later, the analogy I used was this:

Imagine an aspiring chef who's trying to become a better cook and thinks the best way to make inroads in her cooking career is to get into the restaurant industry...by becoming an assistant manager of a famous restaurant.

And so she learns the industry ropes. She learns who the successful industry mavens are, who's making waves, who's being successful, what isn't working.

She learns how to be very good at her job.

Meanwhile, she works with chefs. She hires chefs. She tries to help chefs, and is part of the restaurant that is making some chefs' careers.

But she is not a chef.

My apologies if that was heavy-handed.

It's just that I love BlogHer and I loved working for the company, and I always said that I was very fortunate to run events I'd actually want to attend. But in that respect, the events were always bittersweet, because I did, actually, want to attend. I wanted to meet other bloggers and chat with them and party with them and learn from them and yes, promote my own blog, too.

But while I was outside looking in, I never made the leap to "big blogger." Or, "bigger than I am currently" blogger.

Which isn't the only goal or only thing that matters or anything like that. It's just something I sort of thought would just magically happen, despite that I was pouring 90% of my energy into my job and not my blog.

And it didn't magically happen.

Anyway.

I stopped working and moved to Napa and thought I would dive in to being a blogger again. Not because I thought I could "be big" but because it's what I love doing.

Except, um? I didn't.

Maybe I was burnt out. Maybe I didn't know what to write, or who to read. Maybe I was just caught in that transition period between Working Woman and Stay At Home Mom, between Single In The City to Married In The Suburbs trying to figure out what my identity was supposed to be.

We interrupt the blog post to bring you a gratuitous photo of Eve.

But slowly, as Eve has gotten bigger and as I'm transitioning from "new mom" to just "mom" (read: I'm not as panicked every second that I'm somehow going to accidentally kill the baby), I'm blogging more. And more.

And I have launched Promtacular!

And I have even started venturing out of the house to go to "Tweetups."

And I am going to start working again, with these amazing ladies.

And I will be going to BlogHer in NYC in August.

And, um, why am I telling you all this?

Because I DO feel like I'm coming out of hibernation. Like all of a sudden I'm busy and doing things and have things to write about again (not that writing about my child's spit-up or my tacky prom dresses or the fact that I can't dress myself isn't also good stuff!).

And because it's interesting to be on the other side of it and realize just how much I did learn as "an assistant manager of a famous restaurant."

(Example: I found it fascinating to come face-to-face with someone who is a Social Media Consultant who doesn't have a blog, and an "industry guru" who has 148 followers on Twitter.)

I guess I just feel like I'm getting my voice back, and that I have a lot to say.