To begin, you must begin.

I opened this account in 2010. I created the profile, stumbled through choosing a template and a font I liked. Named the blog, even. I went to the site many times and began entry after entry, always crumpling up the virtual piece of paper and then tossing it into the virtual wastebasket. I don't know why I was never able to start blogging then, but here this account was...waiting on me and ready to be used today as I shuffled between the usual suspect websites. The ones most of us spend an embarrassingly large amount of time on each day. You know the drill. I checked Facebook for the 37th time today, clicked back over to email and sent a quick one that could have waited until tomorrow, Googled something or other that flashed across my consciousness and briefly engaged my curiosity. Oh! Google Analytics-a quick click over--then I clicked on the "Even More" link.

You know the one. You go to the upper right hand corner of the Google home screen. You see a little mini-grid of teensy little squares, and then the mouse hovers over it and the drop down menu appears and you can choose to "see even more" of what Google can do! Ah! The mystery. The intrigue.

Somehow that was the path I took to get to a page of overwhelming functionality, the categories and lists of all the things this search engine can do for you. And nestled at the bottom was the little "Blog" button. And lo and behold, one click took me here. To the six-year-old page that has been waiting for me until this moment, the moment when God intervened and I felt a little whisper to start writing.

So here it is. To begin, you have to begin. I could write a hundred books full of what has transpired in the last few years. And there will be some of that. Some of the stories that got me here, where I am now. But there will also be other things. Maybe thoughts on love, faith, family, and friendships. And what it is to be a woman in 2016, and how to balance work and relationships and your own physical and mental health. And self-care. Dear Lord, how we all need to talk about that. And I'll write about politics and policy and community.  Food. There will definitely be food. And music, traveling and whatever else is worth talking about. I'm interested to see where this goes. So follow me, or don't. Let's just get this thing started.