And you know what? I am really okay with that. So rather than going into a long rant about how much I suck at blogging, or making a promise to myself to blog more or even writing something thoughtful at all, I’m just going to tell you in a nice, neat, numbered list, what my life has looked like over the past two months.

1. I lost my happiness
2. so I quit my amazing job
3. I spent way too much time in my PJs
4. and watched too many sappy movies
5. but then I read a really amazing book about happiness
6. I started running again
7. and got organized
8. I spent a lot of time with my best friend Monica
9. which involved TONS of laughter
10. I started finding happiness all around me
11. and started wearing high heels again
12. And then out of the blue I got a wonderful job offer
13. I took it
14. and my first project was Mom2 (hooray!)
15. I changed a tire wearing a yellow dress
16. and fell in love with the Mom2 Crew all over again
17. I spent some time by a campfire
18. and did some more organizing
19. Today I woke up…
20. and discovered a peace in myself that I never knew existed

I would say that as tumultuous as they have been, the last two months have been two of the most AMAZING months of my life! And it all boiled down to figuring out how to solve my own problems… with a ton of help from my beloved friends of course.

And because this post wouldn’t be complete without it (and because it totally cracks me up every time I see it)…

Photo evidence of Jenny and I changing a tire in evening gowns. And in case there is any confusion, I totally stole this picture from Jenny’s blog. So I am Maggie and Me is Jenny… if that makes sense.

And because I think this post needs a picture of Jenny and I looking like ladies (ie, without our asses in the air), here is this one with she and I and Gwen that I love just as much as the tire-changing one.

And because why not? BANGS:

December 12: New Food. You’re now in love with Lebanese food and you didn’t even know what it was in January of this year.

I’ll make this one short and sweet. Monica and I spent my birthday week in New York and it one of the most amazing trips of my life. I’ve been there several time before but I’ve never (please don’t throw things at me here) eaten the pizza from one of the little pizza places that seems to reside on every corner.

This time in NYC, both our new Irish friend John and Monica made me try it out… and oh boy it is amazing.

It’s not delivery OR DiGiorno. It is DEELISH!

Thank you flickr user Daniele Sartori for the awesome photo!!

December 13: What is the best change you made to the place you live?

Recently I moved back home to dear old Tomball to live with Mom. There were several reasons behind this change, the biggest and most important probably being the need to save money saving and to pay off those old student loans.

I lived on my own all through college and for a few years after so I was a little nervous about the transition at first, but the last couple of months have been so much fun.

My Mom lives on a cul-de-sac and we’ve become really great friends with all of our neighbors. We become a fun, sometimes dysfunctional, always silly family that lives together – only in separate houses. I swear I’m going to write a book about this motley crew.

We’ve got the widow, the 20 something that lives with her Mom (clearly that’s me)… we’ve got the single mom and then the cougar. We’ve got the family with yours-mine-and-ours and then on the corner there is the overweight president of the homeowners association (we try to stay as far away from him as possible). Probably the most normal of all of us is the pharmaceutical rep.

We have made it a habit to get together every few weeks in someone’s driveway, drink lots of wine, and stay up talking as long as possible. You can imagine the variety of the stories that are told and the wonderfully different perspectives you get on things.

It is this eclectic bunch I bring all of my problems to first and it is these people who have picked me up time and time again when I’ve thought things are too hard. I have plans to move back into the city sometime in spring, but I don’t think I could have imagined a better place to live in my 26th year. How I love my dear little circle.

Oh… another great thing about living at home are having conversations like these (this occured five minutes ago):

Me (yelling from the kitchen): Mom!!

Mom (yelling from the computer room): What?

Me: I bought you some really great chips!!

Mom (walks into the kitchen): What did you say?

Me: Ummm. I bought you some great chips?

Mom: Oh thank goodness! I thought you were yelling about eating some “good shit” and I thought that was just so white trash!! Good chips. That’s funny.

Me: Wow Mom.

My little sister is coming home from college this weekend. Can’t wait.

December 11: The Best Place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

This one was easy for me. As soon as I read the prompt, I knew what place I would be writing about.

Almost heaven, West Virginia,
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees,
Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze.
Country Roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain momma,
Take me home, country roads.

- John Denver

My Mom’s family is from a tiny town in West Virgina named Hinton. It is tucked between two rivers in the mountains and the only place to get a pair of shoes is Magic Mart. They now boast a Subway restaurant (watch out world!) and the only bar in town is a cute little joint called Pop’s.

Of all the places I’ve traveled, Hinton is one of my favorite places in the world because going back always feels more like going home.

In October we went back for my cousin’s wedding. It took place in a tiny cabin high in the mountains and my uncle officiated. After the service we drank moonshine and stayed up all night talking around a fire. Another uncle brought out his fiddle and we sang “Country Roads” by John Denver.

We are a family that is very much in love and we laugh all the time. We value our roots and tradition is important to us. We like passing things along… including names.

The top picture below is one of my favorite of all time. It best illustrates both the beauty of West Virginia and the sense of consistency I have when I am there.

In every generation of our family, there is a Margaret. I am the one that belongs in this generation. Pictured is Grandma Margaret, Aunt Peggy (which is a nick-name for Margaret), Baby Margaret and me.

Every time I look at this picture… my breathe catches in my throat. What an amazing place.

Just the three of us:

The whole crew:

My beloved other half:

A few more cousins:

Music was a big part of my childhood and I LOVED Michael Jackson. When it was announced that MTV would be doing a “Michael Marathon” the week prior to the world premier of “Scream” I channeled my inner puppy dog eyes and BEGGED to play “big girl”…. and I got my wish. For an entire week Daddy and I sat in front of the TV and watched interview after video after interview of Michael. Dad taught me how to set up our tape recorder and with my allowance I bought enough video tapes to record the ENTIRE week, beginning to end.

The only time I was away from MTV and my dad was when I had to tear myself away to go to school in the morning (or if he caught me asleep in middle of the night and carried me upstairs). When class let out, I would get dropped off at my bus stop and RACE back inside to make sure Dad had been changing the tapes diligently throughout the day. I needn’t of worried, he always had. He’s promised right?

The evening of the “Scream” premier arrived and there we sat, him a bear of a man and me a tiny little thing, on the floor in the living room with a bowl of popcorn between us. As the video rolled, Dad and I held hands. This is one of the most colorful memories I have of my father. I was young enough then that the angry adolescent Maggie hadn’t reared her head yet and just old enough that I think for the first time I could call my Daddy “my friend” which is a special thing to a little girl.

I miss my Father every day, but some days more acutely than others. Last Sunday was Father’s Day, which always rocks me…. but the death of Michael makes this week even harder (which I didn’t think was really possible). Michael was always “Ours,” Dad and I. With this icon’s passing, I feel like I’ve lost one more of the beautiful silver threads I hold that reach to memories of my Dad. Michael was supposed to be the one of us that lived and danced forever.

No matter the noise and the controversy surrounding Michael’s death, I choose to still see him as he once was. He was a man so full of joy that it could not be contained and a man so influential the world screamed his name; but most importantly to me, Michael was the person my daddy and his little girl could boogie dance to…. Even if Dad never could get the moonwalk quite right. For this reason, Michael will always be remembered fondly and with a smile.

Life is a little quieter today…. and a little less bright, now that Michael is gone.

So when she asked one night if David and I would like to accompany her to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo so she could do a practice Carnival photo shoot, I jumped at the chance (after she promised me I could have a corn dog…. of course).

From the many amazing photos she captured that night, Holly created the following two collages. In them I see a couple of all too willing partners in crime and one very handsome prince charming. Thank you for finding us in the middle of all those amazing lights Holly.

An open conversation between Moms & Marketers

Mid-January I realized I hadn’t seen Monica in a while as she was super busy planning the Mom 2.0 Summit (and all of the other things she does). So like any annoying, over-helpful little sister, I announced I was coming over one Saturday “to help” and that there would be no argument. Monica didn’t take my threat lightly. When I arrived she had a to-do list as long as my arm ready for me to dive into. And dive I did! I mean…. why not? Some of my favorite women in the world, the Kirtsy chicks, were involved so I was grateful and delighted to be a part of the project.

The next couple of weeks were jam packed with budgers budgets, the matrix, schwag bags and rock band. I spent far more time with Monica and with her co-planner, Amber, than I had bargained for and I absolutely loved every moment of it. I learned more from those two ladies about event planning than I ever did during my River Oaks wedding planning days! I even manged to convince one of my favorite graphic designers and SEO gurus, Matthew, to come to Houston and be a part of our SEO panel. He was the icing on my Mom2 cake!

I was the VIP/PR liaison and so it was with sleepy elation and a tummy full of butterflies (and a new dress to bolster my courage!) that I greeted the morning of the Mom2 kick off. I would be picking up Matthew and then Guy Kawasaki at the airport. Everything with Matthew went amazingly well but Guy’s pickup was a different story.

I was 15 minutes early to the airport and was able to snag a parking spot right in front of the terminal. There was no way Guy was going to slip past me! 15 minutes after Guy’s plane was supposed to land I picked up my phone to shoot him a text…. and realized the ol’ Blackberry was dead. Of course. An hour and a half later there was still no Guy. I was fully convinced that I had lost the Mom2 keynote speaker somewhere at Bush Intercontinental Airport and that the Kirtsy girls were going to strangle me. Too afraid to venture far from my big red truck (which Guy knew to look for) to find a payphone lest I miss him, I befriended a security guard with a phone. Dear Sterling (the guard) called the airport for me and we determined that Guy’s flight was WAY delayed. Thank God.

Thirty minutes later I had Guy in my possession and any nervousness I may have felt about a long truck ride with THE Guy Kawasaki was quickly replaced with a sense of calm when he climbed into my truck and said “I thought your truck was going to be way bigger! This isn’t that big!” Anyone who talks smack immediately upon meeting a Texas Gal who drives a big truck is beyond brave and okay in my book…. and they are DEFINITELY open game for return sarcasm. Next time I see Guy, my truck is going to be so jacked up, he’s going to need a ladder to get in.

Three days later…. the conference was over. The final panel was surreal; how could the conference already be over? Mom2 flew by in a series of amazing conversations, laughter filled presentations and one amazing concert. My evenings were spent with some truly amazing women and a couple of great guys. TONS of irreplaceable advice was received. In my opinion, Mom2 was beyond successful.

Have I mentioned yet how truly happy I am to have been a part of something so amazing?

work, work, #SEOchats and more work

Gwen Bell’s wedding was coming up and I swore I would not be taking my laptop, so I needed to bury myself in work…. the next week and a half flew by even faster than the conference had! Schipul was as amazing as it always is AND I got to participate in the first ever #SEOchat with the 5 Minutes for Mom ladies, Seth Jenks and Gwendolyn. I learned a ton from Seth and Susan! I don’t write about Macaroni, but SO many people stumble upon my blog by searching for Mac ‘n’ Cheese! Seth says it’s all in the URL baby. Who knew? If you missed the #SEOchat, don’t worry! You can listen to the podcast on Susan and Janice’s blog or search #SEOchat on twitter search.

The first chat was such a success, we’ve scheduled another one for March 16! This one is going to focus on Kyword Research. The whole series of chats are geared toward beginners so don’t be timid. Join us! And ask lots of questions. There are only 96 slots for the call so you better get in on the action early! Gwen is on her honeymoon so I’ll be moderating this one…. and things may get interesting. Don’t tell Seth.

Wedding bells and cheesy wonderful tweets

Last weekend I went to Boulder with Monica for Gwen and Joel’s wedding. We rented a house with Laurie, Laura and Gabby and I could not effin WAIT to land. How could a trip with the Kirtsy girls + Cosmopolitician NOT be a blast? Monica and I arrived at the house first and we quickly claimed the upstairs room (the kid’s room, as it came to be called) mostly because of the HUGE bathtub. What can I say. We find happiness in the little things.

Reuniting with Gwen at her “rehearsal dinner” was of course the highlight of the trip. Yes, I had just seen her at Mom2, but I sometimes think Gwen holds a little bit of my heart…. all the time. I miss her when we are apart! It was also awesome to finally meet this Joel I’d been hearing so much about

The next morning was a blast. We met at The Cup for coffee and breakfast (because Monica LOVES coffee) and then we girls were off to do girly things…. You know the drill. Hair, nails and gossip. And the nail place Gwen chose was the perfect venue for these things to take place. I mean, right on the wall at ten20 it says “A Place Where TV Gossip Is Forever Embraced. Diet Coke and M&Ms Are Always In Stock. A Place Where Havaianas Are The Dress Code. Laughing is Strictly Enforced. A Place Where Super-Sanitation is Super-Important. White Robes Stay at the Toga Party. A Place Where Hairlessness Is Fashionable.” I bed the ladies who opened the place love Perez Hilton!

The wedding was was truly truly amazing. It was warm enough in Boulder that we got to move it outside and I totally cried when Gwen and Joel read their vows. I think Jenny Slade summed it up best in her tweet “If you ever wondered whether digital and sacred could co-exist, @gwenbell + @jlongtine are proof possible.”

After Joel whisked Gwen off to Mexico for their honeymoon, Monica and I decided a trip to Estes Park was necessary. We packed it up with Gwen’s rocking wedding photographer, Holly, and her husband and headed up the mountain. What followed was beyond hilarious. We ate some steak, then visited the Stanley Hotel (THE SHINING!), I tried to convince Monica to let me pet some Elk, she said no, and then we played in some snow. I have to say; making a snow angel in minimal cold weather gear may be hilarious but is never a good idea. See this video if you don’t believe me.

Leaving Boulder was sad. I’d felt like I was in the little Kirtsy bubble in the Mountains. But is was good to be heading home. I missed my David.

So what’s next????

Tomorrow I leave for SXSW with a few other Schipulites. Brandi, David and Fayza will be riding with me so I’m sure the drive will be almost as fun as the concert itself. Besides all the rocking panels, I’m most excited about the is the “Girl/Guy” party on Sunday night…. Girls gone SXSW! It’s sponsored by my Kirtsy girls and Alltop so I’ll be getting a second chance to traumatize Guy and he’ll be getting another oppotunity to talk smack about my truck. The RSVP list is full so if you want an invite, you are going to have to hit up Monica, Laura, Amber or I for a bandana. That’s the only way in!!

And then what is Monday the 16th? The #SEOchat that you will all be on! 7 pm. I’ll “see” you there!

After re-reading this post I see two recurring themes. Monica and Kirtsy…. And I cannot think of any two themes I’d rather have.

You know those memories that are locked away, you think maybe forever, somewhere deep in the back of your mind? Every so often you will be doing something mundane…. tying your shoe, picking up a sweater, running in a field…. and one of those memories will surface from their fuzzy dreamlike state with a clarity that is most shocking. But sadly, that intense clarity usually only lasts for a short while. These tiny accidental moments of clarity are something I have come to cherish because since my father passed away, because those are all I have left of him.

This post has been a week and a half in the making. I have turned it over 100 times in my mind and wondered if written words could even give my thoughts justice. But written words have prevailed because of how tricky memories can be. I do not want to forget Eurydice or the things that came with her to me with her tale.

Last week I was given a very special gift in the form of memory in the most unlikeliest of ways. Sitting in a dark theater, I was handed a love letter from my father.

The Play.

David’s brother Barry got us tickets to the Alley Theatre’s performance of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. Prior to sitting down in the theatre, I flipped through the playbill. When the lights went down I understood that this was to be a retelling of the classical tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. I also understood that Sarah Ruhl’s father had passed away and that facet of her life play a huge role in the writing of this play. This play was to be an intensely personal look into Sarah’s soul. Even knowing that, and knowing how much I do relate to this woman, I was not expecting to be rocked like I was.

Like in every classic Orpheus tale, he is the musician who plays the world’s most beautiful music and Eurydice is his starry eyed and beautiful beloved who dies on their wedding day. Orpheus then fights his way to the Underworld to bring Eurydice back. He does succeed in gaining entrance, but the God of the Underworld gives him a strict challenge to regain possession of Eurydice. Orpheus must walk out of the Underworld and allow Eurydice to follow him, without once looking back at her. If he looks back at all, Eurydice will die all over again and he will lose her forever. In all of the classic tales, Orpheus succumbs to his desire to see Eurydice and turns around before they make it out of the Underworld and the tale ends in her second death and in his grief.

But what of Eurydice? Where was she while Orpheus was beating his proverbial chest and conquering death? Just chillin’ in Hades, sitting on a rock, waiting for Orpheus? Or does she have any idea that he is even coming? Does she even care? In Sarah’s version, things are much more complicated and Eurydice is given much more control over her story. And a new character is introduced…. Eurydice’s father.

The play opens with Eurydice and Orpheus on a beach. Orpheus gives Eurydice the gifts of the birds and the sky…. their banter is easy and sweet and it is quite that obvious that Orpheus is hopelessly in love with the doe eyed Eurydice (as was I). The scene ends with his confession of love and a simple piece of string looped around a very “particular” finger. At this point I teared up only because I’m a sucker for love; especially when it is offered in such a pure and easy manner.

The moment at which I knew this play was going to have a profound effect on me was when Eurydice’s father first appears on stage and begins composing a love letter to his daughter, a love letter he cannot hope to ever hand her himself because he is a resident of the Underworld. I think this is something that every little girl craves when they say goodbye to their Daddy…. just one more word. In this other world of myth and legend, it seems there is some line of communication open (even if the service is a little faulty) because Eurydice’s Father leaves the letter on the ground for her to find.

Moments later Eurydice herself arrives and begins a poignant monologue on weddings. “Weddings are for Father’s and their Daughters” she says…. this line managed to completely undo me…. because it is something I have often thought about. After all…. it is your father who is supposed to give you away. Isn’t it? It is Daddies who pick their little girls up when they scrape their knees and who tolerate playing Barbie because a smile from their daughter is a treasure. Who else has the authority to give a little girl away to another but the man who will always love her most?

Like mine, Eurydice’s father cannot be there on her wedding day. But a mysterious man shows up while Eurydice is taking a break from the wedding party and tempts Eurydice away with the promise of a letter from her Father (wonder where he found it? Damn that faulty mail service). Eurydice ends up realizing that following the man was a mistake and in her flight from him, she ends up falling to her death. Here Eurydice reunites with her father, who has conquered the swim through the “River of Forgetfulness” and has been faithfully waiting for her at the other side.

Of course, when Eurydice arrives she has no memory of her life on earth because of that fateful river swim. She mistakes her Father for a mere porter. Thus begins Eurydice’s journey with her father through the tangled webs of thoughts and memories and words from “porter” back to “Father” again…. and Eurydice remembers what it is to love. There is laughter and a house made of string and much song. There are stones and a petulant child and grief.

All the while Orpheus is searching for a way to get Eurydice back, and the stage is raining.

The Emotions.

I am loathe to give away the end of the play and there is much I haven’t written about here. But know that it is a fantastic tale. The director, Gregory Boyd, brings Sarah’s tale of Eurydice to the stage in a way that rivals the stories mythical origins. The lines between loss and laughter, fantasy and reality, and love and regret are seamlessly crossed in the Alley’s telling of Eurydice.

So much so that after the play, memories crashed through the barriers in my mind like the greatest of floods. My heart was broken open and thoughts of my Father surfaced quite unexpectedly. For the first time in almost ten years, his laughter rang through my head like the clearest of bells and his face loomed more beautifully than any painting in the world. Eurydice was the most beautiful of love letters I have ever received. I will be forever in debt to Sarah Ruhl, and for the cast of crew of Houston’s much Alley Theatre, for giving me this amazing gift.

If you are in Houston between now and March 1, I highly recommend catching Eurydice. Whether or not the play affects you as it did me, it truly is a good cleaver spin on a classic tale.

Oh…. and Daddy? Kisses your way.

1. I hate mushrooms. They are a fungus. Don’t you realize you are eating fungus people?!?
2. When I sleep alone, I sleep with a night light on. My house burned down when I was 16 so I have an intense fear of waking up in the middle of the night to that burning smell and not being able to see anything. I’m extremely clumsy and it is multiplied ten fold in the dark.
3. My favorite author when I was a little girl was Mary Higgins Clark but I would read whatever my father put in front of me. This included an array of literature spanning from Reader’s Digest to The Stephen King Dark Tower series. I think this has contributed to my fantastic imagination and belief that everything is a mystery. Give me a book and it will be consumed in two days flat.
4. I have been 25 for three days and it totally weirds me out. But I don’t really know why?
5. I took the Myers Briggs test last week and just finished with my consultation. I am an ENFP which means my “preferences” are extroversion, intuition, feeling and perceiving. My life goal is discovering my identity.
6. I am one of those freaky people that LOVE LOVE LOVE and adore their jobs.
7. My little sister and my mother are my best friends in the entire universe. MommyMac is an audiologist for a non-profit and AliMac is in vet school. They are some of the most brilliant and funny women I know. I thank God daily that they are in my life. Especially when Ali leaves me 45 minute voicemails in an entirely British accent or when my Mom emails me her daily “You are loved” forwards. You know the ones. They feature a slide show of puppies or babies with a Celine Dion song for background music.
8. I had to add some random cheese because I HATE odd numbers. Do you know if you turn the volume in your car up to an odd number you are at risk of getting into a fiery crash? True story. Even if David doesn’t believe me.

Yes. I totally cheated. I changed the name to the Meme and added a extra “weird” fact. So for the Eight people I tag, just know you only have to come up with seven wacky little known facts about yourself and you only have to tag seven people.

I am passing the Weird and Wacky torch to:

1. David Stagg, because he rides with the top down.*
2. Monica Danna, because she is interesting as hell.
3. Gwen Bell, because she is amazing.
4. Katie Laird, because she is happy.
5. Fayza Elmostehi, because she is a monkey.
6. Kathleen Forbes, because she is inspirational.
7. Jenni Rebecca Stephenson, because she is an artist with words.
8. Princess Mia, because she is cuddly.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it?

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post – some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

*Hm. David is the only dude I tagged and the least likely to do the meme. Coincidence?

Ready… set… donate! Help MommyMac raise awareness for Hearing Loss!! (while she walks it out).

As many of you know, my dear sweet Mom is an audiologist for a non-profit.  Over the past 20 years (or so?) she has changed the lives of many deaf adults and children by guiding them on their path to hearing again and she absolutely LOVES her job. I would say that it is probably this love and devotion to her life’s work that makes MommyMac so amazing at what she does.

Not everyone understands or is aware of how many people are actually affected by hearing loss. On November 1, MommyMac is going to be participating in the Hearing Loss Association’s Walk4Hearing and she asked me if I could help her raise money for this great cause. Check out her ChipIn page!! The goal of the walk is twofold: to increase awareness about the causes and consequences of hearing loss and to raise funds to provide info and support for people with hearing loss.

Nearly 55 million Americans suffer from hearing loss and many of them have no idea where to turn. My mom has dedicated her life to helping people who are affected, and I figured I would, in turn, reach out to all of you for help. MommyMac’s goal is to raise $1000 and she won’t be able to do it without rawkin peeps like you!

When I was a little girl, I LOVED going to work with my mother. I loved “helping” out in the office and watching this amazing bunch of ladies bustle around. There was ALWAYS laughter at the Houston Ear Research Foundation. So here I go again… Maybe now that I’m a little older I can do more that just pretend to help

Wanna help out MommyMac? Check out her ChipIn Page!! No amount is too small (or too large, for that matter!)

My “big sister” CosmoPolitician has been the biggest force behind me getting involved in the internet.  I was her intern at Mikel Marketing and admitedly a little terrified of computers.  Monica made me helped me create my first myspace page, and I ended up having a blast with it.  Myspace was also instrumental when I broke up with an ex because he didn’t want to believe we were really broken up until my status said “single” but I suppose that is another story.  Myspace may not be as big as it once was, but I am still in debt beacuse it ignited my love of the interwebs.

Next came Facebook.  I spent some time attending the University of Salamanca in Spain and met some truly amazing girls from Canada, Caitlyn and Christina.  Apparently Canadian’s were already too cool for Myspace so they taught me all about Facebook.  In order to stay in touch with them (and other countless people I met while overseas) I created a profile and was immediately addicted.  It has been three years since I drank vino blanco in the plaza mayor and stayed out all night dancing, but I am still in touch with two of the most kick ass chicks I have ever met.

My Flickr and twitter accounts were born more recently and Monica also arbitrarily signed me up for those.  I still remember the random confirmation emails appearing in my inbox… and cracking up over the completely inappropriate random passwords Monica came up with.  I am not so adept at Flickr, but twitter is my constant companion.  Through the twitterberry application on my phone and twhirl on my desktop, I am constantly aware of what the people I love (and the people I want to avoid) are up to.

So I don’t understand why people, or even companies, balk at signing up.

Social Media is not about sitting behind a computer.  It is about creating and maintaining relationships with people you may not otherwise get a chance to know so deeply otherwise… and in turn giving them a chance to get to know you.  If you don’t ever step out from behind your computer and take part in the “social” aspect of new media, then this concept is probably lost on you and it is no wonder you think Social Networking sites have heralded the demise of life as we know it.

If it was not for Social Media, I would not have met the lovely @gwenbell at the grand opening of the Caroline Collective party nor would I still be in touch with her.  I would not be able to write on the wall of the fun Australian chick I met at @kapachino’s wedding and I would not have gotten to know Fayza well enough to have constant sleepovers…  Or, for that matter, been victim to the “cupcake shots” that will go down in infamy.

I would never have been the contributing editor of Barstool magazine or interned with the Houston Dynamo.  I would not have my current job and would not get to drag MommyMac to Stag’s Head once a month in the name of knowledge sharing.  So it is to the people I have met (and the people I have YET to meet) that I say.. I love you… and you have been a blessing in my life.  And I thank Social Media for you.

Social Media has given me a voice.  And I don’t understand why anyone would not want to be heard.