Hello??

Got an unsolicited (but not SPAM) email today from a company interested in collaborating with me to post a quiz/giveaway on the blog that would “engage my readers” and generate traffic to my site. I politely declined. But it did get me thinking …

I started to blog 360+ posts ago to keep family members and friends in the loop during our journey to Kazakhstan. I add to it now because it seems a good way to share pictures and stories of Owen and Cearra with folks who don't see us much, and because writing is a hobby for me - one I really enjoy. Recently I shared our story on another blog, a new level of openness which was both scary and rewarding, and which I realized might create some new readers. Still, I thought I knew fairly well just who was stopping by – until that email and a casual comment from a friend.

I've never had any site meters or live traffic feeds on our blog. I don’t see your name, location, URL … nothing at all if you stop by without leaving a comment. And that’s fine with me; I'm not going to start secretly tracking visitors to our blog. Although I am far from an emotional “let it all hang out gal”, I do feel that if I write it, and if I don’t make it private, well, there it is and I have to expect that someone might be reading whom I don’t know. I just hope that if you are here, you enjoy it.

Now, all that being well and good, I admit to a growing curiosity as to just who is out there (and also to a little jealousy of the bloggers who get twenty plus comments after each post, but that’s a different days topic). As much as I enjoy sitting here typing away, often late at night when the house is quiet and the office really chilly, I do wonder who's reading, and why.

Do my words move you, make you laugh, or make you ponder? Do you think Owen is as adorable as I do, and do you enjoy Cearra's appearances? Do you just like the pictures of Hilton Head and wish I’d write less?

Do you follow along because you are a survivor, a stay at home mom, or a member of the adoptive community? Do you hope to be? Are you family, or friend, or friend of friend? A one time visitor or a "oh good, Jodi updated again" follower?

Won’t you consider letting me know?

Oh, I realize how easy it is to be derailed in the process of leaving a comment. In my case, the phone (or Owen) rings, the computer crashes, I'm not signed in correctly, can't make out the *&^$**# security word, or Beamer walks across the keyboard (you’d be surprised how often that happens around here).

I've tried to make it easy for you. No password, sign in or Google account required. So how about it? Would you mind taking a minute to say hi? To leave, if you wish, your name. Where you are from. Why you read. What you like about the blog.

It sure would be nice to hear from you.