On February 17th, 2011, I started my Let Me Start By Saying Facebook Fan page with a couple of test posts, then this:
No one “Liked” it.
No one “Shared” it.
No one commented.
But that didn’t stop this train.
I kept writing on my blog, kept sharing those posts on Facebook, kept putting up (blurry) pictures & status updates that gave my readers more access to me.
I vowed to get better. To listen. To keep trying.
I loved discovering other writers, bloggers, interesting people on Facebook. It introduced me to some who became my real-life friends, confidantes, writing partners.
I shared things that stirred me – in good, bad, and funny ways.
Conversations began, continued, grew.
The “Likes” grew.
The “Shares” grew.
The comments grew.
I got better. I continued trying to be even better than that.
I was a fellow fan. I was a fellow blogger. I was a blogger with fans. These www relationships blossomed into something more than I ever thought they could be. They took a hold of something inside of me that needed holding, and it felt great.
We’d chat over this blue and white fence that separates our yards in this vast town of Zuckerberg. Commiserating, advising, entertaining.
It was something I looked forward to from the first time it happened. I still feel the same way, every single day.
I had hoped, as a girl working hard to transition from stay-at-home-mom to professional writer, that I would learn from relationships that grew while I built up a platform on which to share my voice. That I could grow to a point that I could somehow express my gratitude to those who kept Liking and Sharing and Commenting from the beginning.
And now I can.
Last week I reached the milestone of 10,000 Facebook fans.
That’s 9,995 more people than I expected (I can always depend on 3 of my friends, a sister-in-law and myself to “Like” stuff I do online).
I do believe it is officially time to celebrate.
Yes, I’ll continue to listen, learn, and try to get better every day. But let me take a moment to show my appreciation to you all for being here. We can get back to talking over the fence in just a few minutes.
What better way to thank those who stick around, than by giving them free stuff I love?
I’m giving away 4 bags full of prizes, worth $100 each
Four of my “Too Much Whine. Not Enough Wine.” tote bags are crammed with goodies like gift cards, mugs, autographed books and more. A gaggle of wonderful friends – all of whom I met online – have donated generously, as outlined below.
There will be 4 winners chosen, each one taking home one of these 4 bags full of awesome:
BAG#1
$30 Amazon.com Gift Card (courtesy of me)
Courtesy of The Midget Man of Steel, Rodney Lacoix:
1 Autographed (including a drawing!) paperback copy of Things Go Wrong For Me (when life hands you lemons, add vodka)
Courtesy of Moms Who Drink and Swear’s Nikki Knepper:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Moms Who Drink and Swear: True Tales of Loving My Kids While Losing My Mind, by Nicole Knepper.
Courtesy of author Rosanne Kurstedt:
1 Autographed hardcover copy of And I Thought About You by Rosanne Kurstedt
Courtesy of My Life and Kid’s Anna Luther:
1 Kindle eBook of 75 Ways to Have More Fun at Home, by Anna Luther
Courtesy of Abby Has Issues’ Abby:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Abby Has Issues, by Abby Heugel
Courtesy of Jen, creator of IJustWantToPeeAlone.com & the I Just Want to Pee Alone Facebook Community:
1 I JUST WANT TO PEE ALONE mug.
BAG #2
$20 Amazon.com Gift Card (courtesy of me)
Courtesy of Wendy Nielsen:
1 $25 Starbucks Gift Card
Courtesy of Mike Adamick:
1 paperback copy of: Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects: From Stilts and Super-Hero Capes to Tinker Boxes and Seesaws, 25+ Fun Do-It-Yourself Projects for Families, by Mike Adamick.
Courtesy of Robin’s Chicks’ Robin O’Bryant:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Ketchup Is A Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves, by Robin O’Bryant
Courtesy of author Peyton Price:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Suburban Haiku: Christmas Special, byt Peyton Price
Courtesy of Jen, creator of IJustWantToPeeAlone.com & the I Just Want to Pee Alone Facebook Community:
1 Autographed (by Jen of People I Want to Punch in the Throat & me) paperback copy of I JUST WANT TO PEE ALONE
Courtesy of My Life and Kid’s Anna Luther:
1 Kindle eBook of 75 Ways to Have More Fun at Home, by Anna Luther
Courtesy of Mommy Shorts’ Ilana Wiles:
1 Mommy Shorts Mug (as seen in Baby Mugging!)
BAG#3
$10 Amazon Gift Card (courtesy of me)
Courtesy of Scary Mommy Jill Smokler:
1 Autographed hardcover copy of Motherhood Comes Naturally (and Other Vicious Lies), by Jill Smokler
1 Autographed hardcover copy of Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood – The Good, The Bad, and the Scary, by Jill Smokler
Courtesy of Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva’s Susan McLean:
1 $20 bottle of red wine
Courtesy of author Peyton Price:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Suburban Haiku: Christmas Special, by Peyton Price
Courtesy of Mommy Shorts’ Ilana Wiles:
1 Mommy Shorts Mug (as seen in Baby Mugging!)
Courtesy of My Life and Kid’s Anna Luther:
1 Kindle eBook of 75 Ways to Have More Fun at Home, by Anna Luther
Courtesy of Robin’s Chicks’ Robin O’Bryant:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Ketchup Is A Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves, by Robin O’Bryant
Courtesy of Abby Has Issues’ Abby:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Abby Has Issues, by Abby Heugel
BAG#4
$10 Zazzle.com Gift Card (courtesy of me)
Courtesy of Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures’ Amber Dusick:
1 Autographed hardcover copy of Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures, by Amber Dusick
Courtesy of Ninja Mom Blog’s Nicole Leigh Shaw:
1 handmade (by Nicole!) Duck Tape purse
1 Autographed copy of a popular NinjaMom blog post
1 $15 Starbucks Gift Card
Courtesy of Bad Parenting Moments’ Bethany:
1 Vino2go Wine Tumbler on Etsy, customized with your monogram.
Courtesy of Mike Adamick:
1 paperback copy of Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects: From Stilts and Super-Hero Capes to Tinker Boxes and Seesaws, 25+ Fun Do-It-Yourself Projects for Families, by Mike Adamick.
Courtesy of My Life and Kid’s Anna Luther:
1 Kindle eBook of 75 Ways to Have More Fun at Home, by Anna Luther
Courtesy of Jen, creator of IJustWantToPeeAlone.com & the I Just Want to Pee Alone Facebook Community:
1 Autographed paperback copy of Spending The Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat, by Jen of PIWTPITT.
Entering to WIN is easy! Just use the Rafflecopter box below to see the contest rules and the different options for multiple entries.
Good luck…
And THANK YOU.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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