Happy Blogiversary!!!

Thank goodness these hot air balloons floated by during our dinner this evening because I really didn't know what kind of image to use to mark this momentous occasion.  I was about to bust out some clip art balloons.  Ooh, or maybe create some masterpiece in Microsoft Paint!  Okay, that's for another day.  For today I will have to be satisfied with the fact that all of Sundbyberg is evidently celebrating the Daily Damara One Year Blogiversary.  Exciting right?  Just wait.  There are contests, prizes and heartfelt moments ahead. 

Let's get to the sentimental stuff first and I'll do the contests and prizes in the post below.  So, a couple of days ago Blogger added a statistics function that allows me to see how many people are viewing this site and where they come from, which has been incredibly cool.  I expected America and Sweden, of course, and even Canada, where my pops lives, but apparently I have readers all over Scandanavia, The Netherlands, China, Ukraine and more.  C'mon!  I never expected to have readers, even just folks popping once or twice, who I didn't know, so that feels pretty exciting.  Because really, I began this blog for my family and friends at home because I remember how hard it was to be on the other side of the world from someone I love and how much it meant to me that he wrote to me every day about his daily life.  Daily The Swede, as it were.  After a year I can really appreciate what this little diary has meant to me, how it has made me pay closer attention to my world and marvel at what makes us special as Americans and Swedes and just people.  And I can appreciate what it will mean to me to read about my first year in a new country, on this adventure with my customer-cum-fiancé, and how fun it will be for our children to have confirmation of what big dorks we are on the internet for all time.  But on the days when I don't feel like doing this for myself, when it's hard to think of something to write about, when I can't imagine that anyone would be interested in anything I have to say or anything I've done, I think about the people who I know are regulars here and I sometimes I write straight to them.  To you, rather.  Or sometimes I just think about how Sarianne reminds me that my mom likes her blog better and that keeps me motivated.  I don't mean to make blogging sound harder than it is because really, I think everyone should do this; I do believe it will be one of the most rewarding, meaningful things you've ever done.  So... see you tomorrow!