The Evolution
In May of 2004 I started Woulda Coulda Shoulda on Blogspot. Since then it’s moved twice; first, to Movable Type on borrowed hosting, and now, to Wordpress and my very own hosting, just like a big girl.
I have always been a writer, as far back as I can remember. Sometimes I would forget about that. Sometimes I would tell myself that no, I wasn’t really a writer.
My life has gone through many changes and many twists and turns in the last 30-some years. When I started Woulda Coulda Shoulda I thought I might like to have a journal again, and that putting it online might help me to keep up with it despite the craziness of my life. Little did I know that I would gain an audience, a forum, and some very important friendships.
Most important of all, though, was that I remembered that I am a writer. It’s what I do. I don’t think I’ll forget it ever again.
And that’s why Woulda Coulda Shoulda is here.
The Recognition
Hey, you know, all of that would’ve been enough for me. Rumors of my spotlight mongering are grossly exaggerated and hey, where are you going?? Let me tell you about how many people like me! Sheesh.
You know how the old shampoo commercial goes: She told two friends, and she told two friends, and so on, and so on? That’s what happens with sites, sometimes, and before you know it, some people are coming around and saying nice things. Which makes me feel pretty.
Matthew from In the Air interviewed me as part of his 100 interviews project. I think he picked me because of that spider I found on my deck that one time, but let’s pretend it’s because I’m awesome.
I’m number 2! I’m number 2! I’m… stop laughing. Whatever, dude. This blog won second place in the 2007 Bloggers Choice Awards for Best Parenting Blog.
Woulda Coulda Shoulda was featured in the April 2007 issue of Parents Magazine as part of their “Single Moms Survival Guide.” (Yes, my blog and a lot of therapy will get you through it.)
An earnest young woman from The Blog Reader lost thirty minutes on the phone with me that she’ll never get back, pretending to think I’m funny. I guess she had to write a piece about it so that the time wasn’t a total loss.
Maybe you’ve heard that there was a little conference in in San Jose…? I came, I saw, and some say I even spoke on a panel about mommyblogging. (I don’t really remember, as I was jetlagged beyond all reason the entire time.)
On March 9th, 2006, Woulda Coulda Shoulda was highlighted as a Feedster Feed of the Day. I’m not sure if that ranks me above or below goat food, actually, but I’m choosing to be flattered.
I’m the best! Er, one of the best! Er, this site is one of the best! Um. I don’t know. But this site is listed in this here book, which is sort of nifty. The authors seem to think I’m worth reading, something about how I speak candidly, which, GOSH, do you think so? Anyway, they like me, and so they are pretty.
The Mommybloggers held a lovefest in my honor, then interviewed me and made me feel super-pretty. I sure hope I remembered to pay them.
I’ll always remember the day when I idly popped up my sitemeter and wondered where all those extra zeros had come from, and then I figured out that Woulda Coulda Shoulda was the Yahoo! Pick of the Day.
In April of 2005, I was featured on Blogging Baby. Along with an extreme close-up of my eyeball.
In January of 2005 the lovely women over at Mosaic Minds made me their Chick Pick in their Kindred Spirits edition. (I still love that interview, because Beverly was so kind and wonderful and I was so tickled and later that night we braided each others’ hair and had pillow fights and prank-called cute boys.)
Do you know about Blogging For Books? It’s a great little writing contest that lives over at Joshilyn Jackson’s blog nowadays where people write on a given theme and an established author judges the winners and gives away books. I won the very first B4B contest in 2004 with this entry about the most remarkable compassion ever shown to me.
In the third quarter of 2004, Woulda Coulda Shoulda was a finalist for Best New Journal in the Diarist Awards.
