Welcome to My New Home

Way back in May, 2003, I started a blog. Actually, Luke set it up for me. Beyond basic e-mail, the Internet was mostly a mystery to me, but I’d been posting comments on Luke’s LiveJournal for a few weeks, and several of his regular readers encouraged me to start one of my own. With much trepidation I decided to go for it. Like many people who blogged back then, I used a pseudonym and kept my identity and location a secret. I’d signed all my comments “L’s M” (for Luke’s Mom), so I morphed it into Ellezymn, and that became my blog handle.
From the start The View From Here was exactly what the title promised. I wrote about whatever happened to capture my fancy–a funny story from my day, a sweet or poignant memory, poetry, thoughts on faith, family, friendship. My first post contained only five words: “Okay. Um. Here we go.” Pathetic, I know, but I’d taken up residence in a bloggerhood where Luke had already established relationships with a core group of readers, and they all welcomed me with open arms and generous comments. I flourished into verbosity in no time. (And the crowd says, “Oh, big surprise THERE.)
I’d switched from teaching to writing for publication not long before I started my blog. Though the writing and blogging endeavors were initially unrelated, collision was inevitable. A year later, in May, 2004, I was asked to be one of the original members of the group blog, The Master’s Artist, and a year after that I signed on to write for another group author blog, Girls, God, and the Good Life. Since I wrote for those blogs under my real name, it was pointless to continue guarding my identity on LJ. I still used Ellezymn, but I added a link to my website.
Meanwhile, new blog hosts were springing up everywhere. I ventured outside my own cozy little ‘hood and discovered many fascinating communities–writers, artists, people who made me laugh, and people who made me think. I still had my little blue LJ house (it still looks exactly the way it did the day Luke launched it!), but I spent less and less time in LiveJournalLand.
A lot has changed in six and a half years. For a while now I’ve considered moving to a new bloggerhood, but I couldn’t bear the thought of losing all that history. I’ve preserved lots of precious memories through blog posts. When Peter Pollock assured me I could import all my posts and comments to WordPress, I finally decided to pack my boxes and leave my little blue outdated house behind. (Major props to Peter who even stepped in and helped when the encoding on my ancient posts caused an impost snag. You rock!)
So, here I am. I hope this means I’ll actually blog with more regularity. In the process of organizing and decorating this new house, I’ve skimmed a lot of past posts and comments. Such good times! Lots of laughs, and not a few tears. I hope my old neighbors will still drop by for a visit and there will be new ones to meet as well. I may be in boxes for a while–arranging things, assigning categories to old posts, etc.–but I already feel like I can spread out here. And the door’s always open.
Welcome to my new home. Don’t be a stranger, okay?