Blog "HOPPER" or Blog "STALKER"?? That is the question...

Have you ever had a day where you just wanted to sit and read other people's blogs? When I first started blogging 2 years ago (gosh times flies) I loved finding and reading blogs of people that I knew. Mostly I would just go to my friends/family sites and click on the links of other friends and family, then click on other friends and family and so on! I found a lot of old friends whom I'd lost touch with that way. I loved it and for awhile was quite addicted to it!

Well, about a month or so ago I was reading a bunch of blogs to catch up on everyone's holiday festivities. I had a million things to do but just couldn't seem to tear myself away from reading all the funny entries of my friends. I am constantly amazed at how some of you write! You are so clever and witty and turn every day events into stand up comedy! It's totally entertaining! Anyway, as I was "linking" (as I call it) around from site to site I started randomly clicking on the links of people I don't know! Again I loved reading their funny entries but mostly I would just look at their pictures to see if I knew them. I'd move on and link from their site to some other random persons site! Before I knew it I had wasted away hours of brainless "blog hopping"! I got great ideas from parenting ideas, to family activity ideas to cute blogging ideas! At one point one of the "random" links I clicked on had a link back to my sisters blog. Yes, I had stumbled upon someone who knew my sister. Not just knew her but knew her well enough to have her as one of her "favorite blogs". Crazy! So then it became a game! Who else did I know from linking randomly around cyber space? You'd be amazed at who you can find. One day I stumbled onto a site that was the family of a guy I'd grown up with. I also, randomly, stumbled onto an ex-boyfriends site, who again had links that connected me back to my sister's site...and people say I know everyone! Nope, I've learned that it is actually Heather who knows everyone... So anyway, a few times since then I have "blog hopped" my way around the internet. A few weeks ago I was on my sister in laws site and stumbled onto a site of a guy and his family who I used to work with in college who is now in my sister in laws Stake in Cali. His wife is adorable, their kids are adorable and it was fun to catch up on what he and his family have been up to over the past years...that is until this weekend!

Annie and I were in So. Cal. visiting for Grace's blessing and went to the performance of "Savior of the World". During the show I saw that this friend was one of the cast members. I hadn't seen him in years so after the show I went to say hello. He introduced me to his wife and I proceded to tell them that I had stumbled onto their website a few weeks ago. I went on and on about how cute their family is and what a good writer she is etc. After I babbled on and on she looked at me and with a very skeptical, "you are a crazy lady" look on her face she said "And how do you know my husband?". It was then that I realized how crazy I really am! THIS has got to stop! But how do I stop doing something I love doing so much? Through my embarassment of how crazy I must have sounded to these people, I came up with some rules to be followed when Blog "HOPPING" so as not to be mistaken as a Blog "STALKER". The rules are quite simple and easy to follow! They are:
#1 When Blog "hopping" be sure to make comments on the blogs that you come across where you know the person
AND
#2 If you don't make a comment, do NOT, under any circumstances, tell the person, if you ever happen to meet them, that you "found" their blog and have read it for the minute the words "I've read your blog" come out of your mouth, you are instantly changed from a blog "HOPPER" into a blog "STALKER" and although most of us are Blog "STALKERS" we most definitely don't want anyone to know it! :-)