My bloggy friend, Sweaty, of Do Sweat the Small Stuff is celebrating with 4 others her first blogaversary!!!  And because she is such a cool person she is doing a really neat anniversary link up complete with prizes!!! So of course I decided to show her my bloggy support and join in.  Check out her blog for more details–it is worth a look. She is an amazing person who is honest and writes about some really heartfelt topics that people don’t always talk about.  And of course, check out the blogs of her friends, John, Ryan, Tracy, and Missy.  Click on their names to go directly to their blogs in a new window.

There you have it—the blogging prompts and I have chosen one to expound on today!  I decided on 5 Bloggers that have influenced my journey and why. Hard to narrow it down to just 5!!! Here you go!!! And don’t forget–this lasts all week so you have a lot of days to join in and meet some new bloggers!!!  How exciting is that?

My answers!!!

1. Without a doubt Bernie at One Mixed Bag.  I started following Bernie about a year ago –found her on another blog hop and got sucked in. She has to be, by far, one of the kindest and most genuine people that I have ever met.  She is funny —hysterical actually, and I love to read her adventures of life with Mr. Bernie.  She loves vintage ads and her Wordless Wednesday posts never cease to amaze me because of the absurdity of them!  Bernie has a heart of gold and it is evidenced in the way she rallies around others who might need a little help and hand up during difficult times as she recently did for a friend who was starting an Etsy shop and needed supplies.

2. Diane at Tangled in Kudzu is a wonderful writer and now friend.  Her blog used to be called Simply Diane until recently when she decided to shift directions and start writing about her experiences as a Southern Mama.  Her writing is humorous and heartfelt and usually produces a guffaw here and there!  She also writes on The Eye Roll Diaries where she and several others write about life with teenagers.   Diane is generous and kind and all of those things that you associate with a Southern Belle!!!  She always makes me think about things differently and has been so supportive of my blogging adventure that she had to be on my list!

3. Jake/Jack at Poems and Ponderings has a great way of putting words together to create poems that touch the heart.  Though he wishes he were a country song writer he is gracing all who visit his blog with some wonderful pieces of prose and poetry that inspire and sometimes make me laugh.  Jake has been one of my biggest fans and supporters since we “found” each other and his encouragement and comments do nothing but encourage me to keep on with the writing and maybe someday…..Jake is funny and witty and gifted and that is what draws me back to his blog time and time again!

4. Christine at Random Thoughts from Midlife is an incredible woman and writer. She has written a book about her beloved sister, Annie, who though disabled lived a life that touched many.  Christine is such a gifted writer and also posts many of her beautiful photographs that touch me just with one look.  Christine  consistently writes good posts—whether it is about her book journey or about her father who has Alzheimer’s –she always touches me with her sincerity and honesty.   Definitely an up and coming writer, in my humble opinion, she has become one of my bloggy friends that I look forward to reading.

5.  Finally I have to give a shout out to Karen and Gerard over at Right Where We Belong and Grab a Book from Our Stack because they are where I got the idea to do Comments for a Cause.  When I first visited their book blog I realized that they had huge hearts .  For each comment made on their blog they donate 50 cents to a different charity each month.  I thought that was such a great idea so I have adopted that on my blog and it has been THE best thing that I have done.  Not only am I able to donate to some great places I am learning a lot about some charities and organizations that I knew nothing about before.  Karen and Gerard have a couple of great blogs for avid book readers and for folks who just like to read about everyday adventures.

So there you have it!  And of course, Sweaty!!!  I have not followed the others in the link up until recently and am falling in love with all of them, too! There are not enough hours in the day to read them all but they are all worth a look, that is for sure!!!

I can never get the linky to work right so just click here and it will take you to Sweaty’s post about this and you can link up there if you want!!!