1.) If you could live in any country but the United States, where would you live?
Well, I don't live in the United States, I live in Canada. ; ) I am a very proud Canadian, & I really can't envision living anywhere else, at least permanently. But I wouldn't mind spending some time in a few other places. England comes to mind -- so much history there, so many books I've read that were set there (& at least I speak the language, lol).
2.) Why did you title your blog “The Road Less Travelled”?
Because the road I am on -- living childless/free after loss & infertility -- is not one that gets written or talked about much (although I suspect it is a much more commonly travelled road than many people realize). Also, I love the Frost poem. ; ) Another title I gave serious consideration to was "Childless Mother."
3.) How many “in real life” people know about your blog?
My dh, and that's about it -- I think? (I hope??) ; )
4.) Why did you decide to start blogging?
I was fortunate to have found support on a couple of (mostly small & not that active) message boards for women in my situation, early on after we made our decision. They are still a huge source of support for me, but I was intrigued when I started reading loss & infertility blogs. I had been reading Stirrup Queens, & checking out the childless/free blogs on her blogroll. Aside from a few brilliant women such as Pamela Jeanne, there weren't that many women out there blogging about the childless/free option. I liked the idea of exploring loss, infertility & childless/free themes in a blog format. And I loved reading the book club posts. I was dying to add my own $.02 to some of the discussions and so, with some encouragement from Mel, I started this blog in October 2007. : ) This was nine years after our daughter's stillbirth, & six years after making the decision to stop infertility treatments, which may seem odd, as most blogs seem to begin shortly after a loss or as people are beginning IF treatment... but I found that I still had plenty that I wanted to say/write about on the subject!
5.) What kind of clothes do you wear?
At home, you will mostly find me in jeans, shorts (in the summer) or yoga pants with a T-shirt. I'm fortunate that I can wear "business casual" to work. I can't remember the last time I wore a dress or skirt to work (actually, I do have a couple of sundresses I will wear when it gets REALLY hot & humid outside, paired with a cardigan for indoor office wear). I shop frequently at Reitmans & the Gap, and also frequent Cleo, Laura, Northern Reflections & Cotton Ginny (although the last two are getting harder to find these days!).
6.) What are you having for dinner tonight?
Shake & Bake chicken with brown rice & peas.
7.) Where do you “blog”?
On my laptop, usually sitting on our loveseat. Sometimes, if inspiration strikes me at the office, I will draft a post & e-mail it to my home address for further elaboration & publication later from home.
8.) Do you like to cook?
I don't mind it -- but I like to do it when I'm not rushed or tired & hungry, as I often am when we get home at night. :p Hence, dh does most of the cooking on weeknights! ; )
9.) What’s your beverage of choice at night?
If you mean alcohol, dh & I are not big drinkers. We drink a lot of water. I try not to keep pop in the house, unless we have company coming. The exception being Oscar night, when I will get a bottle of Coke to have with popcorn. ; ) I also love tea, but not at night, because of the caffeine.
10.) What would you most like to know about your fellow bloggers who read this?
Like Rebecca, I’d like to know how they found my blog, and what keeps them coming back. And what, if anything, they’d like to know more about me.
I found your blog from the Lost and Found blog you mentioned above. I was trying to find other blogs from people who are without children.
ReplyDelete(ment). I have friends who just lost their child. I am going to refer them to your blog when the time is right because I think it is such an great place to read about the emotions that many of us feel. Thank you for always posting.
One last thing. I thought it was interesting that your blog is private from the people you know. That is really interesting to me. Maybe one day I'll start a blog for the world with that idea in mind. That the people I know don't need to be informed and follow along with every emotion.
I think I found you through you leaving a comment on Mels blog. What keeps me coming back is me facing the decision on which road to choose. While my past and present are different, it feels like a glimpse into a possible future. Confirmation of my fear that childless is the harder option, however hard my other options may seem now. So especially the fact that your decision was 9 years ago is valuable for me. Oh, and of course I like your writing, your common sense and view of the world.
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I loved this post, and enjoyed learning more about you. For the record, you aren't the only household where the DH cooks on weeknights. Mine does, too! Thank goodness for wonderful husbands. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for (stealing and) sharing the meme with us. I oddly found your blog because I thought it was travel-related. Either way, I was right here.
ReplyDeleteI started to blog more than 2 years after my son's stillbirth (and I thought I was a late bloomer but now look at you) - but just like you I found out I had quite a bit to say anyway. Well, better late than never. I hardly talked about it before because I hoped the pain would just go away then (insert dry smile).
I think I found your blog through "The Maybe Baby" blog. Like Colleen, I was looking for blogs of people without children, as I was going through the giving up process.
ReplyDeleteI did this one on my blog too :) I found your blog from Mel's blog roll when I was looking for childfree life-after-IF blogs. I love the name of your blog btw - I've always thought it was very fitting and lovely.
ReplyDeleteWhat brings me back? Your insights, our shared experience of building new lives and, of course, our online friendship.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember how I found your blog. I think it was from seeing your comments on another blog and clicking on your profile. I am in a different situation, my husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor when my son was 10 months old. Among many struggles was the real pain of my family hopes changed forever. I find great insight in your writing, how you balance your grief for Katie and a life you imagined with meaningful living in the present. You're an inspiration.
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