April's A - Z Challenge: Reflections of the Challenge

I’m excited because I have successfully completed April's A-Z Challenge!  The challenge was to post daily, Monday through Saturday, and to follow the alphabet along the way.  Those of you who know me, know that I usually post once or twice a day on a regular basis, so it wasn’t a big surprise that I would complete what I started out to do on this one.  Still, I do feel a feeling of accomplishment.  I am so glad that I spotted the Challenge on my friend Lisa's blog, Writing In The Buff, a couple of days before it began.

By the end of tomorrow, I will hopefully hit post number 1300 since I began this blog in November 2008.  I did write many new posts during the past month, but I also recycled some of my older, favorite posts too.  It was good to go back, view my old work, and show it to you new readers.  Thank to you my regular, daily readers who had to wade through a few reruns brought to you by the letter of the day.  I hope you didn’t get bored!  I discovered old photos and put them to new use too.  

I am thrilled with my newest readers, and with finding lots of great blogs that I would not have ever known about without A-Z.  I have gained 25 new followers this month, which is a miracle, because I only had 64 when I started the challenge. Thanks, everybody!  If you want to read each post, I have them listed in alphabetical order on the top of my sidebar.   

I tried to visit ten new blogs each day, and I visited and replied to everybody who commented on my posts.  That is my normal practice anyway, at this point.  I didn't keep track of how many new people that I am following, but it is probably around 30 or so.  

There are some fantastic blogs out there, you guys!  Many people made their posts easy, and some made their posts really intensive.  All those interviews that Dierdra over at A Storybook World did!  So much work went into each of those, and she also gave many of us her originally illustrated awards, thank you very much!  I appreciate everybody who worked so hard to meet this challenge.  I loved seeing what my "already friends" would come up with each day.  If I start listing names, I'm sure to leave somebody out, so I won't try to do that tonight. 

I found the whole challenge a very pleasant experience.  I want to thank Arlee and the rest of the hosts who spent all month on the technicalities and facilitation.  That was a lot of work and commitment for each of you. Here is their list of names and blog names:

Jeffrey Beesler's
  World of the Scribe 

 
Alex J. Cavanaugh 
 Alex J. Cavanaugh 

 
Jen Daiker's 
 Unedited 

 
Candace Ganger's
  The Misadventures in Candyland 

 
Karen J Gowen at
 Coming Down the Mountain 

 
Talli Roland 

 
Stephen Tremp's
  Breakthrough Blogs

There is now an optional follow-up discussion group that challenge participates can participate in.  I have decided to go ahead and do this so that I can get to know the others better. 

Kathy

The A - Z Challenge is now all done! It was hosted by  Arlee Bird's: Tossing It Out and several others.  Several of my blogging friends participated, and this year there are over 1,200 participants. We posted everyday, except for Sundays, and worked our way through the alphabet. When you are all done here at Oregon Gifts,  please click here to visit the other bloggers who participated in this challenge.

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