number 1

Today is my 28th birthday. It is also the day of my first Blip on this account. This is intentional, in case you were wondering.
I have two old Blipfoto accounts but I have not accessed either in about 10 years. They’re both somewhat of a time capsule; a photo array of my late teenage years spent navigating high school and college. They’re embarrassing and shallow but isn’t that pretty much what a teenager is? I have no intention of returning to either account and will likely keep them private. A digital photo album of my youth for me to look back on when I’m feeling nostalgic and perhaps a little glum.
But this account, this one I intend to return to. Daily posts are the goal but I have issues with consistency so maybe it’s ostentatiously optimistic for me to expect that. But I will try. That I promise you. I’ve always been big into “New Year’s resolutions” but I find I have a hard time keeping to them. This year I wanted to try something new. Instead of waiting until January 1st, I decided to try and start a new habit on my birthday. A new year of life seems a good a time as any to try and start a new habit, no?
A little bit about me. I’m (newly) 28 and a current resident of SW Montana. If you’re familiar with the area you can probably figure out where I live. I don’t intend to be obvious about it, but it’s not something I intend to keep hidden either. I’m recently married to my partner of over 7 years (we’ll call him Jake) and I live on 20 rural/forested acres. I have two dogs (one of whom is pictured here), a cat and a very ancient and mean hamster. I grew up on Long Island in NY, spent my college years in San Diego CA and now reside in Montana. I like it here. It’s cold and snows a lot but the scenery is breathtaking even if I chance my life every time I drive on the I-90 in the winter.
The reason I am returning to Blipfoto with a new account after an almost decade long hiatus is truly not all that interesting, but it is important. To me at least. I spend most days alone, save for the company of my pets and my husband when he gets home from work. Due to circumstances beyond my control (and some in my control that I just really do not want to deal with at this moment in time) I am not really working. I walk dogs and pet sit for petty cash but I lack for much human interaction. Growing up I would’ve been so ok with the idea of this, but it turns out even jaded introverted souls like me can get lonely. I find myself in my own head a lot and as it turns out that is not always a fun place to be. I did some thinking (and a bit of googling) and the idea of journaling came up a few times as a means to express myself and let some of my pent up thoughts out. Now I could just do this the old fashioned way by writing my ideas down, but I quite liked the concept of having a picture for every day as well. The idea of other people reading my thoughts and seeing my images also appealed to me. It’s silly but it made me feel less alone. And thus, the creation of this Blipfoto account commenced.
I fully acknowledge that I have been rambling this entire time, and if you’re still with me then kudos to you! You have more patience than most, and I appreciate that. This seems like a good time to thank you for coming along on this journey with me to document my thoughts and days. I hope this works.