RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS – ONE YEAR OF BLOGGING!

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ONE YEAR OF BLOGGING

This week I have been blogging for a whole year! I am absolutely amazed, shocked and proud of myself.  I can’t believe that I did that. I was reluctant to start blogging because I am not a writer and my grammar is not the best. I was asked by a couple of friends to start blogging. I told them I would try it for a couple of months and go from there. Well here I am a year later. Blogging twice a week has been an amazing experience for me.

What happened in those two months of the trial period was eye opening to me. I fell in love with writing a blog! I looked forward to getting on my laptop to start a blog. During this trial period, I received an email from a book author. In her email, she said how much she enjoyed reading my blogs. She encouraged me, and she gave me some constructive criticism on how to improve my writing. I was so excited about that email, I printed it out and have it in my office at work. That was in April of 2017. Amazing what a few words of encouragement can do.

The most important thing I have come to realize in my blogging is this. One evening I was looking over all of my blogs that I have written and realized that I am writing about my life, my personal experiences, detailed things about me. My inner most thoughts, things I believe in, people I meet. I thought to myself, what a wonderful gift these blogs are for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. After I am long gone they can read about what grandpa did.  I would give anything to have something like this about my grandfathers, who I did not know very well. If they would have blogged, I would know what kind of persons they were, what was important to them, what they liked and didn’t like.

I can’t tell you what it has meant to me this past year to have someone come up to me and tell me how much they enjoy reading my blogs. I had one nice lady tell me she reads all my blogs. In one blog, I wrote about getting the finger twice in one day from other drivers. This wonderful lady laughed with me when she told me she has gotten the finger from other drivers many times. So funny.

So this is why I blog. I blog for my grand kids and their kids. I blog so elderly women can have a laugh or two. Blogging has been good therapy for me. Blogging has been so much fun. I thank a number of people for helping me this year. I thank Brittany Haugen of Tech Yes Integration and my editors. Yes, I told you my grammar and writing is not the best. I need editors. My wife Roxie and our office assistant at KLQP Hannah Muntean are my editors. They often shake their heads at me after reading my first draft.  I really appreciate both of them. I would also like to thank my son Brandon for putting my blogs into a book format. Last and not least I would like to thank all of you that read my blogs and follow me on WordPress and Facebook. Thank you. I am looking forward to another year of blogging.

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RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS -HOW BLOGGING HAS CHANGED ME

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HOW BLOGGING HAS CHANGED ME

Last April, a number of friends encouraged me to start a blog. I said no a number of times. I found a number of excuses. I didn’t have the desire to do so. I don’t need another thing to do. I am not a good writer and why would anybody care about what I was doing or what I had to say? Plus, I knew absolutely nothing about blogging.

However, my friends were persistent. They were very encouraging. They told me I was a good storyteller and I needed to put my stories on paper. Finally, I said I would try it for a few months. Well, here we are. It is December and I am still blogging.

 Blogging is really awesome. You can blog about literally anything, and ideas for new blogs come from even the most basic of things. It is crazy how easily you can create new content and it’s so much fun because of that. I never stress about a new subject, about upcoming blogs, because there is so much to write about. You really can express yourself. 

I write twice a week and release my two blogs on Wednesday and Sunday evening respectively. I have set a few blogging rules for myself. Rule number one: stay positive and encouraging. Rule number two: if I’m sharing personal information about others, get their approval before posting. Rule number three: be kind. Some people have asked me why I don’t blog about politics. My answer: because it divides people. After you read my blog I want you to have a smile on your face.

How has blogging changed me? On my birthday my son, Brandon, printed all my blogs and put them into a book. It has a cover and table of contents with an introduction from Brandon. He said “I created this book so that your grandchildren and great-grandchildren can have a keepsake describing your life”. How cool is that? I had never thought of that while starting my blog. I had not realized how accurately my blogs depicted my thoughts, feelings, and events throughout my life.  I would have loved to have a blog that was written by my grandfather, who I did not know very well. I could see what his life was like daily, what his thoughts were, what was important to him.

 Something special happens when you put your thoughts down on paper. Blogging has created an outlet for me to write about my experiences…blogging is a way for me to relate to others.  It has given me something new to enjoy each time I start typing up a new post.

The support I have received has been incredible. It means a lot that people take time out of their day to read my stories and I thank everyone so much for it. 

 

 

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RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS – GLIMPSE INTO GRANDPA’S LIFE

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GLIMPSE INTO GRANDPA’S LIFE

It was last winter at a basketball game that someone first mentioned to me that I should write a blog. Why should I write a blog? I asked her.  She said to me, how she enjoys following me on Facebook and all the different things and events that I do. It’s just fun to see what you’re up too and where you are.

I explained to her, that it is because of my job at the radio station that I get to meet many people and do so many different things. I finished telling her that I am not a writer, that I am a radio guy, I talk! I was flattered by the fact that someone was interested in what I was doing. It was a few weeks later that another person had said almost the same thing to me. When that happened I went home and googled ‘Blogging’.

I knew nothing about blogging, so I was surprised to find out just how big blogging is on the internet. Its huge. I do remember the movie “Julie & Julia” with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. How the character played by Amy Adams “blogged” about making a recipe from Julia Childs cookbook and blogging about her experience every day.

Then it was like God confirmed to me that I should take up blogging when a third person mentioned it to me and encouraged me a lot to do this. So in April I wrote my first blog. Brittany Haugen was instrumental in getting me started in this adventure and helped me get things set up on the internet.  My wife Roxie is my editor. Both of them have assisted me greatly in this.

 I did struggle at first. You see, I am not a writer. My English is terrible. So kids if you’re reading this pay attention in English class. I decided to give it a trial run, because I really don’t need another thing to do.  I was only going to do this for a month or two. My plan was to do two blogs a week, Wednesday and Sunday.  

What happened in those two months of the trial period was shocking and amazing to me. I fell in love with writing a blog! I’m hooked! During the trial period, I received an email from a real writer, an author of books! She said in her email how much she enjoys reading my blogs, she encouraged me, she gave me some constructive criticisms on how to improve my writing. I was so excited about that email, I printed it out and have it in my office at work. That was in April of 2017.

But the most important thing I have come to realize in my blogging, is this. I have done around 60 blogs so far, and if you print them out and put them in a folder, you have a thick book. Which I have done. One evening I was looking over all my blogs that I have written and realized that I am writing about my life, my experiences in life. Detailed things about me. My inner most thoughts, things I believe in, people I meet. What I am about.

I thought to myself what a wonderful gift this is for my own grandchildren to have. For them to read after I am long gone. Even my great-great grandchildren to read about their grandfather that they never met. I would give anything to have something like this about my grandfather, who died when I was very young and didn’t really know him. But if he would have blogged, like I’m blogging. I would know what kind of person he was, what was important to him. That would be cool.

I mentioned this to my son Brandon about a month ago, and for my 60th birthday he handed me a book. A book with all my blogs in it. I cried.

It looks so professional, like I’m a real writer. The blue cover simply says Raymo’s Rambling by Paul Raymo and on the inside of the cover it says:

Raymo’s Ramblings: A glimpse into the life of Paul Raymo

Now I blog for my grandchildren and my great grandchildren and my great great grandchildren.

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