The New Look of Cuteculturechick.com

After hinting around for a few weeks, I'm finally ready to announce the relaunch of my beloved site http://www.cuteculturechick.com

For the last month, I've been comparison-shopping web hosts, rethinking the vision and scope of my future contributions to the interwebs and bloggosphere. I want to offer more tips and tricks on discount travel, be an advocate for aviation families, highlight guest authors, and pursue sponsorships and philanthropy. The conclusion I came to was that my goals were not reasonable on the Blogger platform, and I've been playing "getting to know you" with Wordpress.

It's a bittersweet separation. I've been publishing through Blogger since 2002. I know the ins-and-outs of their editing and publishing (minus the super-tricky HTML). I've got almost all of my web-related life connected through Google. But I have exciting ideas for my site, will be expanding into more of a website than "just a blog." I also made up some super spiffy business cards as well (you know, to throw into "free meal" jars at restaurants).


For those who subscribe in Google Reader (or other RSS service), please update your feed to

http://www.cuteculturechick.com/feed

Click on over, have a looksie. I think you'll dig it.

(Just forgive the broken links and updating in process. It will be up to speed soon enough)

Reader Favorites

For those new to my blog, you may not know that I've been blogging for nearly 8 years. I decided to compile a list of posts that give you a good taste of my writing style and personality. Based off of Google Analytics data, search engine traffic, and reader comments, the following posts are my most popular works of blogging art.

Digeridoo for Sleep Apnea

The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love

Blog Stalking: Creepy or Complimentary?

The Ultimate High School Stalker Letter

Missy Higgins, et al.

Healthcare Rant: When Quality Care Goes Wrong

Nine Top-9's of 2009

Colgan 3407

20 Things I Didn't Expect This Decade

Cuteculturechic's Twexicon

Wise Words from Sully

One Year Since The Gaping Jaws of Death

Home is a Special Kind of Feeling

And Now It's Time For Another Cartoon, Here we Gooooo!

The Dainty Wildflower

CRJ-200: 1, Duck Family: 0

My Infamous Banana Bread Recipe

The Importance of December 5th

If you like what you read, feel free to click on the sidebar and become a follower of www.cuteculturechick.com . Believe me, there's more where that came from.

Making Money with Blogging?

I'm curious to know... how many of you readers have made any money off of your blogs and websites? I just signed up with MomsMakeMoneyBlogging.com and hope to find great success. I've been blogging since 2002, and after investing so much blood, sweat, and tears (with a fair dose of TMI), I'm ready for a little payback :) Have you had any payback? Did you consider yourself a sell-out? Want to join the journey with me? Click below for more info:

Pineapple Teriyaki Wheat Thins??? Seriously?

Last night I dreamed that I was asked by Nabisco to review their new (not real) Pineapple Teriyaki Wheat Thins on my new review blog, Nicole Rates It. In the dream (not in real life) I was pregnant and I thought they were the best cracker ever. I downed a whole box in one sitting. I gave them an overwhelmingly positive review on my blog, and Food Network caught news of the posting. Food Network was so impressed that they offered me a job as a host of my own show. On my first episode, a panel of judges decided to have a tasting of the Pineapple Teriyaki crackers, and everyone HATED them. I was laughed off the show, and the network gave me a large lump-sum check to never mention them in my blog again.

So strange!

What kind of crazy person would think this cracker flavor was marketable, let alone edible?

Blog Stalking - Creepy or Complimentary?

I am certifiably addicted to blogs. I've been a blogger on and off for seven years. As of today, I have 357 different subscriptions in my Google Reader, plus about 15 private blogs I follow (yeah, I know I'm crazy). I don't read EVERYTHING in detail, and I usually only comment if there's something particularly noteworthy. I'd do nothing but read blogs if I commented on every post (which I used to do). Some blogs I've been following as far back as 2002, and I stick in a few new subscriptions a month.

When I find a blog that strikes my interest, I usually read it all the way back to the beginning. That way I have reference to different family member names, significant events, etc. I spent the better part of my free time reading all of the archives on Dooce this summer. I've met approximately 20 of my blogger friends in the last two years in real life. After reading their stories, I rarely have any awkwardness meeting IRL. I call this "reading all the way back to the beginning of the blog" phenomenon blog stalking. When I tell a fellow blogger that I've stalked them, I mean it as a great compliment.

A few months ago I stumbled upon a blog of a girl from my ward. She had an interesting story and wonderful humor, and I read all of her archives. She was an acquaintence, we had common friends, and I requested her as a friend on Facebook. She immediately accepted, and we chatted well into the evening about various topics. We had kids in the same primary class, went to the same college, and I was looking forward to getting to know her better. The next time I saw her at church, I told her I'd stalked her blog back to the beginning. After church I went to look at her FB page, and she had disappeared. Not only off my friends' list, but she wasn't even found in the search feature. This means she had unfriended AND blocked me. Then I went to her blog...it was changed from public to private. Every subsequent time I tried to talk to her, she acted nervous and began avoiding me. I don't remember saying anything offensive to her....my only guess is that she was creeped out by the term "blog stalking."

Another blogging acquaintence friended me on FB this week, and we also had a good instant message conversation. I joked that I enjoyed stalking her blog, and she replied that she liked stalking mine. Yesterday I decided to contact her on FB to ask her out to lunch....and it was like deja vu - off my friends list, all previous wall posts disappeared, and not found in search. I know that being "friends" online isn't the most important thing...but I've been feeling sad about it.

So opinion time...do you think the term "blog stalking" is creepy or complimentary?

500th Post!

I am excited to report that I've been blogging continuously for nearly 5 years (my bloggiversary is June 8th, 2004) For those who haven't known me very long, or just recently found my blog, here's a list of blog highlights for your viewing pleasure:

6/14/04 - The first time I blogged about my sleep problems (Yep, almost 5 years ago)
6/24/04 - Getting to know me, 2004 style
6/27/04 - Some depressing poetry after a bad breakup
7/7/04 - When the tides turned with Taylor on the 4th of July
7/11/04 - My last date with someone else, and my first kiss with Taylor
7/14/04 - The first email I got from Taylor, and rundown of our first dates
8/31/04 - Taylor's proposal, and meeting his parents
10/25/04 - The wedding and honeymoon to California
6/4/06 - Why I love living in California
4/15/07 - My visit to Florida to see Taylor at Jet University
6/16/07 - All the concerts I'd attended up to 2007
9/13/07 - Ode to Rosie on her 7th Birthday
11/9/07 - My first trip to Detroit Michigan
11/16/07 - 6 Odd Facts about Me
11/16/07 - Ode to Ramblin' Rod
11/27/07 - Taylor's Birdstrike
11/23/07 - My last Christmas at my home in Murray, UT
1/13/08 - My dad's car accident that nearly took his life
1/22/08 - A list of over 11,000 Miles I traveled in the US in one month
1/30/08 - My semi-famous gooey banana bread pudding recipe
2/14/08 - Pics of my dad's crash
2/24/08 - One of my favorite trips to California
3/2/08 - Adventures in teaching primary
3/10/08 - An impromptu trip to New England
3/12/08 - My personality type - ENFP
4/13/08 - When Michigan started getting me down
5/6/08 - On a day I wish I were medicated
8/10/08 - My 10 Year High School Reunion
9/20/08 - Rosie's Baptism
10/2/08 - Ode to Clint
10/4/08 - The story of Taylor and I - 4th year anniversary edition
10/19/08 - Our family trip to Hell (MI)
10/29/08 - Rosie and I at the NKOTB Concert
11/14/08 - Why my blog will not go private
11/22/08 - A Twilight Girls Night Out
11/27/08 - My Quest to find Pirates of Penzance on DVD
12/2/08 - Technology Decade
12/5/08 - The Importance of December 5th
12/15/08 - The Top Twelves of 2008
1/1/09 - 2008 Year in Review and my Life Soundtrack
1/11/09 - One Year Since the Gaping Jaws of Death
1/22/09 - Pilot Wife Resources
1/15/09 - My Memphis Valentine
2/28/09 - Missy Higgins, et al
3/1/09 - My choral life
3/20/09 - NKOTB Photo Megapost
3/30/09 - Return to me
4/5/09 - Pilot Wives Club Chicago Meet-up: Oh, What a Night!

And there you have it! My favorite and best blog posts of the last 5 years and 500 posts! Which ones are your favorite?

Post 499: MIA?, Portland Trip, and non-revving nightmare

Thank you to all those who checked up on me to see if I was okay. "A week without blogging? Are you seriously ill?", several people asked. No..I'm not ill - just in need of a break from the rigors of creativity and daily blogging.

The Portland trip was exciting and exhausting. Rosie and I flew in Friday night and stayed in Tualatin with the Grahams, a family that my family has known for decades. Saturday was fun, start to finish. I had breakfast with Coral, a middle school friend, at Rose's in West Linn. We had the cinnamon roll french toast (to DIE for) and got caught up on all we've missed in the last 12 years. Next, we drove back to Tualatin by way of the Wanker's Corner general store (where we got drinks and snacks.) Our original purpose for going to Portland was to attend a wedding reception for Rosie's cousin...but we didn't realize we'd put the wrong date down until after we got their gift. We met Carisa, an elementary school friend, for drinks at Starbucks. She's getting married this year, and it was fun to hear all about her fiance.

For lunch, we went to Newport Bay Restaurant with my aunt Laurie and cousin Christi. We hadn't seen each other in 7 years at Grandpa Gene's funeral, so it was lovely to have some family time with relatives I rarely get to see. We did a little shopping around Washington Square Mall, then I followed Laurie over to Auntie Dona and Uncle Bob's house. Their daughter Margi found out I was over and she immediately joined us. We caught up and reminisced for the afternoon. Aterwards, I dropped by my cousin Jillian's apartment. Her husband just graduated medical school, and they're off to Colorado at the end of the month for Ben's pathology residency. They gave us a McCormick and Schmick's gift card, so we had a free super-fresh seafood dinner there after pics at the Portland Temple. We arrived back at the Grahams' around 9, visited until my eyelids could no longer stay open, and set my alarm for 3:40 am.

We woke up, packed our bags, and went out to our rental car. Once inside, we realized that things were missing...my Blackberry and Ipod chargers, some papers and food items. It didn't look like the car had been broken into, so I'm guessing the rental car's alarm clicker wasn't working. Luckily the chargers can be replaced. We drove to the airport, grabbed some breakfast, dropped off the car, and waited through a horrid security line at PDX. I complained over the 40 minute wait...but little did I know the non-revving disaster I was about to encounter.

We tried for the 6:00 am ATL flight - we were part of the 9 that didn't make it on. Then we tried for the SLC flight - denied again. Tried for a MSP NWA flight - nope. Tried for another ATL and SLC flight - was told our best option was to get an ID-90 pass from Horizon, fly to Seattle, and get a SEA-ATL non-stop flight. We waited till we didn't get on another MSP flight, went out of security, purchased the passes, walked across the airport again to Horizon's gates, where the gate agent said our luck was pretty bleak to get on a SEA flight standby. So we went back across the airport to try for the last SLC flight - denied again. Finally, we made it on a MSP flight at the last second, and we had to check our bags. Once we were in Minneapolis, we were too late to make it on any outgoing flights. Taylor Priceline'd an "airport hotel" that didn't have a shuttle and was nowhere near the airport. We paid so much in cab fare that we could have gotten a really nice hotel. We got about 5 hours sleep before the 3:30 am alarm woke us up, the cab took us back to the airport, and we were crossing our fingers for the 5:15 am ATL flight. We were top of the list, made it on, and were able to sit together. We touched down in ATL just before 9:00 am - which meant I was late for work.

It was a bittersweet trip: wonderful visits and horrible trip home. Was it worth it? I say yes cautiously : this experience has put the fear of the flight Gods back into me. I don't think I'm going to tempt fate like this again when flight loads aren't wide open. The next time I fly will be on a confirmed positive space ticket.

A Problem in the Code

I have been using Google Analytics for tracking on my blog for a few months...or so I thought. I used to religiously check who my visitors were, what they searched for, where their IP addresses were located. I decided I was too obsessed with it, so I stopped checking it every day. About a month ago when I had my blog makeover, it looks like the tracking code was deleted. I haven't had any tracking since March 8...and this has been my busiest month ever! I have been scanning the info in Sitemeter for info: I've had 3,110 hits for March...but I can't drill down into specific days to see who was stalking me, what key words were searched, etc. Bummer...I was expecting to see greatness this morning.

Please forgive the post spamming

I know that I'm getting fairly close to 500 lifetime blog posts. All of my stuff from 2004-2005 was published from Livejournal and Myspace, and I stuck them in lumps of posts. Feel free to peruse, or to ignore my old stuff...I just want a more accurate record. 500 will be big!

(ps Maybe your Google Reader didn't get spammed after all. Mine didn't. After fixing the formatting and reposting, I went from 427 posts to 481. Look for a mid-April 500th post)

March Madness - CCCC edition

Hello friends, readers and blog stalkers!

Today begins March Madness - and as much as some love the NCAA...this March Madness is CuteCultureChick Comment edition (CCCC)! What this means, is that I'm going to reward the person who comments on my blog the most until April 6th (which is when the NCAA champion game will be played in Detroit)

The prize is two-fold...

I will make a custom care package to send to you upon winning AND I will do a bio of you on my blog. If we've been long-time friends, there will be pics of us together, funny stories, etc. If we don't know each other well, I will create a bio from what I know about you from your blog, Facebook, PWC, etc. Or if you don't want a bio, I can do a review of your favorite album, or advertise your website or business. I have a comment tracker that lets me know when you post a comment, and all previous historical blog posts count too! I started tracking from 12:00 am this morning, and I've got two comments so far!

Let the games begin!

New Layout

Hey folks who read my blog in Google Reader or other subscription feed:

I just updated my blog's layout with help from April and Heather. Two people have told me that my blog pages won't load without an error message. I've checked it on my three computers in Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Could you go to my page and comment, letting me know if you're having any problems with the page loading?

Kreativ Blogger Award

The KBA. It's not quite a Grammy (which as a young aspiring musician was my dream to achieve), but it's an award nonetheless. Mary just nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger award. This award includes me posting a list of random things to get to know me better. However, I have listed so many quirks lately between here and Facebook, plus have 5 years of content on the blog... I will relinquish that responsibility for acceptance of the award. I also am to nominate some of my favorite blogs that are unique and creative, and I believe you should read.

I hereby nominate:

Can't Catch Me - This is my cousin's blog. She is the mother of 3, including one son with autism. She has a beautiful writing style and is a very talented photographer. She captures the little moments that make life meaningful.

Sketchpot- This is my former bishop's art blog. I had no idea he was such a talented artist until a few months ago when I found the link to his blog on Facebook. My favorite sketch of all is his caricature of Michelle Obama.

Sweet Juniper - Two attorneys marry. Wife has baby, dad stays home with little baby Juniper. Enter Gram (baby #2) Dad keeps it real as a SAHD. If you want a cynical yet realistic view of life in Detroit, with amazing architectural photography, Junie is it.

Candy Blog - Who doesn't love candy? Especially new, unique, and international candy?As I try to lose weight, Candy blog will touch, taste, smell, and experience all the exotic and new candies that I have to leave alone.

Little Momma and Co - She's a pilot wife blogger, solely for the fact that her husband is a pilot, but her blog is definitely not aviation focused. She uses vibrant pictures and colors, with a fun vintage spin. Her blog is one of the few blogs whose multi-colored fonts and spacing don't give me a migraine.

April Showers - One of my fellow Modern Molly Mormon bloggers (she's Media Molly). She and I are so alike, it's almost uncanny. We're even addicted to the same Ben and Jerry's flavor. Definitely on my list of blogger friends I want to meet this year.

10,000

Today was a big day in my blogging career. According to my Sitemeter, I've had 10,000 unique visitor hits since I added it to my blog in January 2008 (I started blogging back in 2002, but have no idea how many hits happened prior to adding my meter). What does 10,000 equate to? It is roughly equivalent of the population in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Or the amount of steps one should walk to achieve improved health and fitness.

Another milestone was that I was approved to be a contributor to Modern Molly Mormon. It's a fun and witty site about being a modern Latter-Day Saint woman, without all the cliche stuff that one thinks about as a "Molly". All the writers have a fun "M" name, such as Married Molly, Mighty Molly, Moxie Molly, Media Molly, etc. I've chosen the name Mnemonic Molly (not demonic, pneumatic, or melodic like some people think I'm saying). You can see me listed here under the contributors section. My introductory post is HERE, and keep an eye on my Twitter feed for future posts. Stay tuned!

Are you surprised?

91%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

End Experiment

I got an idea of what I was looking for in Google Analytics. Now you can stalk me to your heart's content in full mode from the privacy of your Reader page.

Have you read my feature on Pilot Wives Club yet?


View my page on Pilot Wives Club

An Experiment

For all of those who have me in your Google reader...I'm curious how many people subscribe because I'm constantly finding about people stalking my blog in locations that never show up on my Sitemeter. For a while I'm going to post my blog in "short mode" and will only put the juicy details of my posts below the first 255 characters. No pictures will show up either. Just for a while, you guys!

Another blog button to choose from

Here's my retro blog button....also eligible for my contest. If the image doesn't fit well into your sidebar or footer, click "shrink to fit".

<a href="http://cuteculturechick.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1037/3173809056_0d513fee85.jpg?v=0" /></a>

Blog Button Contest

<a href="http://cuteculturechick.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/3169477965_84bd346fd5.jpg?v=0" /></a>

Here's my first attempt at a blog button. Copy and paste the code and add me to your blog sidebar. Do I think I could ever do this again? Maybe in the wee small hours of the morning when I had another creative explosion. If you add me to your blog, please comment. You'll be eligible to win a fabulous secret prize (valued at $10) Must complete by Wednesday, January 7 at 9:00 pm EST to be eligible.

Meeting Blogger Friends: Brittany

This is just my lucky week in meeting blogger friends! Brittany and I have been emailing for several months, as soon as she found my blog and knew I was moving to Atlanta. She lives down in Peachtree City, which isn't the closest place to Decatur (she told me she was secretly hoping I'd move there). We're both part of the Pilot Wives Club, and follow dozens of the same blogs. We both have the same stalker habit of finding a new blog, starting at the earliest post (even if it's years in the past) and reading all the way up to the current.

She and I spent a good chunk of our lives in the Salt Lake City area. Our parents live minutes apart. We love the same restaurants. It's like we're long lost friends, and I'm so excited we finally met. We've both been through horrible "starter marriages" and love the relationships we have with our pilots. Our husbands seem to have a lot in common, and I'm sure they'll hit it off when they meet, and spend WAY too much on XBOX Live. Her son Kaden and my Rosie hit it off great. We had dinner at Taco Mac and Kaden slid under the table to sit by Rosie. Back at the house, he was running around with his shirt off, trying to impress Rosie.

What do you think....arranged marriages for pilot children?

Rosie and Kaden hamming it up

If any of you pilot wives in the Atlanta area want to meet up sometime, Brittany and I would love to meet you. Or even if you live far away, come on in! We're looking forward to the Pilot Wives Club meet-up in Chicago in March. And I'll be having a birthday party the first weekend of February (as long as Taylor's schedule permits) that you're invited to attend. Email me for details.

Meeting Blogger Friends: Lori

Call me crazy, but I've never been one to shy away from meeting a new online friend. I'm gutsy and trusting, and I've made some amazing friends just by taking a chance. Heck, I met my husband from the internet! Last week in Cali, I tried to meet up with Hizzeather, but it wasn't in the cards due to difficult car situations. I'm looking forward to meeting Partner of a Pilot sometime in 2009 in England, as well as my ladies from Pilot Wives Club in March. And yesterday was my day to meet Lori.

Lori and I have been emailing for nearly a year, since she found me linked to my dad's accident blog. She randomly met my grandma waiting for a Temple Square flower tour in 2006. She got along well with grandma, and spent the rest of the trip in SLC with her. They've been keeping in touch via email, and we eventually started emailing. During this year she's faithfully followed my blog, and also began a blog of her own. I was going to be in her neck of the woods driving through Ohio, so we finally met up for lunch.

We tried to meet at Cavanaugh's Irish pub, but they weren't serving food yet. We settled on a Bob Evans' around the corner. We chatted and ate for about an hour. The funniest part for me is that she had the same haircut as Rosie! (long dark layers with bangs)

Thanks for lunch Lori! It was great to finally meet you!