This sounds like it could be a line out of The Hobbit! But at the time of my last blog, my son had left Xanga and moved to L.A., while we were firmly ensconced in our Illinois farmhouse and the girls were living elsewhere in Illinois. Fast forward almost 8 years and the whole family is living in L.A., where Joel and I work for tech companies and all three of the kids are married.

Joel used to work for Xanga, so the Xanga blogs have a special place in our heart and memory.

And let me add a book tip - which is, I think how Xanga got its start: if you're an introvert, be sure to read Susan Cain's book Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. Great read and full of practical observations that can help introverts give their best to the rest of their fellow women and men.