C is for Communication (#AtoZChallenge)

The team decided our theme for this month's posts here would be a take "2020 visions of blogging." This set of weekday posts focuses on:

Memories from Blogging in the Past

I started blogging in 2007. I had just gotten a scholarship to study abroad in the USA for a year, and one of the first things my student adviser told me was "Start a blog. It's going to be a lot easier to keep people updated than sending out dozens of emails."
And that is how my blog started. For Communication, for Connection. At first, it was daily news for friends and family about my study abroad adventures. Later it morphed into reports from storytelling festivals and conferences. Then, in 2012, I joined the A to Z Challenge for the first time, and started sharing storytelling and folklore content regularly.
Through Comments, I was starting to make new friends, and meet new Colleagues. I became part of a Community.
Today, thirteen years later, my blog is a Combination of professional Content and reports from my travels and performances. I have grown as an artist and as a person. It is strange and nostalgic to look back at the very first posts, and remember when and how it all began.

How has your life changed since you started blogging? Did it change thanks to your blogging? What does it feel like to look back on the early days?

Ready to sign up for the challenge? Click this: Signup link

Already signed up? Grab a copy of the Master List! Click this: Master List

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Blogging Beginnings ( #AtoZChallenge )

  My A to Z overview starts out with some of my past memories from blogging and my journey from that first post until now...





Blogging Beginnings






         Way back in September of 2009 I was at a sort of crossroads of life.  My job of 18 years had ended earlier that year and having difficulty finding another job I was pondering my next step.  It was at that time that I started running across ads about starting a blog to make lots of money.  Rather than send in the $99 to take the advertised blogging course, I instead researched the topic on my own which led me to Blogger.  Starting a blog was easy though it took some time to learn the ropes.  In fact I'm still learning.

          Having been interested in writing since I was a kid, blogging seemed like the ideal creative outlet for me.  And I started out with a lot of enthusiasm for my new found outlet of blogging.  Initially I spent the better part of every day researching and writing my blog posts, exploring other blogs, and trying to come up with ideas of how to promote my blog to gain readers.    Early on I discovered that to attract readers I needed to visit other blogs and leave comments.

           The principle of reciprocal commenting and establishing blogging communities was the spark that inspired the first Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April of 2010.  This event caught on in a bigger way than I had expected and in that first year an amazing community of bloggers was built around the A to Z Challenge.

              Over the succeeding years we've seen bloggers come and go.  A handful of dedicated bloggers have participated in the Challenge since the beginning while many more have followed along to support the efforts of the A to Z bloggers.  That support fuels those of us who take on this yearly Challenge--just the encouragement we bloggers hope for.  That is the purpose of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge:  To expand interest in our blogs and to become better bloggers while connecting to others who have a similar goal.

             Some of my enthusiasm for blogging has waned since the earlier days of my adopted "career" and I don't put the same efforts into the endeavor as I once did, but I don't see myself stopping blogging.  For now I'm coasting in a sense, but I still see an explosion of functionality waiting for my blog.

           How about you?   How does your blogging experience compare?    Do you think you've found the real potential in your blog?    What lies ahead for you in regard to blogging?


*****************


Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins



You can see the list of all Blogs on our Master List!

#AtoZchallenge 2020 Anamnesis

Welcome to the eleventh year of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge! The team decided our theme for this month's posts here would be a take "2020 visions of blogging." Our first weekday posts focus on:

Memories from Blogging in the Past

Which brings us to the post title I used today:

Anamnesis

• the recollection or remembrance of the past; reminiscence
• the remembering of things from a supposed previous existence
• the ability to recall past events; recollection
• used as a narrative technique in fiction and poetry as well as in memoirs and autobiographies
• recollection, remembrance, reminiscence

This topic is special to me because I started my blog specifically so I could take part in the A to Z Challenge. I've since moved my blog, but Twitter never forgets! My first year, 2012, I did a month of posts about myself, and a month of posts about characters from my Fractions of Existence book. (The posts were mostly about the side characters.) Yes, I had the crazy idea to do two themes, to double post all month. The result? A lower comment count on both sets plus twice the work for me.

But my own posts weren't what kept me coming back for more. It was the community I found and the friends I made. I'd love to know how many of you have a comment from me on your April 2012 posts! It's great to remember why we started blogging and to see how far we've come. I hope you'll leave a comment over the next few days with your own memories of the blogging past.

Ready to sign up for the challenge? Click this: https://forms.gle/NHq5j25cNjZsishM9

Already signed up? Grab a copy of the Master List! Click this Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Theme Reveal 2020 #AtoZChallenge

It's time to reveal your theme for 2020! 

We'll even share our theme. It's 2020 Vision, of course! Join us here on the A to Z Blog all month long for posts from our team, and be sure to sign up with your theme reveal here.

Please make sure you share the link directly to your Theme Reveal Post and not your general blog post.

You can see your blog immediately on our Theme Reveal List and you can see the list of all Blogs on our Master List!

Be sure to sign up for the Theme Reveal by Thursday, March 26th! After that, the form will be closed. 

If you haven't signed up for the challenge on the Master List, you can do so here.

It's time!

It's time? Time for what?

Time to share your 2020 vision and sign up for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge!

Click here to fill out our Google Form to sign up. Once you've signed up, your blog will appear automatically on the Master List!

The form will be open until April 5th, so make sure to get your sign ups in ASAP!

If you have any questions about signing up, check out our posts from 2019 or 2018. In 2019, we outlined all the information you need to sign up, and in 2018, we posted helpful videos. Not much has changed since then!

Upcoming Dates:

• Monday, March 16th: Theme Reveal Posts
• Wednesday, April 1st: A to Z Challenge Begins
• Sunday, April 5th: Sign Ups for the Master List Close
• Monday, May 4th: Reflections
• Monday, May 18th: A to Z Road Trip

Coming Soon!

Watch for information to come soon!!!!

ROAD TRIP! #AtoZChallenge 2019 Post Challenge Blog Hop

Sign up for the road trip!

https://forms.gle/oy5cUDQr91xRpvN98
The form will close on May 27, 2019.

We ask that you pick just ONE post from your #AtoZChallenge 2019 offerings.

Which do you wish more people had commented on? Or which was your favorite?

JUST ONE DIRECT LINK PER BLOG.

(Your link will probably look long, as it likely includes your title in the link. If you only see your blog name, that's not a direct link to your post. Try visiting your blog — not where you WRITE the posts, but where others go to view your posts — and clicking on the date or on the title of your posts. That should bring up just the post, making it easy to copy the direct link. If you need help, please ask in the comments — include a link to your blog and the letter of the post of which you need a direct link.) 

What does boarding this Zeppelin mean?

The road trip, unlike the main challenge, is ALL about visiting other blogs to comment.
Please don't drop your link and then not participate in the "hop" part of this blog hop.

How fast does the Zeppelin fly? That's up to you.
Visit one blog a day. Visit 20 in a month. Visit them all in February because you're snowed in and remember this exists.
It's all good.

❗Signing up for the Road Trip is a commitment that you will continue to hop to other blogs on the road trip from May thru March.

That gives you ten months to visit these blogs!
Please, first comment on the person's linked A to Z blog post, and then consider surfing to the person's latest post to comment there as well.

Be sure to include this phrase in your comments:

Stopping by from the #AtoZChallenge Road Trip!

Why is there a Zeppelin for a road trip? Wouldn't that be an air trip?

Because the Road Trip was mentioned on the Z post.
You know what large dirigible balloon starts with Z?
Zeppelin.
Maybe next year we'll ask Jeremy for a Zamboni.
Then we can road trip on ice! ⛸️
Or a Zenvo. 🚗

Here's the link to the Zeppelin landing zones to visit on this road trip:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gsYsms4WCsjtZ3VNBtRJuwMkQ3DxZ2O0MaGQ51NTEtY



Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Guest Post from Winner C.E. Flores

I was honored to be awarded a guest post with the A to Z Challenge folks today. I’d like to talk a little today about how participating in the A to Z Challenge has strengthened me as a blogger and writer.


I’ve participated twice from beginning to end. This year I was hesitant about signing up. I had several other writing obligations and just wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up the commitment. I’m glad I did.


I choose the topic Blog to Book Project: How to turn your blog posts into a book. During the course of writing these informative posts, I learned even more about the publishing process. Of course, now I’m applying those useful tidbits to my own blog to book projects while I turn this series of posts into an ebook and maybe even an ecourse down the line.


I have also participated in the A to Z Challenge as part of a blogging group. The SOTB Bloggers  Bloggers blogged Mexican adventures last year which we compiled into a FREE downloadable ebook that you can get here. (https://survivingmexico.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/playing-tourist-in-mexico-1555546160.pdf)


This year, we tried to be proactive and scheduled our first Writing Challenge in March in order to get a jump on our A to Z posts for April. We were a little overly optimistic with our goals, but most of us managed to meet at least 50% of them. In a few weeks, I hope to have our joint efforts in the 2019 A to Z challenge converted into an ebook, so stay tuned!


So here’s my fun A to Z list of what I learned from participating in the A to Z Challenge both as an individual and as part of a group.


A--Alphabetical creativity. Some of those letters are tricky!
B--Blogging stamina.
C--Commitment.
D--Determination.
E--Editing skills.
F--Writing is Fun!
G--Group effort makes a long list shorter!
H--Huffing and puffing along certainly encourages Humility!
I--I can do it!
J--Just about half-way!
K--The Key is organization!
L--Letters make for random and awkward order for some topics.
M--Made it to the middle positive Mindset!
N--Need to work on days off to get these posts finished!
O--Organization is key!
P--Persistence.
Q--Quality and Quantity are both important.
R--Research skills!
S--Spell check is life-saving!
T--Blogging challenges are Therapeutic!
U--Never Underestimate what you are capable of!
V--Value the process.
W--Write like you are a real Writer, every day!
X--eXcited to read other blogs!
Y--Yippee, the end is near!
Z--Zounds! Finished!

-- C.E. Flores

SURVIVOR badge

The team needs your feedback!

https://forms.gle/k4UpJgaTpca5venR7

That's the link to the after survey.


It's much shorter than last year's survery. Please take a minute to fill it out. There's a chance to win a guest post. Thank you!



HTML code:
<a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinN-p-H5-BFJnGj6qpEmAA3pu2P8uZ4EQ7EcpLcsooBPoTIH_5Nduzpf9mVY9S2zgGsQB-ZqFWwyrgTaDKodk5AiRb8IYHhJEjOsKguXKffIg8DO05O_9a4Y1sBroqrHLMMZTyzB7u9bM/s320/badge.jpg" height="300" data-original-width="450" data-original-height="750" alt="#AtoZChallenge 2019 Tenth Anniversary badge SURVIVOR badge"/></a>

May 20 is the sign up for the road trip!

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

#AtoZChallenge Reflections 2019

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

The Reflection post is a tradition here at the A to Z Challenge. It gives us a chance to look back at what worked, what didn't, what we've done, what was learned, and where we hope to go from here. Take your time and think. After you've posted, add your direct link to the list.

This year, in honor of our anniversary, here's a list of ten questions you might use for your post:

1. What did you love about the challenge this year?
2. What would you change about it?
3. What was the best moment for you during this year's challenge?
4. What is the best comment your blog got during the challenge, and who left the comment?
5. Will you do the challenge again?
6. Was it well organized and were the hosts helpful? (Did you fill out the after survey?)
7. How did you and your blog grow, change, or improve as a result of this challenge? Did you find new blogs out there to enjoy?
8. Were you on the Master List? (If you did the challenge last year, was it better this time without the daily lists?)
9. Any suggestions for our future?
10. Any notes to the co-host team? A word of thanks to Jeremy for all his hard work on the graphics? A picture with your A to Z shirt, if you ordered one?

This list is just a suggestion. Follow your heart and mind as you reflect on the challenge.

LINK TO REFLECTION SIGN UP:
https://forms.gle/qWu8NmVgitt9CBiK6

If you're participating by posting a REFLECTION post, do so there.

DIRECT link to your Reflection post, please. (Not to your blog or main website, but to the post!)
Closes May 17.

LINK TO REFLECTION LIST:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BakdXuadi9VJE1JM3mcnR9H8ooleTRoX9JGHlF-OYy4

To find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating in REFLECTIONS, click the above link.

HTML code for the reflections badge (for those who wish to use it)
<a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" Target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOD6U5DCjNhlF6ReezBvYYfOIHWEYph9bcyYeaA0c5e53s0h32fXpfkvgsv4tz0TiCw7jmGR6D9dYSAI9b48jCSo7-VxkXDpuWSQud1M7oAASLXq6bi3lVyjzHJxLwSo7UeE9_ovH7L1I/s320/reflection.jpg" alt="#AtoZChallenge 2019 Tenth Anniversary Reflections badge" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="930" width="500"/></a>



The team needs your feedback!

https://forms.gle/k4UpJgaTpca5venR7

That's the link to the after survey.


It's much shorter than last year's survery. Please take a minute to fill it out. There's a chance to win a guest post. Thank you!

SURVIVOR BADGE IS ON PAGE 2 OF THE SURVEY!

May 20 is the sign up for the Road Trip! Mark your calendar.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

#AtoZChallenge AFTER SURVEY

The team needs your feedback!

https://forms.gle/k4UpJgaTpca5venR7

That's the link to the after survey.


It's much shorter than last year's survery. Please take a minute to fill it out. There's a chance to win a guest post. Thank you!

SURVIVOR BADGE IS ON PAGE 2 OF THE SURVEY!

(Or you can wait until next week to pick up the badge. Your choice.)
Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

#AtoZchallenge Zero Days to Go

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Zero days to go! That's right my zippy friends, you've zeroed in on the final post. The zoo is closing!

Zowie! Zorch through this list.

1. Zip up this year with your reflection post and survivor badge next week.
2. Zesty insight needed! Take the after survey, please. (There's a chance to WIN a guest post!) (Opens on May 3.)
3. Zoom over to some blogs you haven't commented on yet.
4. Zoinks! WRiTECLUB needs your votes. Support writers for the next few weeks here: dlhammons.com
5. Zealously visit your new blogging friends all year.
6. Zone out. April was exhausting.
7. Zany remarks on the A to Z blog posts, Facebook page posts, and Twitter posts are welcome ALL YEAR! Don't forget us, please.
8. Zombie sleep! Wear an A to Z shirt while you sleep like the undead. Perhaps as stylish as a zoot suit.
9. Zodiac sign? Comment with your below!
10. Zeppelin! There's a virtual one coming for you. Just sign up for the Road Trip next month!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Y is for the rest of the Year (#AtoZChallenge)

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

The Challenge is ending tomorrow! Whew! You all have been amazing! As we slowly leave April behind (and we are most definitely not already planning our themes for next year, nope), blogging routine returns to business as usual.

What are your plans for the rest of the year, until the April hype starts up again?
Maybe you will

1. Have a new post series on your blog?
2. Will publish a book based on A to Z?
3. Work on a new blog design?
4. Join another challenge in the meantime?
5. Plan a blog hop?
6. Host a blog tour?
7. Dip your toes in a new social media platform?
8. Start a podcast?
9. Read new books from your TBR list?
10. Practice something you learned from A to Z?

Whatever it is, tell us in the comments if you feel like it! :)

******

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Click the above link to follow us on Bloglovin.

We've been asked, by several participants, to sign up for this service.

It allows users to receive an email alerting them to new posts here.

X-Cellent Finish! #atozchallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge: The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

---

X-Cellent!

This is my last contribution to the A to Z Challenge blog for the 2019 season, so I wanted to take a moment to congratulate all of you for making this year the best one ever. Okay, that might be hyperbole, but if the increase in activity on my blog is any indication, you've all done a terrific job, not just with your posts on your own blogs, but with visiting other blogs and leaving comments, or at least leaving some indication that hey, you were there supporting them.

This has really taken off among a dedicated group of bloggers (that's youse guys, as we say in Chicago) since the first time I participated in 2012. Every year it's gotten better, with more bloggers connecting with other bloggers, making a bigger and better community. A community you've helped create.

There's a link to the Master List for the Challenge below. Be sure and take a minute and make a copy of it for yourself. Most of the bloggers on the list are active all year, some posting daily. Between the end of this year's challenge and the start of the next one, visit some of those bloggers, both the ones you made contact with and the ones you didn't get to visit.

Thank you for making the A to Z Challenge the highlight of my blogging year!

---

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here:

WOW! ( #AtoZChallenge )

Get your party hats and noisemakers ready--it's almost time to celebrate A to Z victory.  Wait, though, the time is not yet here, but it's coming soon...

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

                                                     *******************

WOW!

           We're almost to the end of another Challenge!  What a great job you've done!

           What else is there to say?  It's been work, yes, but it's also been wild, wonderful, and maybe even a bit wacky at times.

           Just a few days to go, but if you've gotten this far then you've got this Challenge in the bag.  Giving up at this point would be just plain weird.  But you're not going to give up now. 

            Whoopie!  Time to be a winner!

             Soon...

                                                    *********************

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

#atozchallenge Valuable Valiant V

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

V trivia:

1. V is never silent in any word. (Excludes proper nouns, which aren't dictionary words anyway.)
2. The letter V was created when the Romans changed the look of the Etruscan upsilon, which was stolen from the Greeks, who took it from the Phoenicians (Canaanites), who adapted it from the Proto-Sinaitic Egyptian scribe shorthand.
3. Letter v and u were once interchangeable.
4. Ever wonder why "W" isn't pronounced "double-V"? It's because Germanic languages influenced heavier than Classical Latin.
5. In Roman numerals, five is written as V.
6. V is the sixth least frequently used letter in the English language.
7. Seven words that end with V:
   • improv
   • isogriv
   • maglev
   • shiv
   • schav
   • vav
   • lev
8. Vizcacha: a burrowing rodent. Has a base score of 27 in the game of Scrabble.
9. The word venison derives from the Latin word venor, which means hunted. It could refer to the edible meat of any hunted animal, but deer were the most popular game when the word was coming into use, thus it most often means deer meat.
10. Haricots Verts (French-style green beans) are pronounced “arr-ee-co-vair.” Vichyssoise (a cold potato leek soup) is pronounced “vishy-swozz.”

Villians! Who is your favorite fictional one and why?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Ultimate Uplifting thoughts for (yo)U #AtoZChallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

As we near the end of the month, I thought I would share with you ten Ultimate Uplifting Thoughts. Let these carry you forward.

I’m especially looking at those of you who don’t think you can make it through the last few days. Don’t give up! So what if you post twice in one day to catch up, or if you don’t finish the month but get it done later. You can do it! Use these quotes to help you:

“A big part of being a well-adjusted person is accepting that you can’t be good at everything.” – Kelly Williams Brown

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley

“Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.” – Jacques Prevert

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” – Robert Frost

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” – Robert Collier

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher

“Just because you fail once doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything.” – Marilyn Monroe’

“One thing at a time. Most important thing first. Start now.” – Caroline Webb

What is your favorite Uplifting quote?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Thanks Team! ( #AtoZChallenge )

         The A to Z Team wants to thank all participants and supporters of the Challenge.  Without you A to Z would not be what it is.  On a personal level I want to give a hearty thank you to our great A to Z Team who keep the Challenge running smoothly.
                                                                       ---Arlee Bird

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

                                         ***********************

        If you're looking for someone to thank for this year's Challenge then don't be heaping any praise on me.   Maybe I seem to have been a bit withdrawn from the A to Z this time around and to a great extent I have.  If it weren't for the A to Z team this year this Challenge might not have gotten off the ground with the success we have seen thus far.

        Over the past couple of years we have downsized the A to Z Team from what it had been in the past and it's worked pretty well in my opinion.  We've had some outstanding A to Z Team members in the past and this year we've had one of the tightest most efficient teams yet. They're all Challenge veterans who've gotten the routine down to a science.

         So my most expansive thank you to our team captain J Lenni Dorner who with great competency took the reins of this 10th annual Challenge as I've dealt with some distracting personal matters.  J, you're the best and hope you'll stick with us in the coming years.  Also, my thanks to Jayden R Vincente who has done a fantastic job setting up the sign-up lists and maintaining them.   Another big thank you goes to John Holton who has provided technical assistance to make things run better as well as his continual efforts to promote A to Z.  And finally there is Zalka Csenge Virág who has been a key A to Z Team member since 2015 and provided valuable promotional support for the Challenge.

          I hope everyone who reads this post will take the time to visit the blogs of each of these members to say thank you.  I'm sure they'd appreciate that.

        Thank you Team 2019!

                                           **********************

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins