Traveling Around the Blogosphere (the Best Blogs of 2008)

To continue on with my 2008 retrospective...

This year my Google Reader has become significantly overloaded. That's because there are just too many good blogs out there. Here are my 2008 favorites, in no particular order:

1) Color Me Katie



Katie's blog is a very recent discovery. I love how fun, creative, and spontaneous she is. I'm kind of jealous of her, because she seems like an exceptional human being and she doesn't settle for doing the same boring thing over and over.

2) A Cup of Jo



Jo commented on my blog back at the beginning of the year, and through her, I have been introduced to a world full of awesome inspirational things. Like Katie, she seems like a fun and sweet person. Big bonus: she's engaged, so she loves to think about all things wedding.

3) Design for Mankind



This blog has been instrumental in getting me to think "outside the box" (oh, how I hate that phrase) in regard to what I really want to do with my life. In 2009, I'd like to put some of this blog's practical advice about doing what you love to good use.

4) Matt, Liz, & Madeline



I put Matt's blog in the "Emotional Journeys" section of my Google Reader - and what a journey it's been. Watching his life evolve since the death of his wife and birth of his daughter has been moving, astonishing, and inspirational. I absolutely love Matt's writing style and photos. Most of all, I love the spirit of survival that his blog celebrates with each post.

5) Wooster Collective



Street art, anyone? I happen to love it. And this blog features the best of the best from all over the world.

6) Bliss



Amazing photography. The kind I can only dream about producing. And amazing links to amazing things.

7) Dear God



Even if you're not religious, prayer can be a very real necessity. This is a prayer blog, one filled with poignant stories and sad recollections and heart-stopping photography. It features the prayers and the questions that are often left unanswered.

8) White Lightning



I'm not fashionable by any stretch of the imagination, and I don't really agree with most of Elizabeth's fashion choices (probably because I am fashion-challenged). I don't even have a frame of reference for most of the things she talks about. But I love this blog. It never fails to make me laugh.

9) Mammoth Men



A group of male photographers gets on a bus and fly (ride?) by the seat of their pants, letting their blog readers choose where they get to go next. It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure book in blog form. The photographs are mind-blowing, and the hilarity is...well, hilarious.

10) Pioneer Woman Photography



This is probably the blog to read if you want to learn more about photography and how to take good photos. The Pioneer Woman takes a complicated subject and makes it easier to grasp, and the cool thing is that she's pretty much entirely self-taught (not to mention talented). She hosts awesome giveaways and gives practical tips. And she's funny. Really damn funny.

So this concludes my 2008 cool blog retrospective. And even though my Google Reader is vastly overloaded, why don't you share yours with me? I have plenty of room for more cool things in my life, trust me.