The long awaited introduction

Kirsten was my vinyl friend of choice on my wedding day. 

Okay, so this hasn't been a long awaited introduction for all of you, but it has for me! I've been collecting dolls for about 4 years now. I starting by collecting Monster High and Ever After High dolls, but sold my collection and transitioned over to American Girl collecting in the last 2 years. My collection currently stands at 15 American Girl dolls, 1 Wellie Wishers, and my very first A Girl for All Time is in the post office as I write this. My main reason for collecting is much like anyone else- I enjoy it! But my dolls also play an important part in assisting me when I'm having a bad bout of anxiety or depression. I'm very open about these struggles and I'm sure they'll be mentioned at times throughout the course of this blog.

Now more about me. I'm 25 years old and currently reside in Minneapolis, MN. I frequent the American Girl Place at Mall of America enough that they know me by name now. I have a degree in American History, the love of which was definitely fueled by Felicity and her stories. She was my first doll and true childhood companion, I cannot even tell you how many hours I spent pouring over her collection in the catalogs. I am an avid reader and spend more time than I'd like to admit watching an assortment of TV shows. My other interests include knitting, checking out local museums, and playing video games.

This blog has been an idea in my mind for the longest time, but a lot of different reasons have kept me from creating it. The biggest factor was time. For the last year I have been working two jobs alongside my wife. It's been hectic and doesn't leave much room for personal time. I knew that if I were to create a blog while juggling those commitments that I would put a lot of pressure on myself to tend to it. I didn't want this to be an endeavor that I felt like I was forcing myself to do. The other factor was indecisiveness. I honestly could not figure out what I would write about; reviews, history, observations? Needless to say I've realized that that doesn't really matter. This is a blog of my own making and it can take whatever form I'd like it to.

So what am I going to focus on? I'm going to use this blog to write about my personal collection. It's going to be a record of what I add, reviews of what I own, and observations as new items are released. I'm excited to see where it'll take me and how it will create a new connection between my dolls and I. So thanks for joining me and feel free to comment. I love hearing from fellow AG enthusiasts.

Shannon