Grateful

        Thanksgiving seemed ideal to express my gratitude on how wonderful an experience this blog has been for me as a learning experience and also as something fun in my life.
      You readers and followers have been such a blessing to me and I was blessed with such a wonderful bunch that the sweet number of you guys TOTALLY out-ruled the haters. :) I think for every negative remark or e-mail or comment there were 5 positive ones!
       This span of time writing on here has improved my capacity to understand a community online, meet new people and write and take photos. This has truly been one thing I will not forget. Racing home to write a post or take pictures or read other blogs had been such an enormous highlight that shined on.
     So thank you. All of you. Every single hair on your head deserves the highest of praises for giving me such a feeling of love and welcoming and friendship.
    I know that even though my time writing these posts were ultimately numbered (and my gaps in between posts has been apparent) in that this blog is going to retire.
      All blogs, as dolls do, have a point of time when they must just be an archive, something to look back on, something to remember.
         I know we always consider when a doll retires something sad. Their time as a girl's toy being able to be pulled off the shelves has been ended, but ultimately there is always a new generation of wonderful new dolls that follow giving more insight, more info and more enjoyment.
This is my archival.
       I am realistic about this in that I'm sure a very limited number of you will be reading this as I have neglected this sight for so long and haven't been involved that my page-views and followers have plummeted.
But that was always going to happen. I know that there would always come a point with a final breath, a final wave, and final "goodbye, friend."
     And of course, as Dr. Suess says "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
I am beaming that I was able to impact people, that I had a voice people took the time to listen to, that I improved so many of my life skills that I will hang onto forever because of this wonderful, wonderful blog.
      "My American Girl" became "Your American Girl" and I am SO grateful for that. Honest to goodness I am so grateful that I was able to do this all the way up until the year 2013. For three years! THREE YEARS!
     I am grateful I was able to do something I loved and make it my own while connecting with readers like you. That you could make this your own as well.
       I started small, with a few cruddy pictures here and there and I BLOSSOMED. I grew with the page-views and I grew with the readers and I grew through the mean comments and the harsh emails and I LOVED you ALL. Remember that.

 I want my last few words on here to convey not GOODBYE but THE END, because this has been one long, beautiful, lovely, amazing fairy tale that was unimaginable in the first place but the unimaginable HAPPENED. And that gives me HOPE.
    So thank you. Thank you from the very, bottom of my heart. Even to the ones who called this blog "crap" and "stupid" and "****" and whatever else because it was MY "crap" and "stupidity" and my "****". You taught me to dance in the rain, haters. Ha.
    I've put so much blood and sweat and tears into this but also so much love and laughter and passion into here.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” -Buddha

So this is my final hurrah. My last wave. This is the time I felt was right to archive "My American Girl". You can look back at old posts and old photos to your heart's content and I hope you liked your time here as much as I did. 

And Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas, Happy Easter, Happy Halloween and a Happy New Year for every year to come. I love you all so much, but I'm stepping down. I'm letting YOU be my successors. 

     I know you all can be wonderful, beautiful people that I know you can be and I hope that as one door closes (mine) that one door opens (yours).

   So my dolls will take a rest from the limelight on a special spot in my closet and in my heart. One day soon they will be something my sisters can play with and love and enjoy, but in the future they will belong to my daughter someday, for her to think "Cool! My mom liked dolls once too!". That's a future to look forward to for those dolls. :) Someday I hope I have a daughter or niece or somebody to pass on this love and treasure that was once mine but can become theirs.

So you guys are the future, the heirs to the throne, the beautiful AG community I have so much faith and respect and love for. I dare you to dream!

And I hope you all live Happily Ever After. 

THE END

Dolled Up!

Wow! It's been a while. (BIG understatement, I know. :} ) But, I have some fun stuff to tell you about!!
I was recently contacted about a new beta-testing, and I got to try out Dolled Up. Dolled Up is where you can rent AG accessories and clothing, and I'm pretty impressed! I think it has turned out very nicely. The ship you a box with the items you ordered inside, neatly and nothing was broken! Once your month-long rental is up, you stick on the prepaid label back on the box with all the items inside and ship it back. Cool, am I right?
Anywho, I think it's a smart idea for kids who want to play with certain items but not have to purchase it. I think it's also a great way for AG Youtubers who want a certain amount of props or outfits for just the one shoot. This way you can still use accessories or outfits without having to pay full price! On month is plenty of time to enjoy the AG items of your choice. My sisters and I each ordered one item to play with for the month and then we ship it out and pick out something else! Since we are beta-testing the service is free, but once it is officially released to the public you may have to pay a small fee. So far on their website, you only have to pay $15 for 3 outfits for a month long rental. Just contact them using the email on their website. Here are the pictures!

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I got the "Lemonade Stand Set" (which didn't come with the actual stand...hmmm...), my sister got the "Feel Better Kit" and my other little sis got the "Bitty Bath Seat".

The Feel Better kit came with everything and is super cute! It comes with everything, even a cute little pamphlet. I would recommend not using the stickers if you use the rental service, since it's hard to put stickers back for another use. :) 

The bath chair is sooo cute! I wish it came with accessories, like a fake shampoo and soap, (but that's AG's fault.) My sister thinks its adorable, and makes little "swooooosh" sounds when using the attached little hose.  So sweet!

And my cute little lemonade set! The pitcher is cute, it has little ice cubes that clank around in the cup, which is a fun little addition. The piggy bank is SUPER adorable, and it as well makes little "clackety" noises when rattled. Makes it feel much more realistic!

Since the lemonade set I recieved from Dolled Up didn't include the actual STAND (again, ???) so I used it other ways! Here Laraina and Felicity are having a summer snack!

I keep all the small items I got in jars so I dont loose any. Remember, you must return the items (ALL of them) so keep track! :) 

I hope you all give Dolled Up a try, it's a great new service I think you all will love. It's a great new idea I plan on using again and again! 

And this is aside from Dolled Up, but I am soooo thankful for all of you. You kept with me between my gaps of busy-ness, and I've never had any haters or people tell me I'm weird. Thank you for staying with me, for not giving up, and for keeping me going! Know I'm telling the truth when I say that you guys are my inspiration. I have a lot going with my life right now, so my posts will almost guaranteed be spaced out. But know that I think of you all the time, that I haven't given up on you guys, and that I hope you don't give up on me!  

In fact, I'm thinking maybe school gets out I could do a mini-series with my dolls on Youtube....??? Tell me if you would watch that! 

Love love LOVE you all.