::taps the mic:: hello?

According to my blogger account, there are theoretically 27 of you out there who are subscribed to these posts. I hope you're really out there, because guess what?

I'm alive!

Hooray?

(Just go with it...)

For those of you who are new to my blog, let me take a moment to re-introduce myself.

The subject in her natural state

Name: Melissa
Age: 24
Relationship status: Engaged to be married to one of the coolest and funniest people I know, my awesome partner-in-crime Matt
Place of residence: New Jersey, but not the New Jersey you're thinking of. I live in South Jersey, which is a state in and of itself. We're the reason NJ is called "the Garden State." OK, I live closer to Philly than to any farms, but drive 30 minutes south and you'll find yourself in Hammonton, the blueberry capital OF THE WORLD (and my fiance's hometown!)
Career: Librarian-in-training -- I staff the Youth Services desk at my local public library and I run the teen creative writing club AND our teen services blog.
Education: I have a fancy piece of paper that says I completed a Bachelor's degree in English. Woo! I'm also currently in graduate school for my Master's degree in Library and Information Science. FUN.
Favorite movies: I love movies so much; it's hard to pick. But LOTR: The Two Towers tops the list, along with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Memento, and Carrie. You could say I have eclectic tastes.
Favorite books: See above. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass is a lifetime favorite; Paper Towns by John Green changed me; Transformations by Anne Sexton inspires me; and Coraline by Neil Gaiman terrifies and delights me.
Favorite food: All. My motto is EAT ALL THE FOOD. So, not the healthiest of mottos, but I think honesty is important in a blog.
Favorite cocktail: Malibu bay breeze (the girliest drink ever, I know, but hey -- life's too short to be self-conscious about beverage preferences!)
How long have I been blogging? Too long. Ten years now. I started up my "online journal" at Diaryland when I was fourteen and I've been blogging in some capacity, on and off, since then. Recently I've been "off." But one of my New Year's resolutions was to document life, so here I am.
What's up with the blog title? It's from this poem I love. But maybe one day I will change the name of this thing -- who knows?

To my old readers: I'm excited to be back. I appreciate all of you who have read in the past and hope you'll follow along this time around, too.

To any newbies stopping by: Welcome to my humble speck of the internet! Have a seat and enjoy the show :D