I’m going to start by saying this: technology and I have never gotten along. Before I decided to take this class, I only used my laptop for three things: writing papers, talking on instant messanger, and using the internet (basic stuff like facebook and webmail). I know, I know- I should know more. But seriously, there’s stuff on my computer that I 1) have never even used/opened up, and 2) still have no freakin’ clue what they are. Never had I thought that one day I would be creating my own website, or that I could be smart enough to figure out how all of this internet stuff works. I’m kind of proud of myself, in that respect, because I was able to actually execute this project and create a working website.

Let’s face it; I am no computer whiz... My CoffeeCup HTML editor hated me so much, that it died on me, so I had to restart everything with Nvu HTML Editor. And tags… don’t even get me started about those. I don't know how many times I’ve freaked out about why something isn’t working as it should, only to realize it's because I forgot a </p> or something. Ugh!

Yet, this course has made me realize that, hey, even if I don’t possess the awesome creative computer designing skills of people with legit-working websites, I can still create something simple, honest, and a little unique.

In the beginning, I really struggled with an idea for my website. I literally had no clues as to what kind of website I would build, and I definitely knew it wouldn’t be all fancy-schmansy or anything. After stressing out for a little, I settled on creating a food and wine pairing website. Who doesn’t like food, or good wine for that matter? So, I wanted the main focus to be on the wine as well as on the interesting recipes I came up with for Casanel.

Honestly, I know that my website is extremely simple. There aren’t any flashy graphic designs or ridiculously cool colored fonts; however, this is how I wanted it to be. I wanted my recipes to stand out for their uniqueness and because they do pair extremely well with Casanel wines. I want my site’s visitors to see that I put a whole lot of time and effort into creating these recipes so that they would appeal to everyone (meat-lovers, vegetarians, kids, heck, the whole family for that matter). I picked the fonts and font sizes, color schemes, links, and pictures to show that even if it is simple, it’s still interesting. I want people to understand what I’m trying to do with my website: I want people to go home and cook these recipes for their family and friends and enjoy what my site has to offer (even if it looks a little ordinary).

In the end, I know that my site could be way more attractive and cool; yet, I’m an English major who still hasn’t figured out track changes on Word (it can be so confusing , don’t even lie). I know that if I was a little more web-saavy and able to understand just what the heck I’m doing in an HMTL editor, I would have a prettier website. However, I’m still proud of the work I’ve produced and I look forward to working more on my website in the future.