Back in the day.

Back in the 80's, I used to wear make-up and accessories...

It didn't work out too well.

No wonder I stick to the basics nowadays.

the 3 reasons blogging is hard.

This blogging deal is a lot of work.
I've been at it a long time.
Sure, the first year I was nervous to actually post anything specific about myself,
for fear of someone on the internet finding me and kidnapping me.

The next year and a half, I was specific to wedding blogging.
That's where I was in life, and I think that blogging should be a reflection of yourself.
However, blogging about solely weddings leaves your readership,
to probably only those who are engaged, just got married, wishing they could do it again, or your family.
Now for the last year and a half, I've been opening up more,
talking about more things, like what we're up to, what we believe, our lifestyle, etc.

But there are still lots of days where I think... blogging just isn't for me.

Here's why:

1. Blogging takes up so much time. If you don't have a blog maybe you don't realize this. But it takes forever. For instance, a "simple" post takes hours to do. (And I don't even have a personal computer - I have to use Sean's work computer). Everything from thinking about what to write, writing it, editing it, taking pictures that apply to said post, editing the pictures, making a collage, or finding pictures on the internet regarding the post, worrying about finding the source for those pictures, formatting everything, reading it over, hitting post, making sure it actually looks normal and it's not spaced out strangely, posting it on other social media networks so that people know that I wrote something and read it too. See?

It's not just "hey, I have an idea!" and BAM there it is. At least it's not for me. I like to make sure that I still feel as positively at the end of the post as I did in the beginning. I can't tell you how many drafts of posts I have. Just things that I thought I had enough to write about and then as I typed I realized... nope, not ready yet.

2. Blogging demands lots of interaction. Mostly on the computer, yes. But social interaction is still social interaction. And this may or may not come as a shock to you, but I'm not that social. I'm polite, yes. I think I can carry a conversation and I can usually go along with anything. I go out into the world and live, sure. But socially? I'm more of an introvert. Constantly being with lots of people and interacting with lots of people leaves me feeling drained. I'd much prefer being with one person than being with many. But blogging? Well, you sort of need to leave yourself out there for all to see. And it requires you to interact with people; bloggers, friends, family, readers, commenters, and "critics" who have a lot to say about you and what you wrote that sometimes is negative and/or mean.

And the interaction isn't just expected on your actual blog. It's common courtesy to comment on other people's blogs and to reply back with an email every time someone leaves you a comment. I'm not good at this. For instance, this morning I wrote 60 reply emails to people who have left me comments within the last week. They're nice comments, and people with wonderful blogs that I read everyday but I'm just not good at commenting or replying people.

And the interaction is expected on other social medias, too. Like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest... the list goes on. I can't tell you the number of times someone has said something to me on something and I ask Sean "so, what should I say back?" and he tells me something that he so easily thought up and I say "are you sure, that's like a normal response to someone I've never met?". And he says "yes, it's called regular social interaction".

3. Blogging "requires" pictures, life in the city, an adorable baby, a stunning home, and religion. I read it all the time: posts with pictures get more hits than posts with just text. Well... I'm constantly forgetting to take pictures. At the end of the day, I ask Sean to email me all the pictures he's taken throughout the day/weekend/week. I just forget. I'd much rather be in the moment than worry about capturing it on my iPhone. 

And I have none of these things: life in a big city, a baby, a house that I can paint, re-do and complete DIY projects on, or a religion. I know.

So, if that's how I sum up blogging, why do I do it?

Here's why...

Because I enjoy it. Even though it takes up my time, puts me out of my element, and sometimes makes me think I need things to be successful that I really don't need -- I love it.

I can think of no way I'd rather spend my free time than writing about myself, and reading about strangers.
And that's why I blog.

Facts about me.

I thought I'd share some tidbits today.

Everyone's doing it, so why not?

First things first: you could obviously read my about me.

Don't want to click anything?

Totally understandable.

If you're new in these parts of blogland,

here's what you should know.

1. One time I met Oprah... at the wax museum. 

But we shared a moment. I swear.

2. I make this face when I'm confused.

Or when I'm angry that the Dublin zoo took my admission ticket...

which means I can't keep it to scrapbook.

3. My worst fear is drowning. 

I can't be in the water without some type of flotation device. 

Even though I look calm in this picture... there were probably tears at some point.

4. I don't drink alcohol. 

I make this face when I do. 

5. I force animals to be close to me. 

I can't help it. 

I just love them.

6. I love spending time with my husband. He's the best and we have so much fun together.

That's all for today.

I guess I'm just an Oprah loving, slightly confused, aqua-phobic, non-alcohol drinking, animal obsessed... 

wife, in love with her husband.

It's Three Kings Day.

Happy Three Kings Day.

We celebrated with a meal with family.

Christmas is [mostly] put away.

Thank you cards were mailed on Friday.

Laundry is ready to be worn.

The kitchen is stacked with groceries.

Blog posts are scheduled.

[I'm imagining it's going to be some time until I'm back in the swing of things].

I'm as ready as I'll ever be to go back to work.

I'm already missing ABC Family, Harry Potter and naps with Apollo.

Blogger 411.

Happy Saturday!

I decided to link up with Becky: From Mrs. to Mama and answer these blogger 411 questions:

Questions!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed? I started blogging in the Fall of 2009 when Sean and I got engaged. I wanted to keep a journal of the wedding planning process. We had a really long engagement, basically two years, and I kept it going consistently, for the most part, during that whole time. After the wedding, it was an exciting idea to keep writing to keep track of our lives as newlyweds, new renters, new pet owners, etc. 

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study? Yes! I went to Framingham State College, which apparently now is known as a University. I studied English... but since spelling and grammar weren't necessarily areas of strength for me don't tear apart this blog, okay?

3. Where have you traveled? I haven't traveled to that many places. I've been to most of the states around New England/northern east coast, all three on the west coast + Vegas, and a few down south (read, Florida). I've never been to the middle states besides layovers at airports. I've been to Puerto Rico, Mexico and of course, Ireland (where we went on our honeymoon).

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4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy? I guess the first thing I would buy would be different than the first thing I would "do". The first thing I would do would be to pay off student loans & debt. The first thing I would "buy" would be plane tickets to a place we've never been... preferably South America or Australia.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves? I don't like when people clap at the end of a movie when they're in the theater, when people ask a question that was already answered but they were to busy wanting to ask their question they missed when the person answered, and people who try to make small talk at the cash register of a store.

6. What is your favorite movie? I have so many favorite movies from different times in my life. I guess to name a few I would say: The Breakfast Club, SLC Punk, Good Will Hunting, Back to the Future, Transformers, Blow,  and Superbad.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea? I don't typically drink alcohol though I'm known to do a few tequila shots here and there. But I can't live without my Coke. I'll take a Pepsi, but it's not the same.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time? I'd love to say that I read... and I do, occasionally. Though, I really love to watch TV. I can't help it. And I don't even watch new shows, necessarily. I watch the same shows that I've been watching since I was younger: Boy Meets World, Full House, Step by Step. But I also blog (clearly), and scrapbook, and clean. I think I actually invent things to clean...

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be? Anthropologie. Hands down.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present. When I read this question, my first thought was, "I'm not really that embarrassing" and then I remembered falling at my high school graduation. Yep.

11. What day would you love to relive again? I'd love to relive my wedding day. As much as I tried to embrace the day, enjoy every minute and allow it to all soak in... I know I missed a lot. 

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you? I couldn't think of someone, so I asked Sean. Do you know who he said? Baby... you know from "nobody puts baby in the corner". I wonder if that speaks to the embarrassing moments debate. I guess if I chose, I would pick Zooey Deschanel. Only because I love her, not because she looks like me. Although, now that I think about it she has her embarrassing moments as well. Hmm.

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years? I worked the register at iParty and did not make small talk when I was cashing out customers. I've also worked at Sport Chalet, Coach, and a hair salon. Now I'm a teacher. 

14. Show us a picture from high school or college. This is circa 2007, I was a sophomore in college. I'd go back to a pic from high school but since facebook wasn't a "thing" then -- it's a lot harder to get a picture from before '06. Yeah, that's my husband.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go? Tahiti! I just want to stay in one of those places with the glass floor over the ocean. I'm sure I could find that lots of places, but Tahiti sounds fun.


16. Show us the most current picture of you or you and your family. I'd love to post a picture of the three of us (you know, including our kitten) but she is impossible to pose with. So here we are:

and here's Apollo:

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now? Married, homeowner, parent to an actual child not just a cat? We'll see. All I know is I hope the years between now and then are full, exciting and positive. Everything else will fall into place.

My work.

I don't generally talk about my work on this blog but since it's such a big part of my world... I figured - why not?

I teach at a Montessori school in a classroom with three, four and five year old kids. Well, at this point in the year they are mostly four, five and six years old. It's a pretty amazing experience to watch these small people move around the room... in control of their day (for the most part), working diligently (for the most part), sharing experiences, making friends, figuring out social cues and normal interaction in a safe environment, and being completely a part of a community of peaceful people. 

I don't normally have days when I wake up where I think "I don't want to go to work". I may think "it's really early"... or "I hope traffic isn't bad". But never... that I don't want to go to work. In actuality, I love my job. I love where I work. I love the people I work with. And I love the kids in my class.

Today, they had a discussion about how the earth was made and how the universe came to be. I'm telling you... these kids are four, five, and six. 25 kids in total. There were two sides of the discussion: the first thought/have been told that God made everything (the universe, the world, houses, etc.), and the second thought/have been told that "there was this big bang and everything came out of nothing". 

And here I am. Twenty-five years old. And I cannot tell you what I believe because I don't know. I know what there's evidence of and what makes "sense". But I don't actually understand it. And I know there's comfort in one theory and mystery in the other. But it's confusing. And it's intense. And it's so much to take in.

And these kids. Four, five and six years old are talking with each other, and along with teacher mediation are having discussions, and listening to both sides of the argument and are still debating so fiercely for what they believe.

And it made me feel proud. And I hope that in 20 years they still hold that same passion for what they believe.. whatever it is. And I hope they still listen to both sides of the argument. And listen as patiently and as honestly as they did today. And I hope that they still know in their heart and in their head that not everyone believes the same thing. And that's okay.

It's okay.

Imagine if everyone in the world would just figure that out.