A New Year Note!

Here are some snaps from our New Year's Eve date night at home! 

Happy 2024! Another year has come and gone. I'm always baffled by the passing of time. It truly feels like it was just 2020 yesterday. While taking a blog break was much needed, I am glad to be back at it. I missed you all! Taking time off is hard for me. I enjoy working. I don’t do resolutions but post serves as a candid reflection and some housekeeping/what to expect in 2024! 

2023 was a great year. It was the first year of complete and total 'normalcy' in the past 7ish years. In 2016, I met my husband on New Year's Eve; in 2017, I got Henry; in 2018, I got engaged; in 2019, we moved into a new home; in 2020, there was the pandemic; in 2021, we got married; in 2022, my sister's bachelorette and wedding and our belated honeymoon. 2023 didn't have any crazy life happenings in a good or a bad way, and I have to say, I liked that! I am hopeful for that again in 2024. I don't want to say, 'I think this is going to be a great year' because I don't want to jinx it- I'm not particularly superstitious, but I still won't say it, ha! All I can say is I feel good. I don't pick a word for the year, but I do hope to be able to loosen up a bit more and have FUN!

When it comes to work, creating blog posts is my passion; the pause reminded me of this. Sometimes, you need a pause from a person, place, job, or thing to regain perspective. Blog posts are a lot of work, and more often than not, they are even more time-consuming than social media posts. I felt burnt out as we neared Christmas, but now I feel revived! 

One of the things I am most proud of here is that, for years, I have kept up with my blog posts Monday-Friday. I rarely ever miss a day. If nothing, I am at least consistent. 

I know many of you have been here since I was sitting in Spruce Hall dormitory at James Madison University, where I published my first post on my college PC laptop where I *think* the computer was plugged into the internet. I had just turned 19 years old. 

This year is monumental, in a sense, as it marks 15 years for me in this industry! I started this as a hobby. There was no money, there was no popularity. There was no Instagram or Tiktok. Being a very early adopter of something has been invaluable and has taught me so much. It has forced me out of my comfort zone in many ways and also forced me to teach myself things I would have never otherwise learned. I don't feel old enough to have been doing something for 15 years, but at the same time, sitting in my freshman-year dorm room feels like a lifetime ago. In many ways, I am the same girl, but in many ways, I am so incredibly different.

In fact, it is hard to remember my life without sharing it on social media. That itself has taught me so much. As the internet has evolved and changed, I have learned to evolve and change in what I share. I've always been conscious that this is a public platform.

Though, I definitely felt a distinct turning point in 2020. I have experienced safety issues that I haven't and won't publicly share. I have become more anxious about sharing my life, but honestly, rightfully so. I started to hold back more and set more boundaries. Setting firm boundaries in all facets of life is crucial and I also think prioritizing safety is of utmost importance. Much of what I post is 24 hours delayed, and overall, I don't show or share as much as I did pre-2020. In chatting with fellow creators/influencers, I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. It's why I've seen such a shift of people moving to subscriptions on Instagram (which I don't plan on doing now; I think it probably helps with security, but it is also a false sense). While this is all good and important, I think, in a sense, I let fear control me, and in turn, I lost a bit of my 'sparkle.' In many ways, was holding myself back. I started to feel my 'sparkle' (for lack of a better word) creeping back in the last few months of 2023. In 2024, I plan to share more of my personality while still being cautious and guarded to keep myself, family, and friends as safe as possible. I honestly have no idea what that will be like, but I will slowly work on it. It's been heavy on my mind over the past few years. 

Besides that, a difficult thing for me regarding my job is balancing my focus between my work on social media and my website. This is not a complaint- it just is what it is! Social media is an entirely different beast. It is fast. It changes by the second. You can put many hours into a single piece of work, and the platform squashes it. Anyone posting to social media is at the mercy of an algorithm. It can often feel defeating. 

If I'm choosing favorites, it would be my blog! I love slower, more thoughtful content that can be consumed in small bites. I love high-quality still imagery. I love that I have control. There is no algorithm here. I am not at the mercy of Meta and TikTok. I don't need to use trending sounds that I don't even particularly like just to get my work seen. I don't need to create some sort of weird tagline or clickbait or hook to suck people in who don't even follow me in the first place. Everyone has their frustrations in any line of work! But, the more social media evolves, the more I crave slowness (like reading a blog post) in this high-speed world. Savoring is a lost art!

A hard fact, though, is that social media is not only where the advertising dollars are but also where many of the eyes are. Fewer people read blogs than even just 5 years ago. Data is proof that the majority of people prefer quick social media videos. I get it. I don't read many blogs anymore, but that is partly because many blogs I loved are no longer in existence! I am a bit of an anomaly. I know others 'like me' out there with websites they update regularly, but it's rarer by the day. 

I earn an income from this blog through affiliate linking. If you click on a link and then purchase something I have recommended, I receive a commission at no cost to you. It's usually just pennies, but the pennies add up. Many of you have messaged, emailed, etc., asking for a link to an item I have recommended in the past to 'give me credit,' and that is incredibly thoughtful and generous of you. I appreciate it so much.

I feel grateful to be surrounded by women (and men) who are rooting for me. I feel so grateful every single day I get to do this. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your kindness and support! When the world feels heavy and scary, and the internet feels hateful and harsh, you all remind me of the goodness that exists! This blog will continue to remain a positive, light, and gentle atmosphere.

So, the game plan for 2024 is to post new blog posts Monday through Friday as usual. Posts will go live as you are used to 6am EST. 

Many of you would like me to link my blog posts via Instagram. While that would certainly increase my blog traffic, and it would be easy for you all to access it via the Instagram browser, I try my darndest to keep my blog separate from social media as much as possible. I do not feel comfortable having my website traffic dependent on social media. It would create an 'all my eggs in one basket' situation. 

With that said, I am currently working on a weekly newsletter in case you prefer something to land in your email inbox. Stay tuned; I should be rolling that out sometime in early February. This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while, and so many of you have requested it, but to be transparent, it is an addition to my already full plate, so it has taken me a while to focus and prioritize. I am a one-woman show, and when I start something, I commit to it, so I wanted to make sure I could commit to this. You can submit your email, here, if you'd like to sign up early! I've been toying with the idea of doing it via Substack, which wasn't my original plan, but I like the idea of it. Let me know if you have a preference. I will surely hit some road bumps in the first few emails, but I know I'll evolve and get the hang of it. I promise it won't be spammy but instead thoughtful.

I'd also like to share that I'm pretty close to convincing my sister, Callie, to do a bi-monthly guest blog post where she focuses on her recipes and creative ideas. This series will go live on Wednesdays. She is SO creative and incredible in the kitchen. What I lack, Callie has in spades. She created the most beautiful homemade gifts this holiday season; it's the type of content you all will love! So, if you'd love to encourage Callie in the comments (I need some help recruiting her!) That may be the push she needs!

I know you all also enjoyed my mom's gift guide so I'm going to try and incorporate her a bit more in my content. Many of you who read here are mother-daughter duos, just like my mom and I! My mom is retired and helps me SO much with my job. We spend a lot of time together. I could not do it without her, and I am endlessly thankful for her unwavering support. I love her so much! 

And lastly, you have all overwhelmingly requested men's fashion as you shop for your significant others, dads, brothers, etc. I must admit, it's not something I am overly knowledgeable about, but I'd be happy to share some of the sales finds I snag for my husband here and there. I did work on including some men's fashion in 2023, but I'd give myself a failing grade on that. 

My break reminded me that this blog is important to me. It is where I find my passion. This community that we have here is special. It's primarily light, frivolous content, which is how I plan to keep it, but I also know you are all women (and men) of good substance with families, jobs, friends, goals, hobbies, dreams, and so much more. It's an honor to me that you spend your valuable time here with me! See you all back here tomorrow!