I’ve been thinking a lot lately about blogging…about why I blog and why I enjoy blogging and why I even should blog.

Lately, blogging has been really inspiring for me, and I feel like I enjoy it now more than I ever have. I know this inspiration has a lot to do with some of the things that the Lord is doing in me personally that have seemed to open up dreams and given me a bigger desire to create and share life and walk in vulnerability in a new way. Sometimes I have about ten different things I want to write about…some that are fun and light and seemingly inconsequential, but some that are thoughts from things I’m walking through personally or things that I’ve learned/am learning from life. I’m not sure what all you want to see on this little blog, but I am shooting for a little of both of those things.

You’ll probably see more of day to day life, because I’m learning to not be quite so private and also to not constantly weigh out what people will think because of something I say or think or do. There is, of course, a balance to this (as there is to everything…i preach this mantra all.the.time)…because I am a big believer in living my life in such a way that doesn’t cause someone else to stumble or falter in the things they believe or choose to practice. But I also believe that we can take such a good principle and waltz way over into left field with it…it’s called fear of man, and I’ve lived my life far too long in the clutches of said fear. It’s something the Lord is setting me free of, and I really like it.

The thing I most dislike about blogging and any means of social media is the idea of the “perfect life” that somehow seems to ring through the words and photos of most every blogger and social media person that I follow. I’m sure you know what I mean by this…and it’s the one thing that truly does bug me about having my own blog. I never.ever.ever.ever want to portray that my life is perfect or that I have it all together…because I do not. And neither does any other blogger or person you follow on Instagram or anything other kind of social media…nobody has the perfect life.

I have to remind myself of this almost daily when I scroll through my Instagram feed or click through the blogs I like…that pictures and postings will never tell the whole story of the state of your home or the state of your heart or the state of your life. We don’t often see the behind-the-scenes shots of what the kitchen looks like outside of the small photo we post of the pastry we created or the morning hair and sweatpants behind the shot of the waffles we’re eating for breakfast or the real issues that a person faced outside of the super fun weekend we talk about.

But the thing is…I’m not sure it would really be that awesome to read a blog that was entirely about the dirty dishes or the scrappy kids or such things. I recently read an article from a blogger who was talking about this similar idea, and I liked her premise: there is so much negative in the world that we face every day, and for a blogger (or non-bloggers for that matter) to speak of the good things and share creativity and inspiration is something that we need. Her thought made sense to me, and actually seemed to put perspective into my own issues with blogging. It can be a good thing.

Once again, there is the balance…I think bloggers and online personalities have a responsibility to project genuine life, not a fabricated one of ideals and perfectionism. There are good and beautiful things about genuine life, and we should share those with gusto. There are hard and difficult things about life, and we should share those as well.

So why do I blog? It is, in so many ways, for myself. Words are my art, and this little outlet for those words is the biggest sense of continual inspiration for me. I am no photographer, but pictures inspire me and I love to have a place to share the ones of our life and happenings. I love to cook, and so you’ll see things from the kitchen too. I am human and have a lot of issues, and you’ll hear about those sometimes too.

It’s good for me to write and talk and share things, and I hope its good for you too.

What about you: do you often feel like the “perfect life” is being projected through online social media outlets? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’m sure everyone else in the world feels the same sentiment that I feel these days: where has the past year gone.

I’m amazed every single year at how quickly an entire twelve months passes by, and how suddenly I am flipping my calendar over to a brand new year. Maybe it’s something to do with getting older and time going faster, but in any case, it’s amazing.

This past year has been…good. So good. Not always easy, and there were days and weeks of personal valleys and challenges and growth, but at the end of two thousand and fourteen, the one word I could use to describe such a year is…good.

We traveled a lot (texas, asia, south carolina, tennessee, south carolina again, tennessee again), and while there were times that I felt like it was just time to stay home for more than a month or two at a time, I’m so glad we took those trips. I know that from here on out traveling will be different with having our little ones with us…so I’m glad we took advantage of the past year and put on the miles when it was easier to do so.

We had a great summer spent mostly in New York, and also ventured into the produce selling world with our little peach stand we ran for a few months. Those were a really fun few months, even though it was a busy time for us both, meeting so many people and eating peaches till we were actually sick of them. My brother was living with us for the summer too, and the rest of my family came up for a few days to visit as well in August. Summertime in New York is the best, and we had suppers on the deck and morning walks in the sunshine and trips to town for ice cream.

Our peach season ended at the end of August, and only a few days later, we found out the happiest news…we were having a baby! It was the most surreal moment of the year, and I will never forget how my heart started pounded and my husband’s eyes got wide and we just laughed and smiled with happiness. That moment on that Sunday morning in September is one I will cherish forever. That moment is the highest highlight of our year, without a doubt. The following few months were a little rough as we navigated the nausea and tiredness and emotional upheaveals that typically come with a first trimester, but we made it through and things only got better and better.

November was a busy month of travel, and also a time we spent both mourning and celebrating our friend Michael who passed away. It was a difficult season, but the goodness of the Lord still shone through all the sadness and emotions that come with death.

And then it was the holidays and now it’s the end of the year.

Next year is exciting for us…with the birth of our little one! I barely think about anything else involved with the next year except for this little one. It’s already the highlight of two thousand and fifteen!

I often like to have a word for the new year ahead of me, but honestly, I don’t have one this year. Maybe it’s because I’m too fixated on the birth of our baby that everything else important to life feels like background noise…? Or maybe because next year’s word will probably end up feeling something like poopy diapers and snuggles, hehe. I’m kidding here…because as all encompassing as parenting is, I do hope that the other important aspects of life don’t get pushed completely out of my sphere.

So the year is wordless, but the year is so full of anticipation that it overwhelms me at times.

Here are some goals for me in two thousand and fifteen:

– to grow deeper in security + identity in Christ
– to stay connected to my husband
– to be proactive in spiritual battle
– to learn a new skill

What about you: what is a goal that you have for yourself for the new year?