Tuesday 16 October 2018

You Won't Find This Here


The first step to getting back on the blog-wagon was to get back in the habit of jotting down ideas for posts whenever they popped into my head. It created for some weird to do lists - more coffee, shower,  call Mom, How I get My Life Together on Sunday... (that's an excerpt from a camp list, I only have to write shower on my to list from May-August, the rest of the time it comes naturally).

I also started thinking about the things I wouldn't blog about, and realized that a lot of them are pretty popular topics. Which is maybe another factor that contributed to my blogging break. I (subconsciously) felt like I didn't fit into any of the niches - either the category didn't apply to me - you've got to have kids to be a Mommy Blogger! Or I wasn't interested in that particular topic - I'm not a runner. 

So while I'll 'never say never' here's some topics it's pretty unlikely you'll be reading about around here. 

Diet/Fitness 
I operate under the 'everything in moderation' principle. I enjoy pop and I enjoy water. I like BBQ steak and I think veggie burgers can be delicious. Sometimes I eat three well balanced meals and drink water. Sometimes it's 6:00 p.m. and I realize the only nutrition I've gotten in the last 48 hours is from coffee and bagels. 

Blogging
This is a hobby not my career. I have no idea how to have the best SEO or get Nordstrom to send me free clothes...I've never even been inside a Nordstrom. I'm absolutely open to doing the occasional sponsored post, participating in link ups or exchanges but this isn't how I make my money. I'm not going to lose sleep over page clicks or "my brand".

Fashion
I spend 4-5 months of the year wearing some combination of jogging pants, neon Nike running shorts, tie-dye, camoflauge, plaid shirts and an array of hoodies. Sometimes I wear the same combination of those clothes for a couple days in a row. I'm happiest in leggings and hoodies, if you're happiest in leather pants and corsets all the power to you. 

(To be clear - the other 6-7 months of the year I dress like a grown up. Fun Fact : sometimes campers/camper families don't recognize me in the "real world".) 

Singleness
I'll almost certainly blog about my interactions on the dating scene and the colourful cast of characters I would have no idea exist in the world if it weren't for dating apps. I'm not going to blog about my "plight as a single gal in my late 20s". It's too easy to go deep in the rabbit hole of being unhappy, being self-conscious and feeling not good enough. I know that's not true. I'm a catch! 

Travel
I can totally get on board with fun weekend getaways every few months and maybe a bigger vacation during the year. I have no plans to start galavanting all over the world on a bi-monthly basis anytime soon. And when I do travel my focus is going to be on spending time with whoever I'm travelling with (I definitely won't be travelling solo!) and taking photos for scrapbooking but not for blogging. I'm happy to hear about your adventures in Bali but you won't be hearing about mine. 

Do you have things on your 'No-Blog List'? I'm also hyper sensitive to what kind of personal information I'm putting out in the world. Which is sometimes frustrating when I plan on posting a photo or two and realize after the fact they have super identifying features. But it's also not the end of the world and it's good motivation to take lots of photos so there's lots to choose from!

Thursday 11 October 2018

Hello, Blog!


It's been 10 months since I published a blog post. A few times I've attempted to get back on the blogwagon, but it never manifested into anything I felt like publishing. 

And it's not for lack of content. 2018 has been quite the ride. 

I went on a blind date. Fell head over heels. Had all sorts of magic & butterflies. Found myself in a long distance relationship. Got dumped at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning. 

Felt unfulfilled and overwhelmed at work. Started thinking about returning to a camping career. Got a phone call the Camp Director at my former camp gave his resignation and the next thing you know I'm a full time, year round Camp Director...beginning in the middle of the summer. 

Entered the world of Dating Apps. The world is a strange place full of even stranger people. 

Went on a fun filled girls trip and did all the touristy things.

Moved into a lovely condo. And into the city...still working on loving that aspect. 

Celebrated birthdays, mourned breakups, read books, tried new recipes, made some crafts and didn't blog a single bit of it. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about blogging and you might even notice that things look a little different around here but never did mange to add more words.

Things are settling down now and I've more or less gathered all the pieces of life that were scattered in every direction. Which means it's time to build new (or old) habits. I'm not sure what my return to blogging will look like, I miss writing, so it may turn out to be pretty frequent. And it also might be when I occasionally have a good story to share. Which, if I'm going to catch up with the last 10 months could be a post every hour on the hour for the next 10 years. 

Either way it feels good to be back...I think...

Are people still blogging? I thought I was up on current trends and then I worked with a bunch of seventeen year olds and realized I'm old and out of touch with technology.