Being a 'single' lady isn't necessarily hard. Being a single lady after being married for a couple years is a little more difficult.
Timmy has been gone a little over 2 months. Not even 2.5. It feels like it's been 10. I'M DRAGGING ASS.
I think if I had spent the time after we married like I did the time before we married, I would be used to handling anything and everything that pops up. But when reintroducing myself to full time school, [usually] full time work, on top of staying sane and social and taking care of dogs? I'm pooped. Wake up at 545 to get the day started; come home from work around 4; immediately walk the dogs for an hour; do as much homework as my brain can handle that evening; crawl into bed around midnight. Weekends are filled to the brim with catching up on laundry or housework, seeing friends, making hasty jaunts to dreamy lands filled with colorful buildings and ancient architecture. They're spent marking the time until my husband comes home and I don't have to deal with everything on my own anymore.
The point of this is that blogging, while still a joy and an awesome outlet, doesn't rank high on my priorities anymore. While it used to be a way for me to connect with others, not having many friends in person right after moving to Germany, I now am too busy and so social that it's not really needed. I still enjoy it, but would rather spend my focus and time on things that need to happen instead. I keep making promises that I'll start it back up, it'll be a regular thing from now on; I'm not going to hold myself to that anymore. Just adds more pressure to an already busy schedule. Instead, I will do my best to post at least once a week, to force myself to sit down and relax for a few minutes before speeding through the day like a madwoman.
And just because I'm not so great at keeping up with my own end doesn't mean I don't read your individual blogs. I love glancing through them daily, and don't plan on stopping that anytime soon.
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Thursday, October 11, 2012
This is what happens...
...when you ask your husband to take a picture. I simply wanted a new headshot-ish picture for a project [to be revealed soon!], and an outfit photo since I actually looked decent for once. Now, I understand that my husband isn't used to handling a camera...that's my job. But we both felt so awkward, then goofy, then awkward, then tired. Having your picture taken is no fun, unless you happen to have an awesome hubby on the other side to make you laugh. Here are some outtakes [none of which are edited. oh well].
We did manage to get the photos I was looking for, in case you were wondering. They'll be shown off at a later date, though. How does your SO live up to the task when you ask him to do something for your blog?
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Sponsor Love
Um, so it's already the middle of October, and I'm just now getting around to covering some favorite posts written by Be Freckled sponsors. Don't judge me.
I loved J's fashion overview of the Emmys [especially since I may need a little critiquing myself], kind of want to steal some of her ideas for redecorating her house, and was inspired to start counting my own blessings.
Alex kind of creeped me out [in a good way] with her Spooky Saturday ghost story, and I absolutely loved looking through her photos from a recent trip to Tennessee.
Talia had my heart melting when she showed off pictures of the most adorable child in the world in her fashionable baby clothes, gave me twitchy "I-need-to-do-something-crafty" fingers when she showed off her restyled skirt, and actually kinda made me look forward to my next cold with her Honey-Lemon Tea.
Sarah shared an awesome baked apple recipe, shared a deeply personal story with all of her readers, and gave me a major travel bug when she shared her pictures from an outing in York.
LW inspired her readers with a fall bucket list and ways to take advantage of this season, probably made me a little teary eyed with her I Believe post, and [as usual] makes me über jealous of her photo taking abilities.
Katie showed us all how much she really loves us when she shared her apple pancakes recipe, got me thinking when she wrote this, and I always love when she puts up her weekend pictures.
Mallory just happens to believe in a lot of the same things I do, decided to take a huge risk and try out for Blogger Idol, and made my heart melt with her pictures of dogs.
Chelsea always has some of the best photos to share, had me cracking up with her story about skunks, and seriously....pictures.
Melissa made me super jealous of her new car, shared her goals for life after their big move, and can you tell how much I love seeing other people's pictures?
Cynthia had a flashback to when she and her boyfriend first started dating, gave me more inspiration for the book theme, and I always love when others participate in Friday's Letters.
Just a few of my favorite blog posts from some of my favorite people! Wander around, visit some new sites, make a couple friends. You know you want to :)
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Let's Talk [v1.5] - The negative comments edition
Okay, so it's a Tuesday and not a Saturday, and supposedly the Let's Talk series is over. But this situation is one that most, if not all, bloggers have faced before. I would love to hear what you think about it, and how you handle the situation when faced with it.
Part One: Anonymous
We've all faced it before. That one comment that can ruin an entire day, left behind by a no-name author with a grudge. They condemn our beliefs, undermine our intentions, then disappear without a single shred of evidence to point toward who could've left such inconsiderate remarks. The are filed under the name "Anonymous," a synonym for cowardly peeping Toms that don't have enough courage to leave their thoughts with their true identity.
This doesn't encompass those without a Google ID, and therefore check anonymous yet leave their own name at the end. In the blogging world, we understand that you may not use the same server as the writer. Therefore, if you're willing to identify yourself, then this isn't about you.
If you're a pretty involved blogger, you read the comments others leave for you. Whether you monitor them or not; hopefully you at least check them out since the majority of readers have something decent and uplifting to say. Then you see it. That one comment that completely ruins your entire day, makes you want to shut down the entire blog, never write again. That person probably knows what they've done; they know they have the power to knock you down.
Part Two: What To Do
How do you deal with these situations? Do you ignore it? Reply to it? Call them out in hopes they'll return and see your rebuttal? Everyone is different.
A family friend, someone I've known since I was eight years old, recently had to deal with such an issue. Her blog faces the difficulties of infertility, the joys of adoption, and the surprises that await us around every turn; in her case, the amazing ability to have two children naturally. Recently, she announced some amazing news, which was (for the most part) very well received. But then, Anonymous struck [see post here]. They left behind words, hurt feelings, low self-esteem. They left behind a blogger who honestly considered ending her blogging career, despite the numbers of women who look to her for guidance and support. With a few short sentences, they left behind chaos.
There are so many options for coping with these predicaments. In this case, Wendi responded with well written and detailed bullets. She made a stand against Anonymous, despite her feelings of betrayal, to correct their misconstrued views and to rally those that actually do support her. The sheer number of people that responded to Anonymous' comment should've drowned out those words, but we all know the negative responses are the ones that stay with us the longest.
So, how do you deal with these scenarios? I tend to delete the negative comments and not respond. While this blog is very open to all forms of opinions and ideas, even those that contradict my own, there is no room for blatantly mean behavior. I especially refuse to call attention to those specific people since that's more than likely what they're wanting me to do. Do you respond to them? Delete the comment? Ask for advice? How do you get back up on your feet after such an issue?
Part One: Anonymous
We've all faced it before. That one comment that can ruin an entire day, left behind by a no-name author with a grudge. They condemn our beliefs, undermine our intentions, then disappear without a single shred of evidence to point toward who could've left such inconsiderate remarks. The are filed under the name "Anonymous," a synonym for cowardly peeping Toms that don't have enough courage to leave their thoughts with their true identity.
This doesn't encompass those without a Google ID, and therefore check anonymous yet leave their own name at the end. In the blogging world, we understand that you may not use the same server as the writer. Therefore, if you're willing to identify yourself, then this isn't about you.
If you're a pretty involved blogger, you read the comments others leave for you. Whether you monitor them or not; hopefully you at least check them out since the majority of readers have something decent and uplifting to say. Then you see it. That one comment that completely ruins your entire day, makes you want to shut down the entire blog, never write again. That person probably knows what they've done; they know they have the power to knock you down.
Part Two: What To Do
How do you deal with these situations? Do you ignore it? Reply to it? Call them out in hopes they'll return and see your rebuttal? Everyone is different.
A family friend, someone I've known since I was eight years old, recently had to deal with such an issue. Her blog faces the difficulties of infertility, the joys of adoption, and the surprises that await us around every turn; in her case, the amazing ability to have two children naturally. Recently, she announced some amazing news, which was (for the most part) very well received. But then, Anonymous struck [see post here]. They left behind words, hurt feelings, low self-esteem. They left behind a blogger who honestly considered ending her blogging career, despite the numbers of women who look to her for guidance and support. With a few short sentences, they left behind chaos.
There are so many options for coping with these predicaments. In this case, Wendi responded with well written and detailed bullets. She made a stand against Anonymous, despite her feelings of betrayal, to correct their misconstrued views and to rally those that actually do support her. The sheer number of people that responded to Anonymous' comment should've drowned out those words, but we all know the negative responses are the ones that stay with us the longest.
So, how do you deal with these scenarios? I tend to delete the negative comments and not respond. While this blog is very open to all forms of opinions and ideas, even those that contradict my own, there is no room for blatantly mean behavior. I especially refuse to call attention to those specific people since that's more than likely what they're wanting me to do. Do you respond to them? Delete the comment? Ask for advice? How do you get back up on your feet after such an issue?
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