Blogging Because

I've chosen to blog, to be a blogger because...

...it allows me to capture the moments in my life and wrap them into a story full of detail almost on a daily basis. This blog keeps me accountable for writing down my significant and not so significant experiences. And I reap the benefits of that; I am in awe and complete delight when I take time to flip back through past blog posts only to rediscover a time of life that my brain has short-circuited and I have forgotten. I can pick almost any random day, find it on the blog and recapture the essence of what that moment felt like. For instance, on this day one year ago my post was reflective of the weekend during which Pete and I had our first wedding shower. I can recall the games, the people, and the emotions that were packed into that Saturday. I wouldn't have remembered a lot of those things otherwise, especially the exact day. This blog just won't let me forget and for that I am overly grateful.

...it lets me dig deep for happy words to express a day, an instant, a week that wasn't so happy. It pushes me to find the good things and to move forward. Although the most intimate and personal of struggles, ordeals, etc., will not be shared in this space, I do share the bumps. I'm human and I have a million emotions, sometimes in one day alone. I want readers to see that side of me too, to recognize that life isn't always glorious and that no one escapes the downs, only to have ups. My home does get messy, my photos don't always turn out how I want them, and I do get flabbergasted. My life is not perfection, but it is my kind of perfect and I will continue to gracefully express my feelings, those both sad and wonderfully happy. (here, here, & here)

...it exponentially grows my talents and abilities. I have learned so much in the year and half I have been blogging. I have strived to create a blog that exudes who I am and captures the essence of the Hills. I aiming for that, I have had to recall upon my college coding days to get this space just the way I wanted it. I have researched long and and tirelessly to figure out all aspects of the blog, from HTML I didn't know to how this whole blogging world rotates. I love looking back on my very beginnings of my blogging life (remember when it was Tales of Two Hills) and love even more to see how I have evolved. Just look at my very first post!

...it gives me a whole new community to interact with. A community that enjoys writing, reading, and all other activities that I love. Blogging can be so specific, from finance blogs to lifestyle blogs like mine. In and through that you meet others who share your interests. It's been an experience like no other and I only hope that it will continue to grow. I have been able to connect with other bloggers around the country, and even one across the pond. I love the connections I make with bloggers and my readers and hope to increase my readership, if only to make new acquaintances.

...it pushes my boundaries. There are times I get too caught up in people pleasing. It's an area I have to remind myself to stay away from in order to not constrain myself. So I write about the topics that matter to me most, even if it's about numbers and how that looks in my day. People will either read my posts or they won't. And while I hope that they do, I have promised to stay true to myself and maintain a blog that is purely reflective of me, and not one that pleases the masses.

...it makes me look at myself in a different light. With the blog comes readership, a group of people who takes in the words and stories I put forth. Being critiqued is hard, knowing you are being critiqued is hard, writing and sharing it anyway is even harder. Yet, it's worth it. I may gain readers through it and I may lose them through it and I'm okay with that. It took a lot to get to that point, but in writing and editing my blog, I have solidified my passion in writing and am learning how to take ownership of something I do well.

...it encourages me to explore the things that I am a novice to. Like opening my blog to sponsorships and sponsors. It is a whole new concept for me, and while it's extremely intimidating, I am learning and gathering as much information as possible. Blogging is my hobby, but as a creative writer, I would love to turn it into a career. And that means making it to a whole new platform. With over 1,500 pageviews monthly, I hope to attract potential sponsors, new readers, and other bloggers to collaborate with. It's an aspiration of mine to take this blog somewhere and reach new heights.

...it's rewarding. That is the biggest motivator in this entire journey. I have an entire collection of one of the biggest parts of my life. I started when the timing was just right for me and with every post I add another memory that might otherwise perish. I have a never-ending storybook, and outlet, a space of my own to free my thoughts, and hobby that I fall in love with over and over again.

I am a writer by nature, finding one of the best ways to express myself in the context of words strung together into sentences, paragraphs, and pages. I've said it once and I'll say it again, writing is and has always been a large part of my life. Writing is my day job and my hobby; yes I enjoy it that much. Maybe even it's my small and, possibly one day, big way of leaving my mark on this world. Regardless, I'll keep writing, keep sharing my life's story in some fashion or another. For now and the near future it will be through this blog of mine. Thank you so sincerely for reading!