Hello, Gorgeous!: April 2016

I don’t remember exactly when the thought creeped into my head. But I do know that it was some time ago and it went something like this:

What if I quit blogging?

So the thought sat simmering in the back of my brain and was occasionally the topic of conversation when I discussed life goals with my husband or close friends. For months on end nothing changed. I blogged when I had time and didn’t blog when I was busy. Every few weeks I would have a great idea or feel very inspired and the frequency of my posting would pick up. But the feeling that I kept coming back to was that, in the end, it felt empty and I constantly felt rushed to get content up on the blog.

And if I was being completely honest with myself, I would admit that some time in the last year or so my blog had stopped being a good representation of who I am, how I wanted to spend my time, and the values that I upheld.
I didn’t want to live my life behind a screen. I didn’t want to miss out on real life because I was too busy documenting it, even if it was just the outfit that I wore that day. I didn’t want to constantly be connected to Instagram, Facebook, e-mail, or the blog.

Quite simply, it was a hobby-turned-into-a-second-job that I no longer wished to prioritize over many other aspects of my life. I would be remiss to not mention that I also became increasingly tired of myself. I was tired of taking pictures of myself, looking at pictures of myself, and writing about my outfit choices. In a world of 'me me me', I didn't want it to constantly be about me. That's not the energy that I wanted to put out into the world. It's just not who I am.

The hard part is that I think if I had the time, my blog could have the potential to grow with me and change into something more than just daily outfit photos-- to be much more representative of who I am now, compared to who I was four and a half years ago. (Seriously, I have so many ideas!) But the truth is, the older I get, the more I can accept that there are only 24 hours in a day-- and eventually, we have to prioritize what matters to us more now and how we want to spread those 24 hours now. It doesn't make sense to keep the blog on life support, just in case one day I have the time to dedicate to it and revitalize it. If that day comes in the future and it feels 'right', then I will consider getting back to it then. But for now, here we are.

Needless to say, after months of contemplation, I have finally come to the peaceful conclusion that I must turn over this chapter of "Hello, Gorgeous!". I'm not entirely closing the book-- because, really, who knows what the future will hold. But I am being honest with you and letting you know where I am right now and how that will affect this blog. After this post went live, a few of you asked if I was keeping the blog up for outfit inspiration/etc and the answer is YES. Because I'm not fully "closing the book" , I intend to keep the blog up and all of my social media accounts open. You know, just in case. :)
I am so incredibly grateful for all the good that this blog has brought to me (and hopefully to you). I appreciate every single visitor that stopped by, and every single comment, e-mail, and other communication that you sent my way. From the bottom of my heart, I truly appreciate your endless support and love and I thank you for having a part in my journey.

I want to close this post by telling you about one of the coolest things that I have had the privilege to be a part of. On Wednesday of last week I was interviewed by one of my good friends for her new podcast: Mama Bear Dares-- an incredibly wonderful podcast that focuses on positive and inspirational content for mothers and women as a whole. Although I was initially nervous when she asked to interview me, I jumped in with both feet and we got real deep, real quick, and had an blast doing it! We talked about so many things that I have never had the chance (or maybe the guts) to talk about on here, including: disordered eating, body image, finding your own style, embracing change, and finally, some of the reasons behind my departure.
So if you're interested in any of those topics, I really encourage you to check out the podcast. I simply went to the Podcast app that comes standard on my iPhone and searched for "Mama Bear Dares". You can also download the podcast on iTunes here. My episode is episode #15-- but the other episodes are just as good too. Trust me, you'll be hooked instantly!
Tesi and Leslie, the awesome hosts behind Mama Bear Dares, are also hosting a pretty sweet giveaway: a 30-minute Skype styling session with me! :) Instructions on how to enter are included in the podcast. Take a listen and show them lots of love-- they truly deserve it!