I'm coming to the end of my "official" maternity leave. I am blessed that a big part of my day job is blogging. It's the only thing I consistently do week after week and the piece of my "freelance income pie" that takes up the most time. Every dollar I have made in the past 3+ years has been directly or indirectly related to this space.
But long before there was in any money in this blog, I loved to write here. This text box has become my friend, my sounding-board and occasionally my super inexpensive therapist. I have found my voice in this Internet corner and have learned a lot about myself just by typing (and re-typing) nearly everyday for over seven years.
I already knew I needed this outlet, but it was made even clearer when I got home from the hospital after Ellerie was born. Everything was hard those first few days and weeks. Showering was hard. Getting into and out of bed was hard. Sitting on the couch was hard. But writing was easy. I wanted to blog. I needed to blog. I was desperate for both the escape and clarity that came from stringing my thoughts together and hitting publish. I realized those first few weeks how important this space was to me on a personal level. It was awesome to see how much I needed to write.
And so, because of this, I know I'll keep writing here forever.
Since I started this blog, my story has changed many times. I have been single and living in a sorority house with my best friends. I have been a college student struggling to figure out how passion and a career path could fit together. I have been a girlfriend moving across the country to live with a boy. I have been a college graduate commuting two hours a day to work at a paper store for very little money. I have been a new entrepreneur starting an etsy shop. I have been newly engaged and planning a wedding. I have been a newlywed gleefully decorating an apartment. I have been a small business owner quitting my day job to make money doing what I loved. I have been a military spouse living alone while my husband was deployed. I have been pregnant and preparing for a baby. I have been a new homeowner feathering a nest.
And now, in addition to all of those other women, I am a mom. Over the years, I have thought a lot about how this space would be affected once I had kids. Recently I realized it would move foward the same way it always does – organically and with me. In seven years, the content and "theme" of this blog has changed many times, but, for me, it continues to work because it always feels real. I can't sleep when this blog looses it's authenticity and with a newborn, I don't need anything else keeping me up at night.
So instead of over-thinking it (she says, 500 words later), I'm going to just keep writing. About what interests me. About the things we do. The food we cook. The projects I take on. The thoughts I have. The goals I set. The mistakes I make. The people I love.
This space is where I share my story and I am so looking forward to getting back into the swing of near daily writing again. Thank you for reading.
p.s. as I start to prepare a loose editioral calendar for this fall, I welcome your suggestions! Is there anything you would like to read from me? Please feel free to share in the comments section.
enJOY it 
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