It's Personal

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On this date last year, I posted my very first photo.
It was a picture of my suitcase stack.
Just over a year ago I found myself in an interesting place in my life. I'd had multiple opportunities to help people design their homes. I loved making their homes beautiful and personal. I loved being involved in the design process. I loved that people were looking to me for "expert" advice, and I really enjoyed the fact that I was being well paid for something that I loved. I felt a very strong desire to go back to school to get another degree. I had earned two degrees in education earlier in my life, but now, I really wanted a degree in interior design. I felt that I needed a design degree in order to validate myself. However, with our family and financial situation, the ability to go back to school was not a possibility. . . the sacrifice would have been too great. I was at that point where blocked creativity and total frustration collide.
I had talked for months about starting a blog. I thought that maybe I could showcase some of the work I had done in my clients homes, as well as my own home. My husband had even bought me a digital camera to show his support for my decision. I had spent hours and hours looking at, and being inspired by many designers blogs. I noticed that several mentioned that starting a blog was one of the best things they had done.
So, after months of talking, late one night my daughter helped me start my blog.
I thought that if nothing else, blogging would help improve my computer skills. I hoped that blogging would give me that extra push to complete a few of the hundreds of home improvement and craft projects that I constantly have running through my head. Blogging could serve as my substitute for higher education until the time was right. Interestingly enough, I chose to tell very, very few people about my blog, only a couple of my closest friends. I needed my blog to be my very personal outlet; the place where I could create with words and pictures without the fear of being judged by people I knew. . .whether good or bad.

Today I celebrate one year of blogging.
This is a photo of my suitcase stack today.
There have been subtle changes in that stack, and in my life. What has happened over the past year? Well, I do have a few more computer skills, although not enough to mention on a job application. I have been able to complete several projects. However, the amount of to-do projects running through my head has actually increased. Still, to this day, very few of my neighbors and extended family know that I have a blog, only those who have happened upon it through other sources. There have been other changes though. Changes that I never would have expected when I began this journey a year ago. I never would have expected that ANYONE would have ever been interested in what I had to say or do. I never would have expected that people would take time from their busy lives to leave kind, uplifting, positive, and friendly notes to me---someone they have never met and yet have a connection with, and they do so without expecting anything in return. I never would have expected to wake up every morning wondering what I could say or do on my blog so that someone I have never met might be inspired to enjoy their home and their life just a little more. And now, after a year of blogging I understand what others meant when they said that blogging was one of the best things they had ever done.

Blogging truly has been a life changing experience for me. I have each and every person who has ever read or commented on my blog to thank for that.
I am deeply appreciative to YOU
for being an important part of my life.
THANK YOU
from the bottom of my heart!

And, if you are wondering, I'll be throwing a party this Friday to celebrate this one year journey. I hope you'll be there. I'll even have a few prizes to give away.