for the past year+, i have been blogging almost every day.
i have spent hours & hours [and hours!] in front of my computer making connections, writing posts, researching recipes, projects & vegan information.
along with blogging, i have also been knitting, sewing and creating tons of products for my shop.
like everything in life, things ebb & flow.
for the past few weeks, i havent been blogging much. i deleted twitter & facebook from my phone. i havent been blog reading, tweeting & interacting much online.
i created 50+ new items for a craft fair i had the beginning of june. i didnt work on my etsy shop AT ALL in the month of may. no new items. didnt renew any items. just let it sit there.
so, what have i been doing?
i have been baking a lot. reading before bed. walking around the lakes around sunset. sleeping in until 7:30am. biking 120+ miles a week. listening to mpr. talking to my grandma on the phone. enjoying everything.
another thing i have been doing?
lots of 'long-term' planning with blake. its no secret we want to adopt in the next couple of years. we want to buy a house. we want to pay off all our debts & student loans [side note : i made a HUGE dent in my loans in may ; super exciting!]
all of those things take money. lots of money.
and right now, my energy & heart just isnt in :dianapantz: the way it was. both financially & emotionally, i am looking for a bit more 'ommmmph' right now.
i love that i can wake up each morning and do what i love. and i am making ends meet & i am super proud of myself for following my dream.
and while making ends meet is great ; i want to get ahead right now. i owe it to myself & to blake to knock out debt, start the adoption process & create a more stable future.
what does all of this mean?
i am NOT closing down my shop. and i am NOT leaving my blog.
it means that i have been applying for a 'real' job & plan on creating a career for myself. i have 12 years experience in planning, childcare & program development. i am looking forward to working with people [and not just listening to my crappy neighbors all day!] & actually getting dressed in the morning!
i will still be posting 4-5 days a week & will start accepting paid sponsorships later this summer // fall.
new items will still be added to the shop ; but not as often.
i really appreciate each & every one of you that visit the blog & have supported my business.
we all go through ups & downs and our goals & dreams shift.
thanks for reading ; i really do think you are cool.
[even those of you that lurk & never comment ;)]
That's right! I have to do this too...
ReplyDeleteI feel exactly what you feel...
I don't want to spent my whole life before the screen! And I want to live my life in 95% of time and the rest 5% could be the time for my blog.
Thank you for this post!
Hugs!
You are so inspiring! I think it's great you've taken a little break, to do what puts a smile on your face. Girl, that is ALL that matters. I know how you feel, about making a dent in your future planning. Jen and I are doing the same - or at least trying to. I love that y'all are trying to adopt and I hope you blog about the process!
ReplyDeleteDo it and don't look back. You have made a great decision and you should be inspiring to many young women out here. Congratulations and good luck in the adoption process, albeit further down the road.
ReplyDeleteBeing honest is the best thing you can possibly do! I think that we all walk around doing what we think we should do and not taking enough time to step back and do what we really want to do, or what is important. Good luck with everything! Kx
ReplyDeleteI've only known you just shy of one year but am so incredibly proud to call you a friend.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for this next chapter in your life!