The Girl Behind the Blog

The Girl Behind the Blog...

Whitney

I've been reading some of these posts on other blogs 

and thought it would be fun to do one of my own.

Ideal outfit: 

Anything bright and colorful - skirts, patterns, prints, dresses combined with great accessories.  I feel best when I have on a well put together outfit.

3 Things you don't already know:

1. I am a terrible singer/dancer.  I can't keep a beat, have no rhythm and am glad that I do not have to make a living doing any of those things.  I feel bad that I sing with my students but I'm hoping they don't notice that I have a hideous voice.  One of my most traumatizing life events was from my undergrad years was taking a music class where I had to teach my class a song and SING IT TO THEM!!  I still have nightmares about that experience and am thankful that I didn't know anyone in the class.

2. My fingernails barely grow.  They break easily and I've never had long nails.  I've tried different polishes and vitamins but nothing happens.  I thought pre-natal vitamins might work some miracles on my nails but no such luck.  I don't want to maintain fake nails so I have just accepted my nails as is.

3. I'm pleasantly stubborn.  I prefer to say determined but oftentimes it presents itself as stubborn.  Most people wouldn't describe me as stubborn so unfortunately I think I hide it well.  I like things done a certain way, I have a game plan in mind for most things, I am not good at spontaneous, I want things executed just so, I often do things myself so I am not disappointed, and I often try to be in control of many things. I'm working hard to be more flexible, enjoy the little things, to not feel stressed if things don't go my way and make the most of every opportunity and not sulk.

Favorite social media outlet:

It's a tie between blogs and instagram.  I have so much fun reading blogs, getting recipes and seeing what everyone else is DIYing, saying or showcasing.  I feel like I have lots of bloggy friends that I've never even met in person because they are so genuine in their writing and I get to interact with them.  I also really enjoy instagram and quickly looking through picture updates that people post.  I'd love to follow you; just let me know your username.  You should follow me too!  Check out my sidebar to get a glimpse of what I'm instagramming.

What is the focus or goal of your blog?

I started blogging because I live far away from my family and I thought they'd enjoy seeing what I was doing in my day to day life.  I quickly realized that I LOVED blogging and just ran with it.  I am a picture taker by nature, had tons of material and wanted my blog to be picture heavy.  I don't write giant stories or long descriptions because I'd prefer to have lots of pictures and snippets to go with them.  I read and enjoy plenty of blogs that are word heavy but for me it's more of a rarity.  I blog about food, my cats, fashion, parties, holidays, teaching, DIYs and anything else that I love or find interesting.  I want my blog to be a happy place that adds a bit of cheer to your day.  It definitely makes me smile to make friends, read your comments and share in the joys of life together.

Favorite way to end the day:

Pillow talk with my husband.  We debrief on our days if we haven't already then we give a run down of the next day.  We exchange stories of things are students said or did that day and just exchange random stories.  We like to be together so we always talk about when we'll be home from work and what fun things we have to look forward to doing together the next day.

What inspires you?

I'm inspired by current trends, pretty things, organization, color, blogs I read, baking, holidays, planning events, being thoughtful and authentic.

What do you to do cheer up when you are having a bad day?

I will often eat a yummy treat, go for a walk or go out for dinner.  I also usually talk things out with my husband; he can help me to see the positives in all situations, look at things from other people's perspectives (which is something I was not very good at before I got married) and then figure out a game plan to bounce back.

If you could go on a vacation free of charge, where would you go and who would you go with?

I'd love to go to Washington, DC in the Spring to see the cherry blossom trees!  The cherry blossom festival always looks dreamy so I hope to make it there one day.  My dad has always wanted to go to DC so maybe I could talk him into going with me.

What is your #1 guilty pleasure?

I love accessories: earrings, scarves, belts, flower pins, brooches, necklaces, shoes, tights, etc.  I own far too many because I can't turn them down.  People give them to me as gifts, I have several vintage items and I could probably use a closet to house all of them.  I keep them organized in a way that lets me see what I have so that I can wear a variety of things.  It's my goal to not repeat the same look over and over again.

Bloggy advice:

I often still feel like a novice blogger so I'm still finding my rhythm.  These are the things that have worked for me so far: Blog about things you care about and things that you find interesting.  If you are bored with your posts, no one will want to read it.  You don't have to jump on every bandwagon out there.  Participate in things that are fun and fit your style.   Blog often and regularly.  It's hard to get to know someone when they only post sporadically.  There is always MORE that you can be doing to grow or enhance your blog.  Work at your own pace so that you don't suck the fun out of blogging and feel pressure to measure yourself against other bloggers.

Well thanks for reading!  Hope you feel like you know me better and that we could be friends :)