I have a confession to make. When I was younger, I loved scrapbooking. Loved it. I used to get my pictures developed and go to the scrapbooking store and by all sorts of cute papers and stickers and would just scrapbook my little high school butt off. (I even had one of those totes specifically made to organize all my tools like my scalloped photo scisscors and paper punches…so cool)
Lately I’ve been thinking more about why I enjoy blogging so much, and I think that it’s really for the same reason that I loved scrapbooking; it’s something that allows me to document the meaningful moments in my life and share them with others. Granted this is a much more public forum, but the heart of it is still the same. It’s something that allows me to express elements of my personality through writing, design, and photography; I like to think of it as scrapbooking for the modern age. (Plus you don’t have to spend all your babysitting money at the scrapbooking store buying supplies!)
However, what I really enjoy about blogging is the really unique way that it allows you to connect with others. If you blog, you’re basically putting yourself out there saying “this is who I am” and by doing that, you discover this huge community of people who are all doing the same thing and I think that’s what’s so cool about it. I’ve noticed that a lot of women my age seem to start blogs post-college. For a lot of people (myself included), you’re not going to be living in the same city as your friends or family, so a blog is a great to keep in touch and let people know what you’re up to. (This is basically how my blog started out)
Your twenties are a time of discovery and lots of big milestones, with engagement and marriage being the biggie for most people. A lot of times, your group of close friends may end up reaching this milestone at very different times, and I’ve found that blogging is a way to be able to connect to others going through the same life experiences that you are. Don’t get me wrong, I cherish all my friendships from both high school and college, however, a lot of my close girlfriends are single. So while I still love them dearly, I’ve noticed that a lot of the blogs I follow are young newlyweds such as myself and I think that’s because I can really relate to what they’re going through. And I think that’s true of blogging in general, it allows you to find people you have things in common with, so whether it’s cooking or running or whatever you’re passionate about, there are probably 454312 blogs about it.
And another thing that no one tells you about life after college is that it can sometimes be hard to make friends. Depending on your line of work, you may not get the opportunity to interact with tons of people your age, and it can sometimes be tough to form friendships when you don’t have something automatically in common like the same major or the same sorority. And since it’s creepy to just go up to random girls at the gym and be like “Hey, you seem nice and into working out, let’s be friends,” I know that a lot people at this age (myself included) struggle with how to form those friendships in post-college life, so blogging can really help serve as an outlet to connect you at a stage in life where it’s often really easy to feel disconnected. (One word of advice: Get a dog! I have meet more friends randomly since getting Lola, people are just a lot more apt to talk to you if you’ve got a dog with you…true story) Being a part of the blogging community allows you to forge connections with others, and that’s a really cool thing in my opinion.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of actually meeting up in person with one of my favorite bloggers, Ashley from Adventures of Newlyweds! (If you don’t already follow her blog you should check it out!) I have been enjoying Ashley’s blog for awhile, and I can totally relate to her because her husband’s job has been moving them across the country. Her and her hubby are both from Michigan (so obviously they are cool because Michigan rocks) but they’re currently living out in Colorado. I had been loving all of her beautiful pictures of Colorado, and when I emailed her to let her know that I was moving out here as well, we decided to meet up! (Basically me being like hey I don’t know anyone, please be my friend…pretty sweet)
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| Our lunch spot…it’s in kind of a sketch neighborhood, but the place itself is really cute! |
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| Oh hello delicious ham & brie sammich… |
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| Ashley showing off the delish sweet potato tater tot fries |
We had a great lunch yesterday at Bites in Denver, and I really enjoyed being able to get out of the house and talk to someone besides Lola…I wish that were a joke. This was my first time meeting up with a blogger in real life, and I’m so glad I did. Ashley is as nice as she seems on her blog (plus she laughed at my corny Michigan joke about it being the best state in the Midwest “hands” down…and then proceeded to hold up my hand like the state of Michigan…like I said, I’m reallly cool), and I really enjoyed chatting about moving, marriage, and Northern Michigan (love). Just a cool example of the way that this online community can bring people together, especially when you’re in a new place and don’t know anyone! I hope that all of you have been having a fabulous week and have wonderful weekends ahead! xoxo