Why Hello Again

Location: Nashville, TN

I have missed this.  I have missed taking fun photos of life and it's adventures.  I have missed writing and sharing my heart and ideas.

What I haven't missed, though, is the ridiculous pressure and anxiety I put on myself to be something that I am not.  The blog world is an interesting one to navigate.  For some reason I felt like I was doing it wrong because I wasn't gaining tons of followers and making money with sponsorships at an exponential rate.  So I changed who I was.  I forgot my why.  My intention to connect, to write, to encourage, to be authentic, genuine, and intentional. I tried to keep up and post often which lead to a negative relationship with my creative outlet. 

My full time job is stressful enough, I don't need my fun hobby to bring even more stress to my life.  I took a break for a while to re-focus and re-center myself.  That break turned into a 7 month hiatus from blogging and you know what, that is okay.

I needed a little time off to realize that I can blog and stay true to myself all at the same time.  This blog is a mix of everything: faith, food, travel, style, exploring my city, fitness because that's who I am and what I love. This time though I am going to trust in God's plan for me and this blog.  I have it on my heart to write in this space.  I need to trust that feeling and honor it because there is a reason that desire was placed in me.  My writing may not be on a regular frequent posting schedule, I have no clue about making money but if a collaboration I believe in comes along then I will be open, we will see what comes.  One thing that is no longer though is the desire to be a perfect little blogger and fit into this mold created by social media, it's simply not worth it.

I am excited to continue this journey.  I hope you will follow along as I share and celebrate life in this space.

2016 | A Year In Review

2016 was so full for me.  My life still in a lot of transition throughout this year.  There were some big unknowns about how my life would unfold, but reflecting back on this year, I realized that the unknowns didn't stop me from being brave, trying new things, and having some really great adventures.

Some of my favorite memories from this year are:

1. Starting this blog.  Getting back into photography and sharing my heart has been so fulfilling and I can't wait to see where it takes me for 2017.  My hope is that this will be a place where hearts can be shared and authentic community can be built.

2. Really moving back to Charlotte.  I have always had one foot in this city.  And for the first 6 months of 2016 I was living in two cities at the same time [literally, I had 2 separate rents!] the end of July I finally planted some roots and made the move to be here in the city I love and will always call home.

3. I left Boone.  Not without one last hike to Rough Ridge. Boone has been so good to me.  I lived there for 6 total years of my life.  The second time I lived there was a healing experience for me.  I learned so much about myself spending time in those majestic mountains.  My soul will be forever grateful for the slow pace of life and the many mountains I climbed.

4.  I took Mike on a birthday trip to Asheville in June.  We had a wonderful time wandering the city, finding fun breweries to try, and meeting up with some friends who live there.

5. In November, I ran my second half marathon in Savannah.  You can read all about that trip here.

6. Mike and I celebrated 1 year of dating at the High Country Beer Fest.

7. One of my goals for my last summer in Boone was to do all the things I have always wanted to do but never seemed to get around to it.  So one day we rented Kayaks on Price Lake and soaked up the water, sunshine, and exercise.

8. A little lesson I have learned this year is to be more present in the moment.  I have spent many quiet moments reflecting, journaling, reading my bible and time in prayer.  These are my favorite moments and they make the biggest impact.

9. Renaissance Festival.  There is one every fall in Charlotte and it's so much fun.  A day full of flower crowns, medieval costumes, shows, jousting, good beer, turkey legs, and song.

10. I started working as an elementary school counselor. I worked for my internship at a school in Charlotte and was asked back for this school year.  I am so grateful for my job and the lessons it teaches me every day.  Our theme for this school year is Racing with Excellence so we kicked off the 2016/17 school year at the speedway in Concord!

11.  My Uncle got married! They have been dating for 20 years.  It was so much fun to gather with family in Georgia and celebrate love while dancing the night away!

12. I graduated with my Masters degree in May! Such a huge accomplishment.  So many things fell into place for my dreams to come true with this one.  The whole experience will always be cherished as such a blessing.

13. Technically this was the end of 2015, but I didn't have this blog yet, so I am sharing now.  Last Christmas was spent in Peru with my sister.  We got to go to Machu Picchu. Oh, what a breathtaking, awe inspiring, wonder of the world that was. Being in those Andes mountains was something I will never forget.

14. I took a trip to Raleigh to meet Mikes family and to see where he grew up. It was such a fun little trip to explore another part of the state and get to know him a little bit more.

15. I tried Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga for the first time.  A friend and I went to a class on Watauga Lake - which quickly became my favorite summer spot. The class was so challenging, yet serene and lovely all at the same time.  I highly recommend it and will definitely jump if I get another opportunity.

16. Dad and I tried our hand at gardening in the spring.  We built a raised bed in my parents yard.  The garden was filled with veggies that fed us all summer long.  I never knew there were so many ways to eat eggplants but when your garden is fruitful you get creative quick!

What are some of your favorite 2016 memories?

Welcome

I am so glad you are here.  

My vision for this blog is to get back to the core of who I am.  I want it to be simple, clean, and beautiful.  A space to share and to connect.  A place to just cherish the memories of each and every day that I get to have.  

This is not my first blogging adventure.  I hosted another blog for many years, with my life getting so busy during graduate school it kind of fell apart.  Another reason for me fading away from the blog scene was a feeling of inadequacy.  I started that comparison game, that never lets you win, which lead to my inspiration and excitement for blogging completely stop. I spent so many hours pouring my heart and soul into something only to feel like I wasn't good enough after reading through so many other beautiful blogs.  That, my friends, is not okay. I am here for a reason.  My life is worth sharing.  I am good enough.  

So I am starting over. Starting fresh. Remembering why I loved blogging in the first place and letting that carry me through. I love photography and writing.  I love living an adventurous life and documenting it through the eyes of a lens. As humans we forget to be vulnerable, to live in the present moment, to cherish the little things. We can always set the reset button and start again. That's what I am doing here. 

Welcome to Sweet Surrender.  A blog about me living my life, being brave for Jesus, and my lessons that I learn along the way.