Reasons I'm a Bad Blogger

No one is perfect, so they say. But, if you look around the blogging community you'll find many people attempting to prove this phrase wrong. They have perfect DIY projects, perfect husbands/boyfriends/finaces/girlfriends, adorable kids or pregnancy photos, a recipe for every occasion, host fabulous giveaways, provide an inspirational Bible verse or quote for whatever mood you're in, take beautiful photos, etc.

Well... I hate to break it to you. But I'm not one of those bloggers.

I am far from being a perfect blogger.

1) I didn't take any photos this weekend. Or at least none that were blog worthy. My little point and shoot camera (nope, I don't even have a DSLR) has had a dead battery for months and I had to order a new charger because I lost mine. I finally got the new charger in the mail this weekend. Did I remember to take my camera on my birthday outings or to the 4th of July fireworks or even Instagram my food over the weekend? Nope.

2) Half of the blogs I follow on Bloglovin I don't even read. I've been working on cleaning it out and getting rid of blogs I don't read anymore or aren't active now. I also read the newest blogs I've been following everyday and there are a lot of blogs I read almost religously. THEN the blogs I do actually read, I only comment on about 1/2 of them. If I comment at all that day. It's awful. I'm working on it, I promise. But for some reason I'm just the worst at leaving comments. Although I do try to at least "like" blogs I read on Bloglovin if I enjoyed the post but didn't comment. Does that count?

3) I think I'm giving up on the whole sponsorship idea with blogs. It works great for some blogs, but it's not for me. Granted, if someone wanted to pay me money to blog or put their ad on my page, I'm not going to turn them down. Bu,t as of right now, I'm fine with not doing sponsorship's. It's a lot of pressure to be sure you're a good host for your sponsors and to search out places to sponsor and it's just a lot. I want blogging to be fun and not for earning money. Maybe I'll try it again someday, but today is not that day.

4) I have a lot of thoughts about life and faith, but I rarely post about them. I feel like you have to come to a conclusion at the end when you write about "real" stuff sometimes, and I rarely ever have a conclusion. While I know it's okay to not have all of the answers and to have things open ended. But if I were to write like this every single day I have a feeling people would grow tired of it.

5) I worry way too much about what other people think. Most of the time, it's not even people I interact with in "real life." At least not often. I worry about all of my Internet friends and I want them to like what I write. A lot of times I feel like I'm the new kid (who isn't even new... I've been blogging for awhile now...) who wants to try and hang out at the cool table.

6) I will never write a recipe post. I'm the worst cook in the history of the universe. At most you'll be reading stories and watching videos about how I almost light my apartment on fire by boiling water.

7) The main reason I don't write "weekend recap" posts is because my weekends are usually painfully boring. Or... see #1. Unless you want me to talk about how I binge watched The Autobiography of Jane Eyre and watched almost all 90+ episodes in one day...

8) My best writing usually doesn't make it on the blog. Probably never on the Internet anywhere. Because most of my best (in my opinion) and favorite writing is fiction and what I'm working on in my novels. Sometimes I'll share bits and pieces with you all, but it's usually not the best. I do try to write well on my blog, and I want to be proud of it. But what I pour most of my energy into is my fiction, and this is a more fun and relaxed style more for keeping in touch with people and connecting to new friends.

This list was supposed to have ten points... but I can't think of anything else. 8 ways of being a bad blogger is enough, right? Right.

And it's okay. I don't have to be perfect. Hannah Montana told me so.

Yup. I went there.

Linking up with 10 on Tuesday.

The Perks of Being a Bridesmaid

Ever since graduating college, I've gone to my fair share of weddings. It's one of the side effects of going to a small Lutheran university. Everyone gets married right away. However, I've only actually been in a few of these weddings. Two to be exact. However, most of the weddings I've attended I have somehow always ended up being the "helper girl." Getting tables set up, organizing programs, running the guest book, steaming the dress, running errands for the bridal party while they are getting ready, etc.

I feel as though most of the time, being a bridesmaid, or going to weddings in general, get a bad rap. Thank you 27 Dresses and Bridesmaids.

Thankfully, I've never had to do this.

Although it's understandable why some people hate weddings and being in weddings. You might not like the dress you can't afford, the music isn't always great, cheesy games and traditions, bridezillas, having to find a date, etc. I understand the pain!

However, I am now officially in my third wedding this year. My sister is getting married in September and as maid of honor, I feel as though we need to see the other side of the story.

I present to you, the perks of being a bridesmaid.

You don't have to pick out a dress to wear. 
Yes, the bride picks your dress. Usually. (Once I got to pick my own and it was fabulous!) No, you might not be able to afford it. However, depending on the bride they will still put your feelings into consideration and wants to be sure everyone looks good. You also don't have to stand in front of your closet or go from store to store trying to find something to wear.

You have an automatic group of people to hang out with.
Most of the weddings I have gone to are college friends, so it's like a school reunion. However, there have been times when I haven't known anyone at the wedding. Just this past year I went to a friends wedding and I literally didn't know a single person there. I sat alone in a pew at the church and when I got to the reception there wasn't a seating chart. Therefore, I had to wander around looking for someone nice enough to let a stranger sit with them. It was like being a freshman on the first day of high school looking for a table in the cafeteria all over again.

When you are in the bridal party - you don't have to have that sort of experience! You know where you're sitting! You know who you're hanging out with! It's like sitting at the plastics table. You're with the cool kids. People know who you are (or at least know you're important). Heck, some people might even want to be you.

Your social calendar fills up quickly.
Between showers, bachelorette parties, get-togethers with the other bridesmaids, fittings, and helping the bride with plans, your calendar will fill up in no time!

Sometimes, you actually have a say in what happens at the wedding.
Now, ultimately it is up to the bride and groom (sometimes) what happens at the wedding. However, if you have a bride who really wants help and other opinions, who is she going to go to? Her bridesmaids of course! I've been able to give my opinion to my sister on several things about her upcoming wedding, and my friend Julie wished I was up in Chicago when she got married so I could have helped with the planning more. What other guest gets to have that privilege? NONE.

You also can help with other things like the shower and the bachelorette party. Don't like some of the games people usually play at showers? You can actually share your opinion and plan what you will be doing! Have a great idea for what to do for the bride for her last night of single girl freedom? You can do it!

You get to spend time with the bride.
Seriously. Some of the weddings I've just attended and not been in or helped with, I hardly see the bride and groom. They come and greet me for a few minutes here and there, but nothing significant. When you are in the bridal party, you can actually hang out with the bride and groom on their special day. When I was in my friend Stacey's wedding, our hotel room (my friends and I) was right across the hall from hers. She even stopped by the morning after to hang out for a bit. That never would have happened if we weren't bridesmaids. When my friend Julie got married, I loved being able to be in the limo with her to help her calm down before the ceremony and to be one of the first to see her in her dress. It was just so much fun to be there with them through everything from start to finish.

It's an excuse to get pampered and dressed up.
I don't know about you, but I love to dress up in a pretty dress and go all out. When Julie got married we didn't all get ready together, but my sister and I took the opportunity to go out and get manis and pedis the morning of. When my friend Bri got married, I wasn't in the wedding, but they did invite me to go with them to the nail salon to get my nails done too. At Stacey's wedding, she had professionals come to the hotel and we all got ready in the room together and had people do our hair and makeup. Then, most of the time, when you are getting ready you'll have a ton of finger food and drinks to munch on until the reception. At Stacey's wedding, we drank mimosas all morning.

Which brings me to my next point.

Alcohol.
Hello! A lot of weddings have open bars! Or as I said before, at Stacey's wedding we drank mimosas all day. It was fabulous.

The gift.
Most brides give their bridesmaids a gift for being in their wedding and a lot of them want those in the party to feel special. Because they/you are special! The gifts I've been given for being a bridesmaid have always been wonderful and things I actually enjoy and use.

It shows you are important to them.
Think about it. The bride wants YOU there at her wedding. She wants YOU to be there by her side through it all. I mean, even if you aren't the type of girl who daydreams about her wedding all of the time, most of us have at least thought about who we would want as bridesmaids if that day does come someday. Who do you want to be there?

They are the people you're closest to, right? I don't know about you, but when I'm asked to be in a wedding or to help out in some day, I feel special. I feel loved. It's awesome to be able to be there with my friend (or family member) to help them and be by their side on one of the most special days of their lives.

So enjoy it. Put on that overly expensive dress you'll probably never wear again. Deal with yet another cheesy wedding shower game. Then drink your mimosa, put on your dancing shoes, and have fun with it!

Have you all been in weddings? What are some of the perks you've had?

The Part Where You Get To Peek Into My Brain

I decided as I was driving up to Chicago this past week to give you all a look into what I think about as I drive.

Beware -

It's a bit scary.

Also, I know I promised I would announce my monthly theme. It IS coming. However, if you want to start thinking about your guest posts - please do! The theme is "The Secret Place." I'll be publishing my post soon, but feel free to interpret that theme however you wish to!

I also am still needing a sponsor swap partner for May! :D

There is so much more crazy that I could have put in here... but I figured it was long enough. 

Nana Is Always Right

Source

Extra clothes. Pajamas. Socks. Bible. Hunger Games. Journal. iHome. Cell Phone Charger. Camera.

One by one the times were thrown into my hot pink Victoria's Secret tote bag. A few weeks prior I had gotten an invite from a girl I had met a few months ago for a girls overnight. Basically, a sleepover for grown ups.

I compulsively looked at the invitation to be sure I had everything I needed and also checking the Facebook event to try and find out if I knew anyone going. Nope. The hostess still had it set up so you couldn't see the names of people invited and I still didn't recognize anyone who had written on the wall. Drat.