Buckle up for a loooong post - consider yourself warned!
Have y'all seen this trailer for the American Blogger documentary? Take a minute to watch it and let's discuss...
If you're like me then you recognized some of these faces, and when you take a minute to look under the Meet the Bloggers tab, then you recognize even more of their names. Telling your story - your funny little day to day stories and your big life changing moments on your blog is such an important thing. People poke fun at bloggers, but they have no idea the friendships we form and how lasting they can be.
Blogging is hard to describe to people in your real life. I've told this story in some form before, but I had a friend who started a blog waaay back in 2006 because she was moving away. That was my introduction to blogging. It was a simple online journal of her journey. She had a couple girls that she connected with via the internet and I started to read their blogs too. I've always been a reader, but reading someone's first hand account of their life story seemed like such a cool concept to me. Then about 2011 I decided that maaaaybe I had a few stories in me to tell. I had no idea how to start, knew very little about HTML and it took me days to think up a name. But in it's own little way The Pink Growl was born. Through SITS girls and link ups, I began to meet girls, make connections and form friendships. We skyped, we emailed, we talked on the phone and sent each other gifts through the mail. It was a little strange, but at the same time fulfilling.
Not too long later, I got engaged. And my blog friends shared in my excitement. I had about 350 GFC readers at that point (give or take). I was caught up in a season of excitement and did posts about Our Love Story and wedding planning and really began to open up and share deeper parts of my story. My numbers began to grow because let's face it, girls love wedding talk. But I also ventured into talking about my mom being sick, and my mamaw passing away, my dad's by-pass surgery and other topics that I really just needed to blow off steam about. Then off a sudden in November 2012, my world fell apart when my engagement ended. My blog had grown into this portrait of a happy life as a future cop's wife, and now that identity no longer existed. I felt lost, not just in my day to day life, but in blog land as well. Where did I go from here? Most of the people I followed were in the same stages of life as I was and I couldn't bear to read about their wedding planning or marriages at that point. I did a breakup post, and was ready to shut this thing down.
Enter Kim, Cassie & Erin. These girls refused to allow to let me sink away into the darkness. They pursued me (for lack of a better word). They were relentless in sending messages of hope, love packages, and telling me their stories of struggle. Blogging is incredible y'all. You can doubt it all you want to, and that's fine. But these girls kept me going. I have tears welling up in my eyes right now just remembering how that felt to me. People in my real life were upset with me, choosing sides, saying hateful things about me and these girls were there to pick me back up - day after day. They were a source of strength for me at a time when I needed it most. I had my first blate with Kim & Cassie in Jan 2013, and the rest is history. I talk to them constantly. I've met their families, we've met each other's friends, they are a huge part of my life.
You find bloggers who inspire you and bloggers who are JUST LIKE you...ahem Manda! You "meet" girls who you have zero qualms about driving across states to hang out with. My dad still has a hard time with that concept...
My blog has since transformed into a place where I can tell you all the exciting things God is doing in my life, all my funny dating stories and throw out pictures of Luke Bryan until you are sick of seeing him (if that ever happens, we might not be friends anymore...). But my #1 goal is to keep it real. And real is NOT always an easy story to tell. Blogging has allowed me to document this life change - the good, the bad and the reeeeeally ugly - and it's pretty incredible to look back on. I'm kinda proud of myself honestly.
Basically what I'm trying to say is, I love blogging. Somehow you crazy people are interested enough in what I have to say to keep coming back every week. That's pretty awesome and I love you for it! So even when we feel like we aren't making a difference, we are. Even when we get stagnant and just do silly posts, people are still following our lives and reading our stories. TELL YOUR STORY!!
