ONE FULL YEAR OF BLOGGING! I can’t even believe it. I don’t know where to start with this post! First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU for being here and following along! Whether you were here from the beginning, or just started following me today, I am so grateful that you are here. I hope that while you’re here, you find something new, exciting, or just a space to take a break from the world for a bit and read all about my life. I cannot wait to continue providing you with all of those things!
I guess I’ll start at the beginning, the very beginning, before I even started this blog. I have always, always loved clothes, fashion, and beauty. When I was a teenager, I hoarded teen Vogue and style magazines like it was my job. I learned every designer and what their signature style was. I looked at celebrities and what they were wearing (anyone else remember those beaded, thin scarves that were on trend in the early 2000’s?!). As I got older and Instagram and fashion blogging really became a “thing”, I immediately used this source as a way to find wardrobe inspiration. Back in college, my friends and I would post our photos on Instagram of our cute outfits on nights out, and I was always that girl who tried to look cute for class, rather than rolling up in pajamas.
In my heart, I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher for so many reasons, but I still have this passion for fashion in my personality. I love styling both professional and cute, casual looks for teaching, and my co-workers would frequently comment on how they liked my outfits. Ever since my first year of teaching (five years ago), I have always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to start a fashion blog. As I mentioned, I love what I do as a teacher and I do believe it is my calling, but I love sharing my style as well. I see all of these other bloggers on Instagram and think to myself, “there’s no way I could EVER be as successful as they are”. Those thoughts held me back from starting this for FIVE years! That’s crazy!
In the fall of 2019 (you know, back when coronavirus was unheard of and we could blissfully stroll around town without masks or a care in the world), I finally decided to just sit down, create a WordPress account, and write my first post. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I was in a new city (we had just moved to Dallas a few months earlier), I wasn’t getting any younger, and I finally convinced myself that it’s better to try than never try and always wonder. So, along with my new WordPress account, I created an Instagram to go with it. Y’all, I cannot tell you HOW excited I was when I had 5 likes on my photos! Other people were actually seeing my outfits and liking them!
What have I learned in my first year of blogging? So much. More than I could ever fit in one blog post. I think two of the biggest things I learned, though, are to truly be yourself and that for the most part, women are more supportive than you may think! It took me until, honestly, two months ago to really stop playing the comparison game. Even today, it is so hard to not scroll through Instagram and compare myself to every other girl I see. This whole year has been a lot of trying something (styles, poses, filters), then seeing another girl do something else, and trying what she was doing. Over this past summer, when I really had time to dedicate to editing and styling, that I feel like I really found my groove here. I re-designed my entire website (all on my own…well, with the help of YouTube) and got into a schedule. Rather than scrolling through Instagram and comparing myself to others, or thinking that I need to change what I’m doing, I appreciated what they were doing, but no longer felt the need to change my style.
I’m not going to lie, when I would see big influencers go on trips together and what not, I thought it was all fake. How could these girls possibly be such good friends from just liking each other’s photos on Instagram? Well, it’s possible. I have made some of the best girlfriends through blogging! If anything, I am so thankful for the beautiful women that I have connected with through this platform. We text and message like we have been friends forever. All of the women that I have met through blogging have been nothing but genuinely supportive of each other, which truly shocks me, but is such a wonderful feeling to experience.
Before I turn this post into a novel, I just want to say thank you again. Thank you for being here, for following along, and for supporting me! I truly love reading all of your DM’s and comments. I love reading your suggestions and what you want to see. I have had an incredible first year of blogging and connecting with you all, and I cannot wait to see what the years ahead hold!
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and find this post to enter in my anniversary giveaway! This giveaway is not sponsored by Instagram or any of the brands that I included. This giveaway will include:
- Tartelette “In Bloom” palette
- Tula Pumpkin scrub
- Tula sheet masks
- Liquid IV in acai berry, apple pie, and hydration multiplier!
- Old Whaling Co. coconut milk body scrub
- Old Whaling Co. lavender body butter