This First One is a Doozy!

I have had the urge to blog for about 10 years but always struggled with what to blog about. I’ve heard “write what you know.” The problem is I know a lot about me but not much about anything else. Nonetheless, the possibilities are just as endless as they are predictable.

Family and Marriage

My husband is my hero. He is an amazing father and even more amazing husband and friend. But we really have no idea how we make our marriage work other than we leave it in God’s hands and we laugh a lot. I simply adore my kids. You know that feeling you get when you think of someone and it makes your heart dance and your arms ache to hold them? That’s how I feel about my kids always. (Okay, almost always.) Not only have they made me a better person, but they are really cool people. Again, I have no idea how they have turned out the way they have but I praise God for it daily. Seriously though, who really wants to read a blog solely about my family and marriage other than a handful of family members and friends?

Food

I’ve been living gluten free (GF) for 2 years and have found a way to comfortably live GF in a gluten-filled world. I really enjoy cooking for my family and hosting dinner guests. I challenge myself to try at least one new recipe a week. Consequently, my repertoire in the kitchen has grown significantly and I’m more than happy to share. However, I have never created an original recipe. As a writer who has been blatantly plagiarized, I am very sensitive to giving credit where credit is due. So my GF blog would end up just being a directory of other people’s recipes with links to the original authors’ blogs.

Work

I enjoy my job but it isn’t my life. I work with great people in an amazing environment. But what I do for a living can seem rather mundane to those outside the industry. My official title is Marketing Coordinator. I work directly with engineers, planners, landscape architects, and environmental scientists in preparing proposals, statements of qualifications, and presentations. I know, sounds riveting! Aside from presenting a compelling argument for the Oxford comma, the blog would be rather dry. I find participating in discussions within different LinkedIn member groups is a better avenue for this.

Exercise

Hahahaha! That’s funny.

Causes

Causes are important and I encourage everyone to be passionate about helping someone or something deserving. However, I get burned out on the constant promotion of causes and I imagine many others do too. I have become numb to the barrage of pleas—both legitimate and phony—I receive daily via email, Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest. I think it is great that someone is passionate about Cause X, but I simply don’t share in their enthusiasm for that particular cause. There a few causes that I support because I feel they are worthwhile, truly do good, and evoke emotion in me personally. I understand if they don’t move you the same way they do me. I am happy to share if you want to listen but I don’t really want to devote a blog to campaigning for my causes.

Beauty and Fashion

Let me put it this way—Coco Chanel sounds more like an ice cream flavor to me than haute couture. About a year ago I received a small bag of clothes from a friend who had lost weight and subsequently, shrunk out of them. Her literal loss was my gain! In the bag was a pair of jeans. I never heard of the brand before but tried them on—they fit beautifully! I have never had a pair of jeans that didn’t gap at the back when I sat down, didn’t slide down my hips as I move, and were the perfect length. I have worn these jeans at least once a week ever since I received them and I usually wash them every 2-3 wearings. Not long ago I was wearing the jeans and a friend of mine commented “Those fit your great. What brand are they?” I replied “Six or Seven or some number.” Her jaw hit the floor. “SEVENS!?! Those are expensive.” “What do you mean,” I asked. “Like $80?” She just shook her head. It turns out that they sell for at least twice that. I also was scolded when I told her how often I wash them. I guess you’re supposed to treat them like a bridal gown and preserve them between wearings. So as you can see I am fashionably challenged and should never, ever write a blog about anything fashion related.

Humor

I think I'm hilarious! I suspect that I am more annoying than hilarious to others. I also am usually dripping with cynicism. Some people tell me that is my style of humor. The truth is that I use humor to make up for my insecurities. Not a day goes by that I don’t have at least a dozen sarcastic thoughts—half of which usually escape my lips. Partner that with the fact that a sarcastic tone is hard to convey in writing and you get a confusing, if not offensive, blog.

Travel

I would love to blog about travel. One major flaw—we don’t travel. It is so expensive and we live far from family so any traveling we do is on the cheap, infrequent, and usually to the Midwest. It drives my husband and me crazy because we are true wanderlusters. We daydream and chat about the far off places we would visit. Some destinations offer rich history, art, and culture. Other destinations offer an opportunity to help those in need. Our marriage began in Paris and recently we both have had a strong desire to return. Unfortunately, that itch won’t be scratched for a while nor will a trip anywhere beyond 4 hours from Raleigh.

Crafting

The word “crafting” used to bother me. As a seamstress, I considered my hobby to be far more refined than that of a mere craft. Crafts were for church bazaars and usually featured angels made out of tea-dyed doilies and ceramic geese dressed like humans. But now I embrace “crafting” wholeheartedly. Etsy and Pinterest are due much of the credit. I love to sew. It’s therapeutic for me. As my mother quilted into one of her first art quilts “it’s cheaper than a shrink.” But I’m afraid that if I devote a blog entirely to crafting I will end up losing it’s therapeutic benefits and start to feel the pressure of creating something new and different for every post. Besides, I already have an Etsy shop featuring some of my projects (here comes the shameless plug) at www.micahandmandy.com. I likely will have a show-and-tell project to share occasionally, though.

So what’s this blog going to be about? All of it and more! Call me noncommittal but I’m going to write about what is occupying my mind when I sit down to write—as random, passionate, long-winded, or brief as it may be. Of course, if you have any ideas for a blog post then send them my way. I like a good challenge!

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