Growing up, I was a really big Barbie fan. I loved buying them and playing with them. I loved picking out their outfits and brushing their hair. I had tons of them! And every Halloween or Holiday they would release a new seasonal Barbie. I wasn’t one much for collectibles, because I actually liked to play with my dolls.
I remember when I was younger I used to take trips with my Aunt and my Mom, upstate to visit my cousin in college.
It was a long drive so my Mom let me skip school on a Friday and we drove up early and shopped with my cousin for stuff she needed. We just spent the whole day with her.
Those were always such fun days.
But this one time, I remember, while we were shopping, I saw a Halloween Barbie, that I really wanted.
My parents never raised us to expect that we’d get everything we wanted or everything we asked for. But my mom made an exception and, ended up letting me get the Barbie. I was so excited that I opened it up right away and played with her the whole car ride home. It was always the best feeling, opening a new Barbie.
Til this day I remember what the doll looked like and because of the internet…I can show you just exactly which one it was.
I remember thinking she was dressed so cool. I loved her sparkly, glitter dress and she had on these cool black ankle boots. Her lipstick was a nice orange, to match her orange studs. And how cool is that flame detailing at the bottom of the dress. She also came with a trick or treat bag. 😉 She was just super fun. I really hope my niece is a Barbie fan when she gets a big older! I have all of mine packed away, I need someone to share them with.
There was just something about playing with Barbies. It was like my own early form of story telling. I could name them, give them personalities, create plots, dress them according to their style. It was a blast, and these dolls could be anything they wanted to be. If you ask me, Barbies are an incredible tool for a child’s imagination. It certainly was for mine.
Over the past 5 years I’ve had this blog, I have written a number of Shorts/Story Series. And within those, there are a few that come to mind during this time of year. Two are more horror based, one is more romantic based. I usually write drama/mystery/romance So the horror was a fun segway to try.
Cloaked in the Night
This is a story I wrote inspired by a walk home, where I saw a creepy skeleton decoration. And the idea of it coming to life, hit me and this story was born. I think everyone has felt that fear of walking home alone, late at night. Everything around you suddenly feels eerie.
Summary: For this young character, well she was just running out to grab some ice cream one night…
Summary: This one is more on the romantic side. Jared has always had a thing for his best friend Maddie. When she recently gets her heart broken just before her favorite holiday, she decides it’s time for some changes. And Jared finally decides it’s time to confess his feelings for her…will Jared get the girl he’s always dreamed of or will Maddie’s ex get in the way?
RED THIRST This story was super weird! LOL. I honestly don’t know where it came from. I knew I wanted to write something scary and it just kind of snowballed into this freakshow of a story. But I wanted it to be different. It become this sexy, scary story [hence the parental advisory stamp!] and even when I read it back I feel like it’s nothing like I would typically write. So I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone for this one. But hey ,we have to do that sometimes, right?
Summary: What was supposed to be a fun night out with friends turns into Clara’s worst nightmare as she encounters a handsome bartender named Christian. And the color red takes on a whole new meaning.
Every year, my family tries to schedule a day to go pumpkin picking. My family is pretty big so it can get really hard to get everyone’s schedule to line up. But this year, even though not everyone could make it, we still had a pretty decent sized crew. And it was even more special because it was my niece’s first time pumpkin picking!
Here are some fall shots I took…
I spent quite the pretty penny in the little shop that they had there, so I figured why not show you what I bought…
Treats/Goodies:
Blueberry pie
Apple Cider Donuts
Moon Pie Bites
Red Raspberry Preserves
Pumpkin Butter
Peach Apricot Cherry Jam
Apple Cider
Décor:
3 little stick figures- a pumpkin, sunflower scarecrow, and ghost
^I feel like these would be really cute in a floral arrangement.
A witch
^This can be hung up on the wall or on the door- anywhere really.
My pumpkin that I picked! I have to think about what I want to do with it this year. In the past I’ve done some fun and funky designs…
In my quest to keep this blog thing going for the entire month of October, I sought out some Halloween playlist inspiration and somewhere along the line, the lyric “It’s October again, leaves are coming down…” slipped into my memory.
And I realized how perfectly it lined up.
The lyric is from a song called “Let Me Fall” performed by Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill. [Haley was portrayed by real life singer/songwriter Bethany Joy Lenz.]
It’s October again The leaves are coming down One more year’s come and gone And nothing’s changed at all
Wasn’t I supposed to be someone To face the things that I’ve been running from
Let me feel I don’t care if I break down Let me fall Even if I hit the ground And if I cry a little, die a little At least I know I lived Just a little
I’ve become much too good At being vincible I’m an expert at play it safe And keep it cool
But I swear This isn’t who I meant to be I refuse to let my life roll over me
I wanna be somebody Who can face the things that I’ve been running from
Let me feel I don’t care if I break down Let me fall Even if I hit the ground And if I cry a little, die a little At least I know I lived
It’s October again Leaves are coming down One more year’s come and gone And nothing’s changed at all
***
I feel like this song is really hitting home for me, right now. All the feels in the world. I can relate, Haley, I get you girl!
I wonder is Joy wrote this song herself for the show?
Watch the performance below featured in episode 2×07 titled
“Let The Reigns Go Loose”
Episode Backstory: In this episode Haley conquers her stage fright and performs at TRIC’s opening night.
Soak in those fall vibes…
*I do not take credit for any images, lyrics, or video clips used.*
I know it has been quite some time, since I posted consistently here on michelle leigh writes.
I was having some technical issues and it involved paying fees to upgrade my account, and I just had to really do some research and budgeting before I was able to figure out my next step.
For now, I think I have one. At least a short term solution.
I thought about changing hosts, and starting over. A new blog. Fresh Content. But I just couldn’t leave this one the way it’s been currently; inconsistent/not posting for months, and then what? I just decide to never come back to MLW? I couldn’t do it. It’s my baby. Besides, my current short story series “Move” was never fully finished so…keep an eye out for new chapters of that too!
So I caved and purchased the upgrade. Not a super fan of the yearly cost, but I put 5 years of heart into this blog, I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet. In fact, I now have my own domain- michelleleighwrites.com is my new site name. 😀
However, when my year mark resurfaces, I will re-evaluate and make the best decision for my blog from there on out. And if that means starting new then it will be an exciting adventure and I will of course keep you posted. Transferring 5 years worth of files seems like a tall order, so we will have to just see how things go in a year.
In the meantime I have many things in store for the coming fall months.
Now, because I’ve been gone for what feels like forever, I wanted to start things off with a BANG! So I will be doing #BLOGTOBER. A blog post everyday for the entire month of October. And I have a lot of fun stuff planned, from movie and music reviews to fun party planning ideas, to fall love stories. It’s going to be a good time.
DISCLAIMER:
In the interest of transparency. I must admit I do not know where or who the idea of BLOGTOBER originated from. I didn’t even know it was a thing. I just thought of it, because I know on YouTube they do VLOGTOBER or VLOGMAS, where video bloggers post video of their everyday lives as content for the entire month of October or December. I was even more so inspired by one of my favorite youtubers, Kalyn Nicholson, who does something on her channel called #Youtober, videos posted for everyday of October. She explains it in last year’s video. [See Below:]
SNEAK PEEK FOR DAY 2…
-<3-
*Images are all my own, except the images used in my “Move” Edit artwork*
I can once again apologize for being MIA/inconsistent and follow it up with a whole “I’m back” spiel. But I just wouldn’t be telling the truth. I’ve been all over the place, I can’t even remember what I was doing a few weeks ago. This year is flying by and I can’t even believe we are already in April.
There are many reasons for my inconsistencies here on this blog. I always attempt to stick to a Monday/Thursday post schedule, but now I’m lucky if I get one post up a week, I get really super duper lucky if I get two up even on any random two days. That’s kind of why you’ll see a random Sunday post pop up, or a Tuesday post sneak in. Because I just so happened to have some time to do it that day. To be honest, I haven’t been writing much at all. And I just realized how much I’ve missed it.
Needless to say, I still haven’t gotten back into it. I stand in front of a classroom asking students to write and trying to inspire their creativity and yet I feel like a hypocrite because I myself feel so uninspired.
In February I hit a slump. And it pretty much lasted all through March too. The goals and ideas I had in the beginning of the year went out the window, and the promises I made to myself soon became forgotten.
I guess you can say that’s normal right? We often leave our resolutions in the dust of the January’s left over glitter.
But this felt different.
It felt like I was just constantly going through the motions of what I had to do. Then I got hit with a period of time where I was sick on an off for weeks. First I was treated for a sinus infection. Then after a bunch of back and forth between my doctor and urgent care, I was finally treated for the flu (as a precaution) and strep throat. To say I was done was an understatement. I was taking so many different medications and constantly feeling like I wasn’t present, feeling like my chest was so heavy and like I couldn’t breathe right. I stayed in bed for most of my days. I was even sick for my 27th Birthday. Super fun. Side Note: My mom did make me a kick ass chicken and waffles dinner though, which I was happy I at least got to taste a little. On top of it all, mother nature decided to rain on my pity parade and grace me with her presence.
So I was a mess. I was emotional, I was sick, I didn’t feel well physically or mentally. And because of all of that my anxiety was in full force, I felt like I was going insane. I just didn’t feel like myself for weeks. I really felt like I was spiraling into this weird depression, where I felt like there was something really wrong with me. Soon enough I started to come out of it and even though I’m not 100% out of my funk, I can safely say I feel 100% better than I did a few weeks ago. It’s so crazy the things that your mind can put you through. I was so frustrated at how I was feeling, because I knew the rationality was that I was sick and on medication and dealing with lady problems (lol) and I knew it was just the combination that was making me feel funky. My brain kept telling me not to make such a big deal of it all. People get sick, you’ll be better in a week. But my anxiety turned it into so much more.
I recently had off of work so I tried to cram a bunch of things into my week. Including meeting up with a few friends. And out of all the ladies that I spoke with, we all were feeling the same way. Stressed, anxious, unlike ourselves. And it got me thinking…you are never alone in what you feel. There is always someone who has felt or is feeling what you have/are feeling.
When you deal with anxiety, you become this prisoner in your own mind. As my friend put it, you start to live in your head. And although the mind is a beautiful, powerful thing, it can also be something that can literally break you down and tear you apart because it’s so powerful.
So that brings me to my next point. Seasonal depression is a thing.
Seasonal Depressionis also known as –Seasonal affective disorder– A mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the same time every year.
*Usually self-diagnosable *Symptoms include: fatigue, depression, hopelessness, and social withdrawal. *People may experience: –Mood: anxiety, apathy, general discontent, loneliness, loss of interest, mood swings, or sadness –Sleep: excess sleepiness, insomnia, or sleep deprivation –Whole body: appetite changes or fatigue –Behavioral: irritability or social isolation –Also common: depression, lack of concentration, or weight gain
And when it comes to the Winter season (especially in New York) you can gather how many people may be experiencing this. It stays cold and dark out longer, there’s less opportunities to go out and experience sunlight. Often people stay in doors to avoid the cold temperatures or the snow. You know the snow that falls in March and April when it should be Spring. And your social life becomes sullen. Your left with isolation at times and if you deal with anxiety- your worry sets in and you begin to drown in your racing thoughts. Not to mention that NY whether is so unpredictable that you could be thinking Spring is right around the corner, wearing light jackets and then it snows and you need a winter coat again in a day. That’s enough to put anyone’s body in shock and confusion. Not to mention that the flu season this year has been atrocious. EVERYONE has been getting sick. Gosh, I really thought I was going to escape it, I usually have a strong immune system. But in general my anxiety has peeked these past few months and I imagine that left me a little more susceptible. Never the less, I am slowly, but surely coming out of my funk, and I am finally starting to feel like myself again, and it is time I try to manage my time wisely.
So I won’t make any promises here. I am actually going to just say now that the Monday/Thursday schedule is on hold for now. I will try my best to at least post once a week. I just have a lot going on with weddings, and showers, and family and work and I realize I can’t always be perfect at doing it all at once. And that’s okay. We all could benefit from giving ourselves a little grace at times. At the end of the day, you can only try your best.
But as I said before, I do miss writing, so I’m hoping to make it more of a priority for me.
Today I would like to talk about the February Slump. I know you know what I’m referring to.
You know that point in the new year where you start to slack off on all the goals you set out to accomplish this year.
I knew this time would come. January was a month of making changes, and making lists, and plans for a better future. Putting things into motion and action.
Then once February came, I started noticing myself slacking. Going to bed late, not reading/writing everyday. My daily goals getting distracted by life and the day to day.
Overall, January was pretty great for me. I felt like I was forming a routine, and working out consistently, taking my vitamins, drinking a lot of water, carving out a day within the week to work on each of my big goals for the year. [SEE HERE by reading my- January 2018 Update]
But came February and a few late nights, family functions, and busy times and I started slacking. My goal was not to get angry with myself when this happened but to pick myself back up and hop back onto the routine I’ve started to create, improving it and crafting it as I go along. And that’s what I’m hoping to do this week. Thankfully I am on winter break and I can strive to plan things a little better. However, why is it that it’s only Monday and I already feel like the week is over. There’s so much I want to do, clean, research, make time to see friends and family. You know what they say, there’s never enough time in a day.
I just need to get myself back on track and learn to balance my time to include my dreams, my goals, and my inspirations with my family and my friends, work, (tv shows, because #TVJunkie) and a social life.
Balance is key. And that is what I need to build on in order for all of this to work. Life is a balancing act. Summers become Winters. Christmas becomes Easter in the blink of an eye. And before you know it, the goals you set out to accomplish in that year, are rolled over into the next.
This year I want that to change. I want inspiration, change, and determination to run through my veins. Change? Michelle, you want change? What? You hate change. No you don’t, your just scared of it.
Change is a scary word. But not all change is bad. And I think I’m starting to realize that in order for my dreams to come true I’m going to have to let change in. I want to take action. Take control over my life. There are things I always put on hold, things I just don’t force myself to do, habits that come and go. I let life lead me, rather than the other way around. And then I mentally scold myself for not accomplishing my goals.
So…this year I’ve started to implement the necessary changes I need to do in order to reach my goals. Granted, it’s a slow climb. I’m definitely a work in progress, and I’ve definitely had my days/weeks where I’ve slacked off. The important thing is to acknowledge the slump and work towards moving past it. I know I shouldn’t beat myself up over it, because that’s not going to help me. And I can’t go back in time and change it. Getting down over it and scolding myself will only make me feel bad which in turn will hinder my motivation starting a vicious cycle and I don’t want that. So time to focus, time to revamp, time to balance.
I baked some red velvet cupcakes just to celebrate a bit!
Let’s take a look back…
5 YEARS AGO I posted my first blog post here on michelle leigh writes…
Hey there…and welcome ❤ January 8, 2013
I guess I should introduce myself. I’m Michelle and I’m going to be writing for you. Writing is something that I’ve always enjoyed. It’s difficult to put one’s writing out into the world and have others read and speculate and generally speaking, critique your inner most thoughts. I’m very modest about my writing and often get nervous to share it with others, but this year I’ve promised myself that I would start changing that. I know, I know, once the new year strikes often many of us make promises we know we can’t keep…or won’t keep. But starting a blog has always been on my radar and I’ve always made excuses not to do it, but not this year. This year it’s happening. So if this blog speaks to you please read along, if not no hard feelings. But all I ask is to let this be a safe place for the written word. I’m not claiming to be an award winning writer, I’m just a girl with a lot of heart, who has A LOT of thoughts like I’m sure many of you do. Thoughts that may serve better being read then being cooped up in a journal. Who knows maybe you’ll find that someone else understands you. Here’s to writing! and Happy Reading Folks! -xoxo Michelle Leigh
To say that as I’m reading these words today, and I still feel a strong connection to their meaning is amazing. For the most part, I’ve overcome the fear of posting my work for strangers. Not that the fear is no longer there, I still find it difficult at times, but I continue to do it anyway. Sometimes I still worry what others who know me may think if they read my blog. If a family member or friend reads it, what will they think of me? Like- oh SHE wrote THIS? I know people may think of me a certain way and then they may read a “scandalous” scene in one of my short stories and think wait what? Ew. Lol. But I can only be true to my writer’s heart and to the characters I create in my stories. At the root my stories are all about love, friendship, family. Things that make life worth living.
Below are all the celebratory birthday/anniversary posts over the past 4 years…
In 5 years, I’ve managed to form a post schedule, share poetry, short stories, fangirl experiences, music and movie reviews, fashion, lifestyle, female empowerment, party planning tips and Writing experience/tips, with you. I’ve given you my heart for 5 years and it has been such an important part of my life. And I’m really glad that my motto, “A safe place for the written word,” still holds true for me. Because this blog has really been my writer’s outlet.
We’ve gotten to explore different writing styles, I’ve posted vlogs/videos, and I even have social media accounts for this blog now too. Come and follow along, talk to me! 😀
I’m excited for the future. For the new characters you’ll meet and the new poems that will come together and if you are reading this or have read any of my blog posts, I thank you for your support. I know that I may not have thousands of readers, or comments, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is that for those who do read along, or manage to stumble upon my blog, that they take something from it. That they find something in it that they can relate to. I hope you continue reading! And I hope to continue to grow this blog with all my heart.
Happy Birthday/Happy Anniversary or (Happy Birthaversary) if you will,
michelle leigh writes!
(I still don’t know what to call it!) 😉
Again THANK YOU, thank you!
See you Thursday- with an *ALL NEW* Chapter of Move!
As I reflect on 2017, sifting through my memory jar, my Instagram and my blog posts, I realize SO MUCH happened this year. At the start of the year I made a vision board that I framed. It was made of just cool funky colors and images to match my room, but it also had one main word in the center and that word was CHANGE. I wanted to change and work on so many things and I wanted to make that word my mantra. As someone who fears change, I wanted 2017 to be the year I embraced it. And even though I had my ups and downs, my tearful breakdowns, my stressed out moments, and I lost a very special person- My Grandma very early on in 2017, I still managed to make some incredible memories.
I’d I have to say that I rose to the occasion and embraced change. I changed. And this year I’m hoping to continue to change. To better myself, my life, my relationships and my career.
So here are My 2017 Highlights.
(in no particular order-but categorized)
*FAMILY/FRIENDS*
-I rung in 2017 with my dad’s side of the family- my parents, my cousins, my aunt, and my grandparents. We even got to skype my brother and sister in law who were on their honeymoon in Hawaii at the time. I dressed up, made glitter cups, ate fun finger foods, and lit up sparklers as we had an impromptu dance party outside. It was a blast. It was in fact the last Holiday I got to spend with my Grandmother before she passed in February. I’m glad my family got to have that time together. It was also a huge family reunion when she passed, family and friends from all over came to be together. Although such a sad time, it was beautiful to see how much love there is and how many people wanted to share in honoring her life. Read more about that journey HERE.
-Many family dinners, my brother hosted a few holidays at his new house- memorial day, mother’s day, father’s day, Christmas 2017, and New Year’s! My mom also hosted a few family dinners too. A lot of time spent with my immediate family. ❤
-I became a Titi. (In Spanish it means Aunt.) My sister in law and brother found out they were expecting their first child, so we got to be apart of the baby kicks and all that, I even got to sit in on one of their sonogram visits! We were all there for the birth and for hospital visits and for her Welcome Home. We also got to be with her for her first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year! She’s precious. I’m obsessed.
-My family/friends welcomed a few new babies- my cousin’s baby girl, my brother and sister in law’s baby (my niece!!!!), and one of my oldest friends- Kate’s baby boy.
-I attended special occasions like, my little cousin’s first birthday- it was a mickey mouse clubhouse theme!, my best friend Roe’s engagement party (where I was asked to be one of her maid of honors), I also went for several bridesmaids dresses, and got to see both my best friend’s in their wedding dresses during their hunt for the perfect dress! Attended my other best friend Jenny’s shower, bachelorette party,rehearsal dinner and wedding, where I was her maid of honor and my other friend Kate’s wedding/baby shower and her wedding!
-Took a Zumba class.
-I caught up with some friends I haven’t seen in a while!
-Had a few girls nights/day in/out. Got to see my best friend Jenny’s new place. Had lunch with my mom and my best friend and her mom. Met up with a high school friend a few times, had some sushi and froyo with some work friends, and went to visit with old middle school friends.
-I dragged my Aunt and my mom to the Mermaid Parade, in the rain and we ended up having a blast! Of course I dressed up!
-I got to see my two little girl cousins in their Talent Show, my other boy cousin in his school play where he played Mufasa in Lion King Jr. and my God Daughter’s first dance recital!!! I love going to creative things like that, they are so inspirational. And I always end up tearing up. I love art!
-I read milk & honey.
-I went to the Polar Express again!
-My cousin moved back from Florida for a few months. So I got to see him, and it was nice because he hasn’t been home for that long in a long time.
-Had a fun park day with my God daughter and her baby brother.
-I spent the 4th of July at home with some family, we had food outside and then went on our roof to watch fireworks.
-I got to treat my mom to another play- this time I took her to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then I took her to Olive Garden.
-My family and I went to this old neighborhood amusement park we used to go to as kids, and we played mini golf and I beat my brother! HA! 😉
-Had a fun Beach Day with my mom, cousins, and Aunt. I only made it to the beach once that summer, but at least it was once!
*WORK*
-Started doing holiday/festive themed bulletin boards for my classes to display their Creative Writing work.
-My job hosted a Talent Show and my class did a skit called “School Struggles,” and they did so good!
-I got a bunch of last day of Summer cards from kids I work with. The word around my co-workers was I got the most. 😉 I was kind of super flattered and I felt all warm and fuzzy inside! 🙂
-A few movie projects were completed by my kids in my Film Making class.
-Chaperoned a few trips- one was to see Captain Underpants (which was surprisingly really entertaining!) at this really cool theater with reclining comfy seats, blankets, pillows and food service! The other was to the Museum of Moving Image which was really cool! We even got a special viewing of Moana.
-My job hosted an end of the year carnival- with blowup rides, a photo booth, DJ, and a Taco truck…can you guys what was my favorite part—T-A-C-O!!!!
–Stranger Things & Fuller House released new seasons and they are killing the game!
-That’s So Raven got a Reboot- Raven’s Home– the nostalgia is real! Raven and Chelsea still crack me up!
–Will & Grace got a Reboot as well, and they haven’t changed a bit!
-Got hooked on and binged Scream the TV series
-Also got hooked on Riverdale…and fell in love with a new ship- #BUGHEAD
-Bethany Joy Lenz was in a new film on Lifetime- Snowed Inn Christmas, and my best friend Roe and I watched it during our “Best Friend Christmas” tradition we have every year where we get together and exchange our gifts and watch a Christmas movie and drink hot chocolate and Sangria while munching on snacks. And let me tell you this movie was AWESOME! It had everything- Christmas magic, humor, romance, heart, a handsome guy, and our girl Joy! Duh? 😉
-I fell in love with lighting candles, and wearing big comfy sweaters, which if you know me I used to shy away from because scents and fear of overheating myself would cause my anxiety to spike. I know that sounds like a weird highlight, but for me it means that I’m able to manage my anxiety in a way I wasn’t able to before. And do things people normally don’t think twice about.
-I had a pretty fun fall- a lot of fall vibes, went to a pumpkin patch and got my fall goodies, lit candles, bought festive soaps and décor. Watched a bunch of Halloween movies, I even ordered Halloweentown on DVD, (FINALLY!).
-I hosted a PUMPKIN PARTY! (Which I always wanted to do!)
-Had a Stranger Things Premiere Party (post COMING SOON!)
-I had a really special moment in confession this year. Read more about it HERE.
-I sent my god daughter and her baby brother (my second cousins) and my niece my special hand made, Santa Letters. It’s a tradition I started with my God daughter when she was born. I write a letter to her from Santa and mail it. So I continued it for her brother and of course I had to start it for my new little niece! ❤
-I was given a few special gifts in honor of my new role as “Titi,” two t-shirts, a bracelet and an ornament.
-I baked my butt off for this holiday season- for Thanksgiving I made Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter cookies with Reese’s Pieces, and for Christmas I made Chocolate cake batter cookies with Peppermint kisses in the middle and then White cake mix cookies with Milk Chocolate kisses in the middle and I also made a Berry Crumble.
-I’m learning my limits, and when to say no. I’m a fixer, and I realize rationally I can’t fix what I can’t control. And in this life there is a whole lot we have no control over!
-I put my birthday gift-Ninja bulletto good use and started making smoothies!
-I continue to decorate and organize my room.
-Last Summer, I died my hair BLUE! and now it’s like a green/teal. I have yet to post pics, but that’ll be a post COMING SOON! After the last wedding I’m in, in July, I’m thinking of doing another color next Summer…maybe purple? 😉
***
That was my year in review as you can see, A LOT HAPPENED. And after my family was hit with a major heartache and loss early in the year, it’s an amazing thing to say that for the most part 2017 was a really good year. Looking back on all these memories, I realize that so much change happened and I managed to get through it all and make the most of it- at least I tried in most cases. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t hard, or scary, but I realized that a lot of the changes were good, happy things. And although they can come with stress too, I’m happy to say that I had so many good things to celebrate. I hope 2018 is just a celebratory for my friends and family but also for myself. 2017 was a lot about me showing up for other people, and although I don’t regret it, I realize I still didn’t get to do a lot of what I set out to do in 2017. So I hope to accomplish them in 2018. That doesn’t mean I won’t continue being there for my family and friends, it just means learning when to say no, and learning when to make myself a priority. Like Sophia Bush once yet,
“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.”
I wish you all a Happy, Healthy, 2018! May all your dreams for this year come true. Cheers!
Before we roll into the new year I just wanted to do a little reflection/recap on #BLOGMAS.
I actually did it!!!! 25 days, 25 posts- a post a day, everyday!
There were many times I doubted if I would stick to it. If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know there are many times I let life sidetrack me from my blogging goals.
However, this was something I set out to do, to see if I could actually meet the challenge.
In the beginning, I felt it was pretty easy to post, because I had a few posts already scheduled and ready to go. It was just a matter of checking in on things and then posting to social media. So it was a breeze- then it got harder as I had to post in real time. Every day, I had to set aside time to make sure I could write, edit, and post all in one day. And this is when I realized just how difficult it could be.
With all the holiday things going on- the shopping, the planning, and other things in life like friendships, family, and work, it was difficult to stay on track. Towards the end, I was uploading minutes before midnight! But I made it!
I even blogged ON Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day. I had planned to schedule those ahead of time, but it just got so stressful and so busy, with baking and last minute shopping for the little things. This Christmas was absolutely insane, a lot of traveling around, and it just felt like I was going and going non-stop. I have a new little niece so we had a lot of new special traditions this year.
So in between all that, I was typing up posts on the go, on my crappy cell phone. Making myself slightly car sick! Lol. Hey, at least you can’t say that’s not dedication! Right?
Needless to say not only was my cell phone giving me trouble, my laptop decided to die on me too! So in the face of this challenge I had given myself, it felt like there were a lot of obstacles against me. But I pushed past every one. I borrowed my mom’s computer, my aunt’s computer, to continue the journey, I typed notes into my cellphone, I excused myself on Christmas Eve and Day to upload on my brother’s computer, all on minimal hours of sleep and holiday stress. Just so I could prove to myself that I could do this. And I did. Wherever I went I had BLOGMAS on the brain.
I know it may not be a big deal to some of you reading this, but to me, it’s a huge deal. I often let this blog slide, when I have a lot going on in my life, because it’s my blog, I can pick up whenever or wherever I want. But giving myself a challenge, made me feel like I was being held accountable for something. Don’t get me wrong I felt rude at times sneaking away to write or sneaking off to work on a post/use someone else’s computer to post. (NOT THAT I USED WITHOUT ASKING PERMISSION, lol, because that would just be rude.) I just mean that I did feel bad doing something for myself in the middle of the holidays where your supposed to be sharing it with others. But it was important to me, and I think they all (or at least I hope they all) understood. I didn’t let it stop me from enjoying time with my family. I did what I had to do for BLOGMAS and shut the computer down and resumed my family time.
Another thing I had to come to terms with when posting daily, (because I didn’t always have time to plan and pre-write) was that I couldn’t over-analyze my ideas for my posts. I got an idea, if it was feasible in a day, I ran with it. It usually will take me hours to write, edit and post. Especially if it’s a short story. But with BLOGMAS I was in a bit of a constant time crunch. So I had to leave my perfectionism behind. At times it was hard, because I felt like it wasn’t my best work, but BLOGMAS was a learning experience. You don’t have to love what you write, everyday, but writing everyday is great for a writer to do.
My posts were all Christmas related, which was not my initial intension. But it kind of just happened that way, I guess I was inspired by the season.
Another thing that was new to me, was posting regularly to my social media websites for this blog during BLOGMAS. In case you didn’t know michelleleighwrites is on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram! Come follow along! I’d love to chat with you! 😉 And as someone who personally doesn’t post to social media everyday, it took some getting used to. But it was a cool experience.
I know I also mentioned this to you guys at some point, how my WordPress accountneeds updating and I haven’t been able to do that yet, so my photo memory is extremely limited, and so it was a challenge to post without images. I always like to have an image accompany my writing, I feel like it adds a visual aspect. I had to go in and delete images to make room for the few new ones I needed, or work with images I already had. There were many weird obstacles during BLOGMAS, and usually when things like that have happened in the past in life, I would just be like “Oh well, it’s not working, I can’t do it.” But not this time. I set a goal and I met it! I think there was only one day where I posted to social media a few minutes late, but it was posted on the blog, on time, so I was in the clear! Lol.
It was a long BLOGMAS journey, but it kind of flew by and the more the time passed, the days grew and the numbers on the calendar kept climbing, and I kept posting and it just started to become part of my routine and it started to feel really good. There were times I thought to myself, “I’ve got this,” and there were times where I was like, “Oh no, I’m going to miss my deadline!” But I did it, I posted every day from December 1-25 and I am super proud I was able to commit to it and complete the task I set out to do. For myself, but also for all of you.
Thank you for reading… (and if you missed any days of the MLW #BLOGMAS series, I will link them all down below for you to browse.)
![2147d8559b5b269625b42a6d0cb85bbb--barbie-halloween-mattel-dolls[1]](https://michelleleighwrites.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2147d8559b5b269625b42a6d0cb85bbb-barbie-halloween-mattel-dolls1.jpg?w=665)
This story was super weird! LOL. I honestly don’t know where it came from. I knew I wanted to write something scary and it just kind of snowballed into this freakshow of a story. But I wanted it to be different. It become this sexy, scary story [hence the parental advisory stamp!] and even when I read it back I feel like it’s nothing like I would typically write. So I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone for this one. But hey ,we have to do that sometimes, right?
![325936_1257940858089_full[1]](https://michelleleighwrites.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/325936_1257940858089_full1.jpg?w=665)
Michelle Leigh Writes 