Category: Blogger of the Month

Sarah Shotts Miss May 2015

Hi there!

I’m Sarah and I blog at Love Letter to Adventure.

sarahshotts-shakespearesbirthplace

I believe in living life with an adventurous spirit whether you’re exploring the local farmers market or traveling the world. My blog is a guide for women in busy lives who have lost their sense of adventure (or just want more!) I blog about ways to infuse your daily lives with adventure and open your mind to those big dreams you’ve always told yourself are beyond your grasp.

This month I’m excited to share some adventure prompts here on ARWB to help you reconnect to your inner adventurer.

You may be thinking, “I don’t have the time.” “I don’t have the money.” or “It’s not my season.”

But before you run off thinking adventures is not for you let’s take a moment to reframe adventure in a way that works for us.

Because adventure doesn’t have to mean sky diving and globe trotting. (Even if Alison Chino makes that wandering pilgrim thing look pretty fun.) We can all find adventure right in our own backyard.

My definition of adventure is whatever is daring and exciting for you.

what is adventure

That means we each have a different view of what feels adventurous. And that’s wonderful. Which of these mini-adventures sound most exciting to you?

Knitting a Scarf
Visiting a Museum
Going for a Hike
Trying a New Recipe
Treasure Hunting at a Thrift Shop
Planting a Garden

I’d like to start this month by challenging you to go on one mini-adventure each week in May. It can be something as simple as a walk in the park or pulling out a half finished craft project. Use #WeeklyVenture when posting your adventures on social media so we can all find each other. 🙂

Cheers,

sarahsignature

P.S. Need an adventure idea? Try out my free Adventure Generator printable.

Final Thoughts on Renew

By Jamie Smith, Miss April 2015

As I write my final blog as Miss April 2015, I keep wanting to write something like “My top 5 tips for finding renewal” or something like that. But it just doesn’t feel right.

It’s the kind of headline that experts keep saying will get more clicks and we all want more clicks, right? But the truth is, I’m tired. I’m tired physically and a little bit mentally. But what I’m talking about right now is that I’m tired of so-called experts telling me what to do. Or at least that’s often what feels is happening. So why pretend that I know all about renew and that I can give all this sage advice?

I’m tired of my newsfeed being filled with articles that proclaim they have the answers to life and that if I just follow these steps, my life will be organized. My life will be exciting. My life will be in perfect balance.

I call hogwash. I admit, clicking on these types of headlines is tempting, especially when I feel disorganized, boring, or out of balance. Just one quick list that we can follow and all will be well, right? A few months ago I started feeling overwhelmed by the tips, instructions and unsolicited advice. So I stopped, backed away and reflected.

Did I really need to be following all of these tips? Are these authors really presenting anything new? Even when I researched tips for renewing yourself it was stuff like get more rest, take a vacation, and eat more veggies. Basically, take care of yourself.

I wondered if I was just being lazy by not feeling the urge to run out and make all the suggested changes? That’s how I felt at first but I realized that no, I didn’t need to follow their lead. Some of the advice is good, but I don’t need to turn my head and follow every self-proclaimed expert.

I’ve learned that when I feel overwhelmed by life, I have to go back to my mantra of being enough. What am I called to do? What fits my belief system and my goals? What is truly important? When I get overwhelmed I try to step back and assess what has me overwhelmed and almost without a doubt it’s because I’ve tried to accomplish what I don’t need to accomplish and I’m trying to be someone I’m not meant to be.

I also find that once I realize this, I can’t just jump back in and everything’s OK. I have to truly readjust and almost withdraw (usually in small ways) before I can come back to full force and feel refreshed. Before I can feel focused. This may be taking a bit of quiet time from social media (since I use it for my profession I never get fully away, I just do less). It could also mean not participating in certain kinds of activities for a bit. Or, it could simply mean taking a weekend to just rest and veg out.

I’m curious, how do you feel when you read headlines that offer advice on just about every aspect of life? Do you find those articles helpful or overwhelming? I can only share what works for me and don’t want to be one of “those” people who tells you that the same will be true for you. So I’m curious, what do you do when you get overwhelmed? When you need to be renewed?

Sometimes The Best Way to Renew is to Take a Break {Blogger of the Month}

by Jamie Smith, Miss April 2015

Ralph Marston renew quote

Have you ever had to just take a break? Did you feel like you were letting someone down or somehow not living up to your potential?

I know, I’ve been there. I felt like a failure because I had to stop what I was doing and take a break. Sometimes, this is a day when I’m exhausted and have to take a nap despite having tons of client work to do. Or sometimes, the break is more profound and I’ve needed to step back for a month or two from being a part of an organization.

There are times when I come back from my break refreshed, renewed and ready to get back to doing what I was doing before, only better. Then there are times when the break gives me perspective and I realize that the work I was trying to accomplish wasn’t a good fit for me. So instead of returning, I move on to something different and a better fit for me and ultimately the organization.

I think that’s what drew me to this quote—the whole idea of how it’s OK to take a break. I am challenging myself during this month of being Blogger of the Month to stick with the Renew theme. So, I started looking for quotes and ideas that have to do with renew. Like most words and concepts, there are many ways to look at the idea of renew and renewal. I like how this quote takes on the idea that it’s not only OK but a good thing to take a break.

Something I see a lot in different blogger groups, is that sometimes people need to take a break from their blog and somehow they feel the need to apologize for that. Part of me wants to tell people to stop apologizing! I know the feeling of wanting to be there for people. And there’s idea that we need to be consistent with our blogs for our own self-expression and also pageviews.

I try to think of it this way: if it’s wearing you thin, are you giving it your best? Are you putting out your best content? I don’t think we should have to apologize for having a life outside our blog and that sometimes that life takes us away from the blog for a bit.

When I have to take a break, I try to remember to not apologize and just pick up where I left off. Sure, I talk about what I had been up to but not in a way that I’m shaming myself for needing to take a break. It’s more of a “hey, this is what I’ve been up to and this is what’s happening next.” I tend to make that as a full blog on its own instead of starting out say, a recipe post by saying something like “hey, I haven’t been around in a while.”

There have been many other times when I’ve needed to take a break to refresh my mind, body and spirit. Sometimes I’ve returned a stronger person, sometimes that strengthening as turned into me realizing I needed to make a more permanent break. How have you seen this in your own life? I’d love to hear your stories of when you took a break and how it made you feel.

Rebranding as a Form of Renewal {Blogger of the Month}

By Jamie Smith, Miss April 2015

In our blogger world we talk about a specific kind of renewal and that’s rebranding or resetting our blogs. When I talk to business clients about their brand, I usually encourage them to examine their brand at least every three years to make sure that it still fits, is still fresh, and is still identifiable. But also to remember that they need to re-examine their branding if they have any major shifts or changes in the company.

Rebranding as a form of renewal

I think the same should be true for our blogs, even if we aren’t doing sponsored posts. Even if your blog is solely for personal expression, it’s still something you invest time, probably money, and definitely energy into doing. It only makes sense for it to fit, right?

My blog has gone through multiple transitions and some of what I would call outright, total rebranding. I see it as part of my own personal renewal and how I’ve renewed and refreshed my personal brand.

The early years

My first blog was on Xanga and was designed to keep family and friends apprised of my progress towards and after gastric bypass surgery. I called that blog Gingerbreadnewslady because it joined together people who knew me online as GingerbreadBBW and the people who I knew in real life knew the online moniker Newslady72712. My tagline (I had no idea that’s what it was at the time) was “where Gingerbread meets Newslady.”

Eventually, I joined MySpace and started blogging there a little bit. It was my “other stuff” blog where I talked about all things not gastric bypass related. I kept the two blogging worlds very separate and private from each other.

I decided it was time to join the worlds and for several years blogged on a subdomain of my business website (before I knew that was bad for SEO and branding). My blog didn’t really have a name.

Then a couple of years ago, I realized the importance of having a blog with its own name, its own URL and its own identity. During this time I was going through that identity crisis and I didn’t want to be known by a strange name or by my roles. I wanted to just be Jamie.

Creating a blog home

It was during this time that I was also creating different Twitter accounts for my business followers and for my own ramblings. I changed my main account to @JamiesNotebook for my business since that was already established. I then created a personal account that was supposed to just reflect my own thoughts. At the time, I couldn’t get @JamiesThoughts because it was too long. I decided on @JamiesThots and that brand was born.

I eventually purchased the JamiesThots.com URL and transferred all my blogs there. I created an About Jamie page like we’re supposed to do but also created a page for About Jamie’s Thots where I explain that the blog name is where I express myself on my own terms and it’s a place where I can feel comfortable. Jamie’s Notebook is my collection of writing services where I give others a voice with the written word. Jamie’s Thots is where I express my voice.

I’ve learned to never say never but I have a hard time imagining me going away from my Jamie’s Thots blog. It’s purposefully designed to morph as I change and that feels empowering to me.

What’s your story?

I’ve shared my thought processes in renewing my blog and would love to know your story. I recently asked my friends in the Arkansas Women Bloggers group to share how and why they rebranded. I loved their stories and wanted to share a snippet here. What I found fantastic is how they have found a way to stay true to their personal stories and use that to inspire others.

Tiffany had this to say:

“What I really wanted was for my readers to feel about my blog the way that I feel about my favorite blogs. My favorite blogs make me feel like they GET ME. They make me feel like they get in my head and that they are intent on providing me with content that I will not only love, but get some use from. And even if they are not the ones who provide useful content, I felt like I could relate to them. I could relate to their goals, the things they go through, and the things that they talk about. Now I have given a lot more thought to my ideal reader and what would keep her coming back to my blog.

I feel like I finally have a REAL mission and vision for my blog and that I am actually working towards it.”

Sarah had this to say:

“I rebranded to focus my blog and give it a theme. I rebranded as Love Letter to Adventure after Alison Chino‘s talk in storyliving for storytelling. I blog mostly about the same things, but frame it all as adventure now. It’s also inspired some new ideas like my free Adventure Generator printable and the Weekly Venture challenge. Really loving my new direction!

Now I’m focused on inspiring readers to put more adventure into their lives”

So I ask you again, what’s your story? Do you need to renew your blog, your focus?

What Does Renew Really Mean? {Blogger of the Month}

by Jamie Smith, Miss April 2015

What do you think of when you hear the word renew? I have mixed reactions, to be honest.

ARWB Renew definition graphic

On one hand, I see it as a way of conveying life returning or revitalizing. Even though it brings on allergies, I love how Spring is a season of renewal. I see a renewal in the foliage and feel a renewal in my soul as the Winter fades away. For many of us, Spring and renewal go hand-in-hand because of Easter and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

But there’s also a slightly negative connotation, at least in my mind. Think about it—you have to renew your driver’s license, right? For most of us that means picking a number and waiting in a long line.

And another reference is renewing wedding vows. Now hear me out here! I don’t think anything negative when I hear of friends renewing their vows. It’s romantic, touching and meaningful. But when I think of doing it myself, I keep thinking “how can I renew something that doesn’t expire?” My husband and I plan to do a similar thing and repeat our vows and celebrate our marriage. The first time will probably be at the 10-year mark (we’ve been married almost 7 years). But I just can’t call it a vow renewal. I want to call it a refresher. At least I felt that way before I started looking into it more for the sake of this blog.

Here’s the thing with most words—there is a real meaning and then there’s connotation. In other words, what the dictionary says and what people think the word means. So I looked it up.

This probably won’t surprise you, but renew has several similar definitions (I grouped them all together):
• to make (something) new, fresh, or strong again
• to make (a promise, vow, etc.) again
• to begin (something) again especially with more force or enthusiasm
• to make like new : restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection
• to make new spiritually
• to restore to existence
• to make extensive changes in
• to do again
• to begin again
• to grant or obtain an extension of or on
• to grant or obtain an extension on the loan of.
Whew! That’s a lot of potential uses of the word renew. But I see a lot of common threads there.

Do you notice that most of the definitions speak of something that existed but is either continuing or is starting again? And that when that thing, whatever it is, is coming out the other side stronger, better and possibly even more amazing?

I love that about the word renew. It doesn’t necessarily indicate that what was before was bad. In fact, it could be so great it’s worth repeating. Or even if whatever is being renewed changes, it implies that whatever was before provided a strong foundation.

To me, that’s not negative at all. It helps me reframe the whole idea of renew, even when it felt “off” to me before. Yes, even that long line at the DMV. After all, I didn’t lose my driver’s license with bad driving so I can look at it as the state saying “we still think you should be allowed to drive. Now go do it better.”

And the whole wedding vow thing? I now envision the idea of a vow renewal as talking about all these definitions above (OK, maybe not all). We can talk about how our marriage vows didn’t expire; instead we are restating them and strengthening them as we revisit our goals. In all honesty, it’s the exact same concept as before I’m just OK with the connotation now.

I’m interested to know, what do you think of when you hear the word renew? Is there anything in your life you want to renew as we come into Spring?

Miss April 2015 – Jamie Smith

How many of you remember your first career day at school? I do. It was second grade and I went as a reporter. My mom put a “press” label in the rim of a hat and I wore a button-down shirt with jeans. I was a pretty darn cute 7 or 8 year old!

Jamie-low-res-8178 Fast forward 25 years and I had a journalism degree under my belt with more than 10 years of reporting experience. Then the economy hit and I was laid off. It wasn’t until the lay-off happened that I realized I let my job become my identity. Now that the job was gone, I didn’t recognize myself. Ouch. That’s still hard for me to admit.

It took several years, but I came to realize two things. One, my identity is in my faith and my Creator, and second, that I am enough. Being enough means not being too much or too little. As long as I am living the life I’m created to live, I am enough.

This revolutionized both how I thought of myself, and how I live out my various life roles. Instead of having my identity fueled by my various my various life roles, my identity—my core values fuel how I live out these life roles.

What are these roles?

Each person has many roles. We like to talk about them like hats but really, do we ever stop being part of who we are just because another part is getting more attention at the time?

Here are the roles I consider most important in my life right now.

Wife-John and I were married September 21, 2008 in our favorite park in Springdale. We met 18 months earlier on MySpace after he commented on one of my blogs. So yes, I have blogging to thank for connecting me with the man who I would later marry!

Furbaby momma-Anyone who follows me on social media knows I pretty much adore my four pets. We rescued our two cats after they were abandoned and adopted our two dogs from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. You can follow their hashtags #smithpuppies and #smithkitties! We’ve chosen to not have human children so these animals are, in a way, how I express my “Momness.”

Auntie- The other way I express my Momness is through being “Aunt Jamie.” My brother and his wife have twin girls (almost 4) and a boy (2 ½). They live in Denver so I only get to see them about once a year. I still get to have a relationship with them through Skype! I love those three kids so much that it takes my breath away.

Person with a disability-It has always seemed that some people see my disability as my identity. But for me, being born with Spina Bifida is just another role I have. How I choose to live that role is up to me.

Writer-this role is how many of you at ARWB know me. As I mentioned before, I started out in the world of newspaper journalism. I now simply call myself a writer. I own a writing services business called Jamie’s Notebook. I write blogs, websites, and other miscellaneous writing projects for businesses and organizations. I still write some news and feature articles for various publications.

I’m also a blogger. My personal blog is Jamie’s Thots and it’s the latest version of a personal hobby I’ve had for 10 years. I started blogging to keep family and friends apprised of my progress towards and after gastric bypass surgery. It’s become an outlet for personal expression, encouragement for others, and even a means of earning income.

A few final thoughts

Our roles in life can change. That doesn’t mean the roles we invested in at the time were wrong, it just means that the roles change. What could have been a good fit at the time may not be a good fit later on.

What’s important is that any role, any major decision, pass through the test of meeting a person’s life mission and core values.

When that happens in my own life, I know I am enough.

I look forward to spending this month with you and am incredibly honored to serve as Blogger of the Month. I look forward to chatting with you and hope you’ll find me on social media:

Facebook (you might need to tell me you know me from ARWB)
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest

On Love Letters

By Michelle Shellabarger, Miss February 2015

love letters

I am a hoarder of books, memorabilia, and anything paper really. In this age where letters are seldom written, I’m grateful that I have never been able to bring myself to throw any out. I have letters that my great-grandmother wrote me, pen pal letters, and cards from special birthdays. On a quest to organize I discovered a musty box of love letters written between my husband and myself when we were dating. I had moved back to Panama to finish college so we had a long distance relationship for almost two years (meaning lots of letters, at least by me.)

Love Letters 2

There was a lot of hand painted stationary with some calligraphy. I had way too much time on my hands and was taking some art classes.) I re-read a few I’d written to him, and laughed at some of the mush and silliness of a twenty year old with time on her hands. Quotes of Shakespeare and lots of daily trivia and dreams of the future filled the pages.

College Days

If I was writing a love letter now, after over 22 years of real life, it would be so much different.
Maybe something special like:

“Babe, I love you because you unclogged that toilet last night in the boys’ bathroom and didn’t even complain.”
“Thank you for holding my hand at the funeral.”
“You are so sexy when you wash the dishes when you get home from work if I haven’t had time to get to them.”
“You are such a wonderful dad and example to our kids.”
“I still adore you.”

Us Now

On the Power of a Smile

By Michelle Shellabarger, Miss February 2015

As writers we are natural observers.

Doesn’t people watching fascinate you too?

Smiles are something magical. They can transform a bad day into a good one. A sad moment into one that bonds people together. I’m always telling my kids that you can shape your happiness. If you think positively you will see good outcomes. Think sad thoughts and that’s what you’ll get.

In college my mom said she played a game where she would walk across campus seeing how many people would smile back if she smiled (and my mom has a great smile.) I tried the same game and found that a lot of people are surprised by a stranger smiling.

So sad. But I keep up the fight and still play.

You never know what a smile can do.

Smile and see what happens.

smiles

On Growing Pains or Being True to Yourself

By Michelle Shellabarger, Miss February 2015

Shellselephants

My oldest daughter is a senior in high school. The college journey is daunting to say the least. The mail is filled with pamphlets and email is flooded too. We are both feeling a bit sad and overwhelmed. I’m trying hard to remember how I felt at that scary time, when I was on the verge of womanhood trying to find my place in this world.

Talking over college forms the other day I brought up topic of doing what makes you happy. How you should do what calls to your heart and makes it sing with joy.

I know I once read that whatever you enjoyed pretending to be when you were a child is probably what you were meant to do. Maybe there is some truth there.

I liked to pretend that I was a ringmaster in a circus, a cake decorator, a poet or a playwright, a mommy, and a teacher.

Guess what?

I have been a teacher and pastry chef. Now I do have what some might call a small circus with my four kids and crazy pets. I write and blog. I am happy and, I’m still not finished.

What I want her to know:

That just trying something is 99% of the battle (most people are too scared to even start)
Finding joy in the mundane
and being kind
are the most important lessons she will learn in this life.
That she can change her mind
That she can (and probably will) be LOTS of things
and
That life is surprising
and wonderful
if you allow it to be.

I’m excited to see what the future holds.

Miss February 2015 – Michelle Shellabarger

What? Me, Miss February?

I am so not the pageant type of girl, but this is one honor I am super excited about! Arkansas Women Bloggers is an awesome group of amazing women whom I ADORE (ya’ll are gonna make me cry!)

So let me tell you about myself…

peachyme I grew up mainly in the former Canal Zone in the Republic of Panama. When I was a senior in high school a little war called “Just Cause” put a crimp in my plans to stay home and be a surfer beach bum, so my mom dropped me off at U of A in Fayetteville. (Now I can say “Thanks, mom!”) In college I met my man and we’ve been married 22 years now. We have four great kids, from a high school senior to a (surprise!) nine-month old baby. Dog, parakeet, and chickens make up our menagerie. A former nanny, teacher, translator, and pastry chef I now get to work from home as I stay home with my rowdy bunch.

I started blogging at Tales from a Panama-Mama in 2007 (maybe before) because my mom, who was stationed in strange places overseas, wanted to see pictures and such of what we were up to. It’s evolved and grown into an on-again, off-again addiction. I write about my life, fixing up old houses, road trips with kids, and being a wannabe urban homesteader. I had three blogs (one for cooking, one for life, one for books) and I’ve been trying to get them all combined in a way that makes sense. Still working on that and any opinions would be appreciated. But really, my blog is really my way of expressing myself so that I don’t go crazy. And I know that ya’ll get that.

Come visit me on the blog or Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, or Pinterest!