How's that for a confusing post title? It all ties together and will make sense when you're done reading this. I promise.
Those of you who have been reading (or writing for) blogs for a long time have undoubtedly noticed how much they've changed over the years. And while they much more closely resemble online magazines these days than the online journals they once were, I personally most enjoy the ones that remain authentic and balanced. I have a great deal of respect for the many bloggers who now make a livings from their blogs by working with truly great companies to create genuine content. I personally consider my blog to be my job and rely on it to help support my family - and for me, it has been an incredibly enjoyable outlet for expressing myself creatively while getting to work with brands I love. But I also think it's important to remember what sets blogs and small lifestyle sites like this one apart from the big online magazines - and that is personality. When I read a blog, I want to get to know the writer, even if it's just a very small portion of who they are - and that means they need to create a balance in their content that includes at least of little of their real lives. Now, I admittedly only share very small glimpses of my personal life here, especially when it comes to my family. But I never want my readers to come here and feel like they're reading something robotic or a blatant advertisement. I am a real person with a real life, and it's important to me to invite you all into it, even if just on a small scale. That said, in between the regular lifestyle and "how to" and recipe and style and parenting content you see here, I will always include occasional posts like the one you're reading right now, where I share more personal things like favorite photos from a season or pieces of real life or rambling thoughts (again, just like the ones you just read). As in real life, when it comes to the world of bloggers and influencers, I strongly believe that balance is important.
So here in this post, my friends, is one of those glimpses into the more personal side of my life, via a few of my favorite memories from this summer with my little family, captured in photographs. The official first day of fall is Friday, and as we transition into a new season, I can't help but start to feel nostalgic about the one that just passed. Looking through the photos made me want to share them here (even if some of you have already seen them), as my own personal farewell to the season. We had a really incredible summer, and I look forward to creating lots more memories with my family and pals throughout the fall season as well.
As always, thank you for reading these occasional train-of-thought ramble posts, for following along with some of my real life adventures (even the very unadventurous ones), and for also supporting the sponsored content on which I work hard. I'm very grateful for you all, and hope you continue to find this space balanced and enjoyable.
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random thoughts/life
You're absolutely right, Melissa - personality is what sets blogs apart from magazines. Although I've recently started reading a few magazines again, I always felt very disconnected from them because there is no driving individual force behind them. Blogs, on the other hand, offer exactly that. A lot of people have thoughts on how blogging has changed, including me, but I try to put a positive spin on it; we've all been doing this for a long time now, so it makes sense that our photography skills and vision would have improved with time. That said, I always have and always will prefer spaces, like yours, that are more personal and relatable. (And most importantly, don't have a strong focus on selling anything and everything.)
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Cee
This is my favorite kind of blog post. :) I think you guys have the perfect balance honestly!
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