WHY I WRITE
I’ve noticed a lot of new faces around here, so I thought I’d do a little introduction and tell you all a little bit about myself and about my blog. But before I get into that, I want to say THANK YOU for being here, I appreciate your support, your interaction, your encouragement… It really is a privilege for me that you choose to spend part of your day with me.
I started my first blog a little over 11 years ago, it was called Curious Child’s Library Wanderings. And, yep, it’s still out there because I don’t have the heart to delete it. I mean, it’s my baby. At the time, I was in graduate school working on my master’s degree in library science; one of our assignments was to start a blog and write a weekly post about some aspect of librarianship. After graduation, I kept the blog and, gradually, started to incorporate more of my daily life into the blog, and the focus changed. I kept the blog going until The Hubs and I found out that we were moving from Pennsylvania to Missouri.
I quit my job and then WE DIDN’T MOVE. So I stopped blogging and let Curious Child’s Library Wanderings go. Sort of.
But I started to miss the friends I’d made in the various blogging circles, and a, few months later,we found out the move was back on.
Since I was no longer working in a library, I wanted to find a name that went back to my roots as a librarian but would also show that I had a life outside of the library. Living Outside the Stacks fit perfectly.
When I started Living Outside the Stacks, I was mostly focused on sharing our lives as we moved from Pennsylvania and to Missouri. Three of my five kids were still living at home, so I shared a lot about how they were adapting to the changes and the new experiences. I really thought that I’d keep the focus on raising teens, but that ended when they told me they didn’t want to be topics on my blog. I respect my children and their privacy, so I had to find another focus.
By this point, I’d been out of work for almost a year and I was making my family nuts. One day, The Hubs came home with a camera and an iPad and said “Here, go out and explore. Take pictures of what you see.” And that began my interest in photography. I started exploring the area around Missouri and taking pictures. This became my happy place.
Of course, my family still managed to sneak on the blog. After all, The Hubs and I were on the edge of a major adventure. We were about to become empty nesters. Last summer, The Hubs talked me into buying an RV and that was all she wrote. I thought I’d hate it, but camping has become one of our favorite past times. I absolutely love our adventures and cannot wait for camping season to begin again.
Besides camping and photography, I enjoy putting together outfits. Once a month, I write a fashion related post with 9 other ladies called the Ageless Style Linkup. It’s a fun way for us to share our love of fashion centered around a theme. If you’re a blogger and you enjoy clothes, we’d love to have you join us.
I also review books, because, well, you can take the librarian out of the library…
But more than anything else, I love sharing my faith. There is NO LOVE GREATER THAN THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
When I first started blogging, it was to satisfy a grade. Now I do it because it satisfies a need to create and connect. I’ve made so many friends over the years. And we’ve shared so much of our lives. I’ve celebrated marriages and births. I’ve mourned deaths. I’ve laughed and cried with so many people that I’ll probably never meet face to face, but who’ve come to mean as much to me as the people I see on a daily basis.
I’ve gotten the opportunity to do things that I never would’ve gotten to do, things like takeover the Instagram account of the Missouri Visitor’s Bureau, review books before they come out, try products out before they hit the market. I enjoy sharing these things with you all and I hope you enjoy reading them.
FUTURE PLANS
My goal is to continue to make connections and to share things with you all. And to that end, what I’d really like to know from you is what do you want me to write about? Is there something that interests you that I can help you find out more about? Please leave a comment and tell me what you’d like to talk about.
If you’d like to see more about my daily life, you can follow me on Instagram and if you’re interested in clothes, feel free to connect with me on Pinterest.
Remember, this isn’t just a space for me to talk to you, but it’s a space for you to talk to me.
Thank you for being here and for sharing your life with me,
