New Introductions for the New Year

Neely had a great idea for this week's Sunday Social...

For the new year, let's introduce each other again!

I gained quite a few new followers in 2013, and I hope to continue that trend in 2014. But for those who are new around these parts, here are some fun facts so you can get to know me a little bit better...

 

1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

Life As Always

I'm Sarah Alway and he's Stewart Alway, so... Life as "Always" -- get it?!

I started this blog during the summer of 2011 when we were planning our wedding. But really I've been blogging since the beginning of 2006 (holy moly -- 8 years ago?!?), when I started My So-Called Life, where I would write about being single and fabulous in the big city. But after we got engaged, I decided that I wanted a place that would reflect more of our life together, and I kind of wanted to leave those years of ridiculous behind. Hence the birth of Life As Always. But you can always go back and read about my youthful shenanigans if you want. Just keep in mind that my blog has always been intended to provide a semi-permanent snapshot of my various thoughts and experiences. As such, opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, or even similar to those I hold today. A necessary consequence of having an open mind! Judge not, lest ye be judged...

2. Why do you blog?

In a nutshell, I'm a writer. Not by career choice (although I do a fair amount of it in my job), but as part of who I am. For as long as I've known how to read and write I've written stories and journals, and I get a tremendous amount of creative satisfaction from it.

Originally, our primary goal in publishing this blog was to provide our friends and family with updates on our day-to-day adventures. We are so lucky to have so many amazing people in our lives, (many who we don't get to see as often as we'd like) and our hope was that this blog would help them feel connected to us and what we're up to. It also serves as a much needed creative outlet for Sarah's writing skills (I have a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in English and I've worked as a reporter for several news publications).

However, now that Life As Always has been up and running for a while, I've realized that an additional benefit of having a public place like this is the amazing community of other bloggers out there. I have been fortunate enough to develop amazing friendships with fantastic ladies who continue to inspire and entertain me each and every day.

3. What is the first blog you ever followed?

Probably the person who first inspired me to start blogging in the first place, my very good friend and fellow college journalism nerd, Jeanna. Her original blog is no longer live, but you can catch up with her at 50 Food Truck Dates, where she is chronicling her dating adventures of going on 50 blind dates to food trucks in the San Francisco area and beyond. Seriously, this girl is freaking hilarious, and her posts are the laugh out loud, not safe for work variety. Here is one of my favorites about Jewish Big Balls Batman to get you started...

4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2012?

This was a hard choice, but maybe this one about Contemplating Suburbia, when we were first considering moving out of the city and into the suburbs. It really helped me organize some of my own thoughts on the subject, and I also received a TON of feedback on it (both positive and negative), which is something I always appreciate.

And since I think Neely probably meant 2013, I'll also add my favorite post from that year, my very first Live & Learn post, Like a Virgin, where I shared the mortifying details of when I learned the definition of virginity in fifth grade.

5. What are your blogging goals for 2013 2014?
Again, I think this was meant to be for the upcoming year and that's how I'm going to treat it.

This year, as always, I hope to remain open and honest on this blog. I want to avoid sugarcoating my life and only focusing on the happy times... because that's not real life. I think that blogging is most entertaining and interesting when people share both the highs and lows of life. When they post blurry selfies with no makeup on as well as glamorous professional shots. I want to know who people really are, not who they hope everyone perceives them to be. But I know this can be difficult, because writing from my heart and exposing some of my least favorite qualities can make me feel incredibly vulnerable.

But that is my goal, to showcase our lives in what I hope is the most raw and entertaining way possible... and hopefully gain some new readers along the way!

6. Top 3 favorite blogs to follow?

I cannot get enough of Don't Quote the Raven. If there's one blog I check every single day, it's this one. This gorgeous tattooed diva lives in Eastern Washington with her hottie husband and two adorable little boys. She blogs with brutal honesty about everything and anything from marriage to parenting to boating and day drinking. Her opinions are not for everyone, but I bet you'll get a kick out of her writing style either way.

Oh and then there's I Wore Yoga Pants to Work. Oh, Whitney... she reminds me of myself when I was younger. This girl's posts are always laugh-out-loud funny and it's probably better to read her posts while drinking a cocktail, otherwise you'll feel left out. Oh, and you probably shouldn't visit her blog if unicorns or the eff word bother you, because there's a lot of both on there...

And finally, Story of My Life. You might remember this one from when I did the Blog Every Day in May challenge, hosted by Jenni. Like me, Jenni is a kind of newlywed settling into a brand new house. She is also an amazing photographer and one of the prettiest "regular" people I have ever seen, so her blog is kind of like eye candy for me. She's also been a huge inspiration on blogging and I've taken a lot of tips from her page.


Well there you have it! A little bit about me and my blog habits. I hope you find me entertaining enough to stick around. And I'd love to know more about YOU! When you leave a comment, I always reply back via email and I always click over to your blog to see what you're up to and return the comment favor. So let's get to know each other!