Does This Blog Suck?

I've mentioned before that a lost follower is like a gained pound, and I still feel the same tragic rush of disappointment and rejection each time someone quits reading Life As Always.
I noticed that I lost a couple followers this week, and now I just feel wretched.

 

 I've recognized and acknowledged that this blog has changed a lot throughout the years, and frankly I'm quite happy to leave the dramatic recounting of my drunken mid-20s behind. But maybe immature, emotionally irresponsible dating and theatrical, melodramatic, passive-aggressive friendship drama is what my readers actually enjoyed.

Wedding planning, home buying, pregnancy and parenthood definitely aren't everyone's cup of tea. And I admit that sleep deprivation and the addition of a tiny human who literally sucks the life out of me every day hasn't been enhancing to my creative writing abilities. Sometimes it's all I can do to slap up a couple photos and say, "Here's what we did this weekend."

So can I blame people for un-following me?

Nope, not one bit.

But can I wallow in self-pity and self-doubt about it for a second?

I'm sure gonna.

It's ultimately my responsibility to keep my readers engaged, and if I'm not doing that then I have no one to blame but myself. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do about it.

In any case, to those of you who have continued to follow along on our journey throughout all these years...

THANK YOU.

I'm so glad you're here, and whether you read every post, or just stop by once in a while to see if I'm still alive, thanks for sticking around.

 

Calling All Mommy Bloggers

 

Being a parent isn't as glamorous as I once thought it would be.

It's scary, disgusting, and overwhelming. And some days I wonder why the hell I ever went and got myself knocked up in the first place.

Being a mom might be the hardest job in the world. It's thankless and exhausting, and every day presents new challenges and opportunities to learn how to be a better parent.

So some days (in lieu of showering) I sit down in my spit up-covered yoga pants and reflect on this incredible journey.

 

And I know I'm not alone.

 

Mommies, I invite you to share your wisdom!

 

Some of my creepier followers loyal readers may have already noticed that I added a Parenting section to my blog a while back. Here you can find links to my favorite posts about pregnancy, and subsequent life with a tiny human.

 

Would you be interested in contributing your stories as well?

 

Maintaining a blog is a huge time suck (don't I know it!) but writing, sharing, and discussing the trials and tribulations of parenthood can be incredibly therapeutic.

 

So here's your chance!

 

Pregnancy // Childbirth // Baby Issues // Being A New Mom // Relationships // Confessions

 

Tell me all about it.

 

If you're interested in writing a Parenting guest post for Life As Always, please feel free to contact me and I'd be happy to feature you.

 

I'm really looking forward to everything we can learn from each other. 

 

Am I going to become a "Mommy Blogger"?

Blogging has changed a lot for me throughout the years.

My original blog, started in 2006, covered the drama of my mid-20s: mostly immature, emotionally irresponsible dating and theatrical, melodramatic, passive-aggressive friendship stuff. Plus a lot of drinking. They weren't my finest moments, and that blog certainly doesn't reflect my best writing.

 

In addition (as some of you may know/remember) my friend Jeanna and I also had a joint blog for a while: Two Girls -- Too Many Guys. I kid you not...

 

It was a dating experiment, in which we both joined an online dating site and then documented the dating disasters for the world to giggle about. I'd show it to you, but then I'd have to kill you...

 

Then I got engaged, and I wanted my little corner of the interwebs to become a reflection of my life with Stewart. I spent a fair amount of time rambling about our wedding, and then moved on to the purchase and construction of our new home. In between, there was a lot of stuff about family, friends, Seattle, sports, the great outdoors, and photos of us drinking Coors Light out of Solo cups. Keepin' it classy...
 

Somewhere along the way, I got knocked up.

 

I thought it would be the opposite, but during the months of my pregnancy my readership actually increased a lot. I was blogging like crazy, and somehow found the time to interact with other bloggers like I never had before. I participated in link ups and sponsorships, and developed friendships that sometimes even rivaled my "real life" ones.

 

Then they cut a tiny human out of my body.

 

I struggled to post with any sort of regularity, and I could tell my writing was getting increasingly boring and cliché (which my decreasing stats verified). But I was drowning in the depths of new parenthood and couldn't do anything about it. And during the past couple months I've been clutching desperately to a life preserver, and have been left wondering...

 

What is the future of Life As Always?

 

 

I found myself reading a lot more "Mommy Blogs" after Ryder was born. But of course I wasn't going to become a "Mommy Blogger."

 

Was I??

 

The short answer is no.

 

But the long answer is that this is a lifestyle blog. It's all about my life. And now that I'm a mom, that aspect of my life is going to transfer over into everything I do. The majority of my life is now centered on raising my son, and that will be reflected in my writing. But I'm still going to blog about camping, snowboarding, books, cooking, fashion, family, friends, and football... and you'll probably never stop seeing photos of those Solo cups -- I'll just have a kid's grubby little mitt in my other hand.

 

The things you loved about this blog (or at least the things you were used to) should hopefully remain the same.

 

But being a mom has already taught me so much, and I'd love to share some of the stuff I've learned with you here. Parenting is heartbreaking and hilarious, and it causes me to re-examine my life in ways I never thought possible. So even if you're not a parent yourself, please stick around. You may see some changes, but this is still my space and my voice. The reasons you've enjoyed Life As Always are still here.

 

I'm still me, tiny human in tow.

 

Blog Tour -- My Writing Process

Have you ever wondered about why I write this blog, or what I choose to write about, or how I manage to publish posts in between working, spending quality time with my family, and changing poopy diapers?

 

If so, today is your lucky day!

 

One of my favorite blogger friends, Becky at Rebeckann's Random Thoughts, invited me to participate in a virtual blog tour, and I thought it would be a fun opportunity to share some of the details about myself as a writer blog nerd.

 

 

 // what am i working on //

Currently I've been trying to get back into blogging on a more regular basis after cutting back significantly in the months following my son's birth. Most recently I have been exploring many different topics -- self discovery, reviews, event recaps, new parenting, monthly baby updates -- trying to figure out what my readers like, as well as what I enjoy writing about. Figuring out a balance, I think, will be the key to gaining and maintaining followers. But I also want to make sure that blogging continues to be a satisfying personal hobby, because that's why I started writing in the first place.

 

 // how does my work differ from others of its type/genre //

Lifestyle blogs are a dime a dozen, and the category is incredibly broad and encompasses so many things, but that's what I enjoy about it. I'd like to hope that my blog differs or stands out because of the wide variety of topics that I cover (see above). And perhaps also because of the incredible journey I have been able to highlight on this blog throughout the years... From single girl fabulousness to falling in love, engagement and wedding planning, marriage, a move from the city to the suburbs, and having a tiny human.

 

// why do i write what i do //

I am a writer at my core, and I started blogging because I wanted a place to put my thoughts down on (virtual) paper. This blog is my creative outlet. And as an added benefit, it has become a place where my family, friends and I can connect and look back on all the adventures, twists and turns that our lives have taken. My hope is that this blog helps my readers feel connected to my family and what we're up to.

 

 // how does my writing process work //

I find blog inspiration at completely random times, and whenever I do, I jot the idea down on an ever-growing list in my phone. I'm always looking for inspiration for a new post, and I get a lot of ideas from other bloggers. And when I know an event or a milestone is coming up, I begin a draft of that post so I can get it published in a timely manner. Most often I begin posts at one time (on the bus, during my lunch hour, before bed) and then finish them later when I have a few more free moments. Such is the life of a busy working mamma blogger. 

 

// the tour //

 

I asked the following ladies to join me on this virtual blog tour. Even if they don't write a tour post, I highly recommend you check out their blogs! I always look forward to reading them. 

 

 

Erin from Love, Fun and Football. Erin is an Ohio girl, and I think she might actually love football a little more than I do. Like me, she has a journalism degree and is using blogging as an outlet for those unutilized skills. She also married the coolest man on the planet (weird, I did, too!), and loves Mexican food, Disney, and reading. Except for the fact that she likes cooking (which I loathe), she might just be my internet doppelgänger. Erin is just all-around fabulous and sweet. Plus she also does blog design, so check her out if your blog needs a little face lift (she did mine)!

 

Kristine from Living Barefoot and Crazy. Kristine is from a small country town in Washington state and we bonded instantly over a love for Seahawks football (and tailgating). When she's not cheering for the Hawks, Kristine's life revolves around volleyball (she's a player, coach, referee and spectator), her fiancé, and a few fur babies. Kristine is a country girl who speaks her mind without any apologies -- one of my favorite things about her. Her blog often makes me laugh, and always reminds me that there are still "real" people out there in the world.

 

 

And when you get a chance, head over and check out Becky's blog. She's such a sweetheart and has some really great posts -- A couple of my favorites are Stuff & Things: Teacher Edition and Why I failed the #100happydays challenge.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Let's talk about blogging.

Blogging. It's a lifestyle.

As a blogger, I'm always "on." My blog is always in the back of my mind... my next post, new topics, a dozen half finished posts and a notebook full of ideas. I can get inspired at any time, in any place. I'll be engaged in a conversation, smiling and nodding, but in my head I'm already using the topic to create a mental outline for a blog post. Sometimes I'll realize I've essentially missed out on enjoying an entire event or activity because I was too busy taking photographs to make it blog-worthy. And I'm always trying to figure out when and where I'll find the time to finish and publish all the brilliant posts I'm constantly writing in my head. It's borderline obsessive.

I like to look at it as a carefully developed, productive habit.

I love it ... and I hate it. 

life·style (noun) 1. “the way in which a person or group lives.”

If it’s done in all places and at all time, then it truly is the way you live. I've integrated the activity of blogging into my daily existence. I write when I can, where I can. My friends ask, "Is this blogworthy?" whenever we're together, and I've definitely said, "If it's not on the blog, it didn't happen" (and was only partially joking).

 

My blog is both a reflection and an extension of my life, and I've worked incredibly hard for almost ten years now to create what it is today. Millions of blogs exist worldwide, and I'm not trying to say there's anything particularly special about mine. But I've poured my heart and soul into this little corner of the interwebs, and I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished. I treasure this space, and value it as a detailed record of the person who I was, am, and will become.

 

Before Ryder was born at the beginning of May, I really felt like I had hit my stride with blogging. I posted consistently about varied topics. I worked with fellow bloggers to create a moderately successful weekly link up. I sponsored some of my favorite bloggers and even thought about offering sponsorship spots of my own. Companies began to ask me to write about them in exchange for free products. My posts sometimes received dozens of comments, and my stats were through the roof compared to just a year before. I felt like I was on the verge of "making it" as a blogger -- at least according to my own terms.

 

Then I gave birth to a miraculous tiny human, and everything changed.

 

  I went from posting five times a week to just five times a month. And even those blogs were a struggle -- they definitely aren't a reflection of my best writing, and are essentially photo dumps of family trips and daily life with an infant.

 

My blog has become glorified Facebook.

 

 I've felt a little bit of guilt about this, but I haven't let it consume me. I took the summer off work to spend with my son, so we could get to know each other. And blogging isn't the only thing I neglected. I fell out of touch with friends and co-workers, let my email inbox fill with hundreds of messages, maxed out my DVR, didn't read a single book, ignored social media in general and purposefully pretty much detached myself from the world. Stewart and Ryder were my only priority.

 

Sorry... but I'm not sorry.

 

I've missed writing in any sort of creative capacity, but in general I was able to put everything aside for four months and focus all of my attention on my husband and son. It's time that I'll never be able to re-create, and I'm so glad that I was able to maximize every precious moment with my family.

 

I can't say for certain where this blog will go from here. But I'm definitely not giving up blogging, and hope that my readers will stick with me, although I can't promise that Life As Always will continue to have the same content you're used to. Such is life.

 

For those of you who've followed along on my journey, thank you for your incredibly heartfelt and thoughtful comments. I'm so glad you're here, and whether you read every post or just stop by once in a while to see if I'm still alive, thanks for sticking around.

Winter Cara Box Reveal

Cara (car-rah) noun : beloved friend

"Make Friends -- Receive Gifts -- Share Encouragement"

 

For the first time this winter, I decided to sign up for the Cara Box Exchange with Wifessionals. Basically, it's a box swap among women that is primarily based around Instagram. I was paired up with two other ladies in Washington state, and for three months we followed each other's daily lives and built awesome friendships. Then at the end of the second month we created boxes or packages for one another. So much fun!

The theme for this box was SHINE -- all about encouraging and bringing out the best in each other.

 

I prepared a box for Jennifer and actually got the opportunity to meet her and hand it to her in person at our Washington State Blogger Meet Up. Jennifer loves Seattle sports just like me, so obviously there was an instant connection there, but I also liked learning about her job, vacations, hobbies, and her adorable Golden Doodle. She definitely SHINES in many ways, and I hope the items I gave her helped compliment those things about her.

As for me, I received a package from Caitlin, who unfortunately couldn't make it to our meet up because she was about to give birth! Since then an adorable little baby boy has joined her family, which of course make me feel like we had a special connection. I followed all her pregnancy updates on Instagram, and she was extremely helpful every time I had a question or needed advice. Caitlin put together an incredibly thoughtful, generous, and SHINE themed package for me!

Adorbs, right?!

Caitlin's handwritten note was so thoughtful and sweet. And she might have even written it with that amazing Seahawks pen! She handmade the cowl and coffee sleeve herself, as well as that tiny, precious little hat for Baby Boy. And I am loving the outfit, which includes two of the main themes we have for his life: Seattle Seahawks (green & blue!) and animals. Being a new mommy herself of course Caitlin couldn't resist sending the baby stuff (which I love!) but she also included some items specifically for me: Body butter and relaxing body wash/bubble bath to help get me through this final trimester stretchmark and stress free (hopefully)!

Thanks so much, Caitlin, you are an absolute doll and I'm so happy to have gotten to know you!

Participating in the Cara Box Exchange was definitely a pretty big commitment, but in the end I'm so glad that I signed up, because otherwise I never would have gotten to know these two wonderful ladies. And I'm so glad that they both live here in Washington, which will make it even easier to keep in touch. Because I still need to meet Caitlin's precious baby! And maybe our boys will even become friends one day...

 

Winning!

Life As Always has been pop-u-lar lately, y'all!

Thanks so much to both my new and loyal readers!

 

I was nominated for TWO more Liebster Awards this week by Lindi at Sweet Southern Sparkle and Kari at Life Lived by Kari.

Thank you so much ladies, I'm flattered!!

 

 

The Liebster Award was started to nominate new bloggers in order for them to gain recognition and inspire confidence to keep going. 

And mainly it's just an opportunity for a fun little Q&A...

 

Here are Lindi's questions for me:

 

1. Why did you start blogging?

I have a degree in journalism and I love writing, but since I wasn't really doing it professionally back in 2006 I decided to start My So-Called Life at the suggestion of my good friend Jeanna. That blog was pretty much about me being single and fabulous ridiculous, so shortly after I got engaged in 2011 I switched over to this blog, Life As Always, with the goal of chronicling my life with Stewart for our friends and family members. As an added bonus, in the past couple years I have also been warmly embraced by this whole crazy blogging community and I've made some really good friends!  

 

2. What is your favorite beauty product?

Mascara. I love this stuff so, so much. It's my favorite part of getting ready in the morning, because I feel like it just pulls together every other aspect of my makeup and overall look. Without it I just feel tired and blah. I also love the precision the application takes; it appeals to my meticulous nature. I actually probably wear too much sometimes, but it's like an addiction... just one more coat! I love it.

 

3. What was the name of your very first pet?

I don't know that she was my very first pet, but my main childhood pet was a tabby cat named Tigger. I got her in the fifth grade when she was just a kitten and had her all the way into college. I really miss that cuddly fur ball! 

 

4. What does your blog name mean to you?

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

5. If you could pick one place to travel to where would it be?

A trip to Australia and New Zealand is the next thing up on our travel bucket list. We thought we might be able to make it happen before starting our family, but the news of Baby Boy has put that trip on hold for the time being... 

 

6. What are your hobbies besides blogging?

I guess reading would be the main thing I'd consider a "hobby." I am a huge book nerd. But I also love athletic outdoorsy stuff like hiking, snowboarding and water sports.

 

7. Who is the most influential person in your life?

My mother. She is the sweetest angel to ever walk the planet and if someday I grow up to be even half the person she is I will consider myself to be a successful human being. She inspires me on a daily basis to be better than I was the day before.

 

8. What is your dream job?

Besides being a TV news reporter like April O'Neil? I actually don't have many lofty career aspirations these days. I just want to work in a position where I am valued and respected, where I enjoy what I am doing and have a great team to interact with. And these days all those expectations are being met, so maybe I have my dream job after all...

 

9.What is your go to wardrobe item?

When I don't have to get dressed for work it's ALWAYS my Lululemon yoga pants and a zip up hoodie. I could seriously live the rest of my life in that outfit. And it's probably the only thing I will wear for the entire duration of my maternity leave. Gift certificates are currently being accepted if you want to send one my way...

 

10.What is your favorite kind of candy?

I'm actually more of a savory than a sweet person, but as a loyal Seahawks fan I'd have to say Skittles!!

 

11. What advice could you give to a new blogger?

Make sure you're aware of some basic blogging don'ts before you get too far into it. There's nothing worse than a fake, whiny blogger who becomes a link up whore with a blog drowning in giveaways. Unless of course that person is also a no-reply blogger.

 

 

And here are Kari's questions for me:

 

1.  What is the best vacation you have ever been on?

A whirlwind tour of Europe with Stewart in the fall of 2010. Stew is a British citizen and seasoned world traveler; the perfect tour guide for my first trip to the UK. We visited many cities in England, Ireland, Italy and France over about three and a half weeks, including Cinque Terre on the coast of the Italian Riviera, where we got engaged.

 

2.  What are some key items on your Bucket List?

Most of our bucket list items include traveling the world. I already mentioned the trip down under that we'd like to take, but we also really want to do a South African safari, snowboard in South America, see the pyramids of Egypt... oh, all sorts of things. And of course we'll want to take Baby Boy to England someday so he can see where some of his roots come from.

 

3.  What is the best gift you have ever been given?

Oh good grief, let me just go ahead and give the most cliché, sentimental answer ever... our son. He will be the light of my life and the center of my world for as long as I exist, and I suppose I have Stewart to thank for this incredible gift. Now was that a Hallmark moment, or what?

 

4.  What do you like more: clothes, shoes, purses, or gadgets?

I suppose if forced to choose I'd have to say shoes. Clothes would be a close second, but shoes are just so much FUN. They're generally not something I splurge on, but I adore shoes... a likely side effect of my addiction to Sex & the City in college. "Hello, lover..."

 

5.  If you could obtain any degree without ever having to take a class, which would you choose?

The thing is, I am a total school nerd. I loved each and every class starting with the first day of kindergarten, and if it didn't cost so dang much I'd probably still be pursuing one degree or another, just because I enjoy being a student so much. So to answer this question in a rambling way, I suppose I would choose a law degree. I was accepted into law school after completing my paralegal certification a couple years ago, but ultimately decided not to attend due to the crushing debt it would inflict on our family. And the fact that I really wanted to be a law student... but not necessarily a lawyer.

 

6.  How many hours of sleep do you get every night on average?

Since getting over my first trimester exhaustion (where I was sleeping about half my life away) I've been back to my usual, about seven hours a night. It's never enough, but it's all I've got time for these days...

 

7.  What is something you could never leave home without?

My iPhone. I am completely and utterly addicted. It's a problem. Have you seen that commercial which should put us all in our places? It might as well be my life. And I'm ashamed...

 

8.  If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Oh goodness. My basic instincts scream mac 'n' cheese, but I think I should probably choose something more nutritionally dense... any Mexican dish would probably do. How about fajitas? That'd work...

 

9.  What city would you most want to live in?

I have always wanted to live in San Francisco, and after visiting I am also now completely obsessed with London. That being said, I'm pretty happy with our move to the suburbs. Living in a small city like Snoqualmie has been a welcome change from the fabulous yet fast-paced Seattle lifestyle.

 

10.What is your dream job?

See above.

 

11. The beach or the mountains?

 Ouch... this is such a tough call, and ultimately a decision I cannot make. It's like being asked to choose between snowboarding and wake surfing, two of my absolute favorite activities! In any case, at least you know that I would always choose outside versus inside...

 

 

Thanks ladies, for your thought provoking questions!

 

Now I am supposed to nominate 11 other bloggers and provide them with 11 questions to answer, but I already did that back in June and also in January, and I've got a lot going on this weekend so I'm going to choose to cut this off here. That being said, if you are one of my new followers in the past week or so (and I've gotten so many!) please consider yourself nominated and visit one of my previous posts to answer some of my own silly little questions. And be sure to let me know  if you decide to join in on the fun!

 

Have a great weekend guys and dolls!

 

Simple Moments Stick -- $200 Giveaway!

Today I have the pleasure of joining up with my friend Susannah from Simple Moments Stick. I have had the pleasure of getting to know her through blogging and she's just such a doll. So when she told me she was getting ready to celebrate her blog's second birthday party, I was happy to get in on the celebration. Cupcakes all around!

But get this, instead of getting Simple Moments Stick a gift, Susannah is offering a $200 Paypal Gash Giveaway! That's right... cash money to buy whatever you want...

Or if you'd like, go ahead and save those dolla dolla bills and use them to have $200 worth of sushi delivered to me in the hospital after Baby Boy is born...

 

Today, Simple Moments Stick is two! Birthday parties are the best way to celebrate but, since we can't all get together to party, a group of 23 bloggers teamed up to offer up an absolutely AMAZING prize!!!

It's a $200 Paypal Cash Giveaway!!!
 

1.  Susannah from Simple Moments Stick
2.  Amy from The Silver Lining
3.  Kotryna from Girl with a Movie Camera
4.  Becky from Rebeckann's Random Thoughts

1.  Sarah from Life as Always
2.  Sybil from Peace it all Together
3.  Wendy from Effie Girl
4.  Elena from Cropped Stories

1.  Jayda from Avocado Grove
2.  Erin from Simply Just Lovely
3.  Ginny from My New Favorite Outfit
4.  Kelly from Sparkles and Shoes

1.  Jamie from Handling with Grace
2.  Charity from The Word of a Nerd
3.  Julie from Tidbits and Scraps
4.  Stephanie from Just a Little Bit Louder

1.  Elizabeth from Oak and Oats
2.  Lisa from Mostly Lisa
3.  Caroline from In Due Time
4.  Stephanie from Army Crafter

 

1.  Jenn from Quirky Pickings
2.  Amy from Taking Steps Home
3.  Ashley from Have Chashley, Will Travel

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Washington Blogger Meet Up

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone!

Has there ever been a more exciting day in football?!

SEAHAWKS!!

I'm so anxious I can barely function, so I'll try to distract myself for a moment by telling you about another very excited event that occurred yesterday...

The Washington Blogger Meet Up!

It all started with the Cara Box Exchange, a box swap among women hosted by Kaitlyn at Wifessionals... 

Cara (car-rah) noun : beloved friend

"Make Friends -- Receive Gifts -- Share Encouragement"

The swap was based primarily around Instagram. A couple months ago, women signed up from around the country, and each one was paired with two others from their own state. I have spent the past couple months getting to know Jennifer (who I prepared a Cara Box for) and Caitlin (who sent me a Cara Box). Although we exchanged emails here and there, I loved connecting with them through Instagram, because it gave us the ability to share little glimpses of our lives and we were able to interact through short comments or quick hellos.

It was actually Jennifer who came up with the genius idea to have all the Washington bloggers get together in person and exchange our Cara Boxes. I was so nervous (my first time meeting other bloggers in person - it felt like a blind date!) but the afternoon turned out to be so much fun!

We all met up at Le Rêve, a French bakery and cafe in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. Unfortunately Caitlin couldn't make it because she's about to give birth like any second, but it was so fabulous to chat with Ashley, Kendra, Jennifer, and Rebekah in REAL LIFE!

And they were all just and sweet and fun as they appear on their blogs.

I'm so thankful that I decided to go out on a limb and try out the Cara Box Exchange for the first time this year, because meeting these lovely ladies was such a great experience!

I'll tell you more about the box I received from Caitlin when we all do a reveal in a couple weeks, but in the meantime, have you ever met any other bloggers in real life? I'd love to hear about it!

Live & Learn -- Blogging Don'ts

Welcome to another edition of

Live & Learn Thursday!

Join the party... follow your hosts and link up your post!

A couple weeks ago Amanda wrote about the reasons why she will "break up" with a blog. I found that I had quite a bit to say on the subject when I commented on her post, so I thought I would share my opinions with you here as well. Without further ado, here are a few things I've learned about blogging in the past eight or so years I've been doing it... 

BLOGGING DON'TS
...in the world according to Sarah...

Although everyone treats it differently, I take blogging pretty seriously, and I put a lot of time and effort into it. I don't feel it's too much to ask that some of that energy be reciprocated. Therefore...

I will probably stop following your blog if you:

Ignore me.
Every single time I receive a comment on one of my posts, I take the time to thoughtfully reply to that comment via email, and then also visit the commenter's blog (if they have one) and leave a comment for them as well. Because that's just good karma. But if I continually comment on your blog and receive radio silence in return, I'm going to quit visiting. It's a two-way street, yo!

Do eleventy billion sponsored posts.
I get that we all want to grow our blogs and readerships or whatever, I do. But I started following your blog because I'm interested in YOU. When I visit your blog and am continually greeted by the faces and stories of strangers, or products, items and services that I don't care about, it's extremely distracting and annoying. Once in a while is fine, but too many equals sayonara, baby.

Become a link up whore.
I love link ups. In fact, I host this one every Thursday and usually participate in at least one more each week. But when you do a different link up every single day, in an obvious desperate attempt to splash your name all over the blogosphere, I'm not a fan. Especially when your link up posts consist of short answers to boring questions that we've all heard before. Get creative with your posts! Tell me who you really are, in your own words!  

Are a whiner.
Seriously, if I wanted to listen to a bunch of whining, I'd lurk Facebook all day. Or hang out in the 49ers locker room. I love it when you share your innermost thoughts on your blog, including your disappointments and failures, but if that's ALL you ever post about, your blog is not going to be someplace I continue to frequent. Sorry dude, but I can't take all that negative energy.

Aren't real.
I know, I know, this is kind of hypocritical. But in the same vein, if I want to bask in all the fabulousness that is your life, I'll go to Instagram to see all the most beautiful and perfect moments you've had in the past week and felt the need to show the world. But when I visit your blog, I want to see the real you. We don't always wear makeup and have our hair blown out perfectly... our dogs die, we get fired, we break our legs, and people break our hearts. Tell me about your real life, not just your life the way you hope it appears. Everybody poops. 

Have comment verification turned on.
Now I'm getting really nit-picky, but I'm just sayin'... I know this is snarky, but I am incredibly busy and I don't have time to type in those freaking illegible letters and numbers multiple times before getting it right every time I want to leave a comment on your blog! It makes me leave with a bad taste in my mouth, and I probably won't return...

 Are a no-reply blogger.
Please don't make me search all over the freaking internet for your email address. I beg you, PLEASE add your email address to your Blogger profile! If you've never received an email in reply to a comment you've left on another blogger's blog, its' probably because you don't have your email address associated with your profile. I think it's very important to acknowledge every comment I receive, but I should not have to spend 10 minutes trying to locate your contact information! Jenni has a great little tutorial on how to quickly fix this problem.


And those, my friends, are the things I've learned that annoy me the most about the blog world. Some of them enough to cause a full-blown blogger breakup.

How about you?

 

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!

  

Award Winning Lazy Blogging

I don't know what has been wrong with me this week, but my blogging has been totally uninspired, hence my virtual silence around these parts. So I was almost embarrassed when Jenni nominated me for a Liebster Award... almost. Thanks Jenni!!

 

But I always love learning that someone reads and enjoys my ramblings here, and the purpose of the Liebster Award is to promote each other in order to make more friends in the blogging community and attract more attention to our blogs, so I still want to play along... sort of. 

 

Try not to judge, but I'm going to re-post some of my Liebster Award answers from when I was nominated back in June.

 

The Rules
 

Thank the person who nominated you and link them in your post. 

Tell 11 random facts about yourself.

Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.

Choose 11 blogs you like and link them in your post. 

Write 11 questions for these bloggers, so they can answer them. 

Go to their page and let them know that you nominated them.

   

11 Random Facts

1. I love infomercials and I've ordered many, many things from TV. It's sort of a problem. 
 

2. I have an unexplainable phobia of the telephone. This can also be a problem.

 

3. Even though I know I shouldn't, I sleep in my makeup every single night.

 

4. I am obsessed with disaster preparedness / the end of the world / Armageddon / the Zombie Apocalypse. Seriously, ask me how many emergency kits I have... they're everywhere.

 

5. I love cilantro; I think it is cat nip for humans. But I hate bananas.

 

6. I have heterochromia, which means my eyes are different colors. I was born with it.

 

7. Try not to judge, but I am not an organ donor. I have weird human body issues, and the concept of my parts being inside someone else just really, really freaks me out.

 

8. I did not meet my older sister until I was 22 years old, because my parents gave her up for adoption when they were in high school. Now she is one of my very best friends.

 

9. I am completely tone deaf, like I don't even sing happy birthday out loud. Seriously, it's bad.

 

10. My two food weaknesses are macaroni and cheese and McDonald's. My mouth just filled with saliva thinking about them.

 

11. I dropped out of college spring quarter junior year and moved to Waikiki with a girlfriend. Eventually I came back and finished school. Yeah.

That's me! I'm kind of a nerd sometimes...
 

11 Questions for ME
 

1. What is your favorite joke? Since I can't think of a single one, I'm wondering if maybe I'm not all that into jokes? I'm actually not a huge fan of comedies, either. Perhaps I should work on my sense of humor.

 

2. Do you prefer sweet or savory? Definitely savory. Although during this pregnancy I have been craving sweets a lot more often than normal. But I pretty much crave everything these days...

 

3. What is the most expensive item you've ever bought? Our new house.

 

4. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Oh my goodness, I can hardly remember! I definitely wanted to be an eyewitness TV news reporter just like April O'Neil when I was a little kid. But by high school I don't remember having any specific aspirations. That's probably why I have a degree in journalism and public relations, a certification in paralegal studies, but work in commercial real estate development... See, I'm still trying to figure it out!  

 

5. Are there any decisions you've made that, with hindsight, you wish you could change? Not really, because I think our past experiences make us who we are, and I'm pretty happy with myself these days! That being said, I always wished that I would have taken a few months during college to backpack around Europe and see a little more of the world.

 

6. What color is your bedroom? Right now it's basic beige from the paint package we picked out when we purchased options for the new house, but I have big plans to paint the walls grey with maybe a plum colored accent wall behind the bed... stay tuned!

 

7. Do you collect anything? If so, what? Books, books, and more books. I'm such a book nerd.

 

8. Do you have any favorite sports teams? Silly rabbit... the Seattle Seahawks, of course!

 

9. What is one city you've never visited but would like to, and why? I have always wanted to visit New York City, it's definitely on my bucket list. But somehow every time I try to start planning a trip there the expense overwhelms me and I give up. Someday...  

 

10. What song are you loving right now? I can tell you what song I'm hating: Let Her Go by Passenger. There is something about his voice that sounds whiny and squeaky to me, and the lyrics strike me as incredibly depressing and negative. And the freaking song is playing on every single station right now, I can't seem to escape it! 

 

11. Who did you look up to as a teenager? I actually had quite a few teachers that I looked up to in high school. I should really look them up and see what they're up to these days...

 

Here I am again (sometimes I have a bit of an attitude)... But let's talk about you!

11 Nominees

 

 Jessa @ Life of a Sports Wife

Ashley @ Have Chashley, Will Travel

Amanda @ Voyage of the MeeMee

Fran @ Freeborboleta

Cait @ A Day in the Life

Jocelyn @ The Life of a Pretty Lucky Mama

Ashley @ Afternoons with You

Ashley @ Life on the Parsons Farm

Carly @ Macaroons & Moccasins

Ali @ High Heels and Coffee

Chelsea @ Anchors Aweigh

 

11 Questions for YOU

1. If you were a super hero what powers would you have?

2. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature what new animal would you create?

3. What historical figure would you love to see in 21st century life?

4. What phrase do you say the most?

5. If you could steal one thing without consequence what would it be?

6. What is your favorite thing about yourself (physical or otherwise?)

7. If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

8. If you were crowned ruler of the world, what's the first law you would make?

9. What's the most unusual conversation you've ever had?

10. What is the best present you've ever received?

11. Would you rather go back in time and meet your ancestors, or travel into the future and meet your great grandchildren? 

 

 

Congratulations to all the nominees! I really enjoy each of your blogs and hope you play along. And if you haven't checked out these fabulous bloggers yet, I encourage you to take the time to read their posts, get to know them, and show some blogger love!