How It Feels Reflecting On Blog Posts I Wrote in 2011.
I just realized something funny- for as much time as I spend chronicling memories (in THIS journal, via these annual albums, and on this blog), I don’t love looking back at them. I guess I worry about feeling sad over years gone by, or I will second guess the choices I made at every given moment. Also there is a cringe-factor, which is the same reason I can’t watch myself on TV. Ever. While I am not very self-conscious in front of friends and strangers, there is something that just feels too close about reflecting on the things I put out there, once the toothpaste has already left the tube. (That is one of my favorite analogies learned thus far as a parent- you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube!)
On October 29th, my husband and I will celebrate 14 years of marriage (!!!). Maybe that is what has me thinking about how time flies, and how drastically life evolves every day, month, year and decade. So, when I sat down to write this afternoon, something compelled me to scroll deep into the archives of my blog. Then, because technically this is the time I allot to “WRITING NEW CONTENT” and I have to be disciplined with it, I figured I would share a few observations from the experience:
—In 2011 we took our first weekend getaway without Alexa- who was 10 months old when Brian planned a long weekend at The Cove in Nassau for our 6th anniversary. This is my favorite part of the post- a sentiment that still feels fresh in my mind on a trip that feels like it was a million years ago:
“When we would pass a family pushing a stroller, I was that weird woman I used to be creeped out by who would crane her neck to peek inside. Yep. I was. Gross, right? We called home more than we care to confess- not because we were worried about Alexa, but because we were curious to hear all about her activities. Apparently she had her first bite of a cinnamon sugar crepe, learned to say "bye bye" and wave at the same time, and even climbed up next to my father-in-law while he was working and said "hi". Sleeping in was pretty great. But coming home to that little face was even better.”
Reading the comments is also a trip down memory lane- one of my favorite bloggers to this day- Grace Atwood of The Stripe and the must-listen podcast Bad on Paper- validated my gripe about the fact that The Cove only provided ONE robe for TWO people (something that would annoy me just the same today, by the way- plush hotel robes are integral to feeling like one is on vacation, right?! RIGHT!)
— Perhaps my favorite post of all to re-read is this one, from October 7th 2011 in which I recap a busy week (“Today Show” segment, a satellite media tour, the kick off of a big Shutterfly partnership) and share that I finally DISCOVERED INSTAGRAM!
“I have become Instagram obsessed. And as a result, I keep getting side-tracked playing around with all the filters and getting caught up in these images that make my life look about a thousand times cooler than it actually is.”
Yup. Still sounds about right. But instead of just the Instagram app filters, I can lose hours going between photo editing apps that now exist by the dozen. Ahhh, things were so much more simple then, right?
— In August 2011 I wrote this post recapping my Today Show segment on “Back to School Fashion Trends” - it feels like a relic now for many reasons- especially because now Today.com has such a robust shopping section, the thought of posting outfit credits with links to buy on my own site makes me giggle. This is also before the affiliate linking world existed- wow, how times have changed! (Affiliate links, if you aren’t familiar, allow bloggers and influencers to earn commissions from purchases made as a result of our recommendations. There are now affiliate networks that work exclusively with content creators and brands to facilitate compensation- it is amazing, and important, to be able to monetize influence in this way. Plus, the analytics that come along with affiliate programs help tremendously when it comes to fine tuning content to best service one’s audience.)
—I don’t think 3 of the 4 products I shared in this beauty post from October 2011 even exist anymore- but the Nivea Creme in the portable tin is still one of those impulse buys I can never resist when it looks up at me while I am in the checkout line at the drugstore.
I would love to hear from you guys on this topic! What posts (blog posts if you blog, or old Instagram posts) you go back to and think “WTF was I thinking?” or “RIGHT ON- good move by me!” or “Where does the time go???” when you give them a read now? Please share (and throw in links if you want!) in the comments! xx JF