I decided to publicly journal about my journey to Hawaii so that I could help others on the same journey, or just thinking about it and because I think it's great hearing feedback from people I would never get to meet otherwise. I used to blog about wedding planning and it was a great experience and I would love for this blog to gain a fun following as well. Also I love the idea of making some money towards going to Hawaii -why not right?
This blog is about Hawaii. I mean Hawaii -as in the chain of islands that the USA made their 50th state and figuratively as paradise -specifically the life I dream of living. In this sense I mean I will blog about improving my life -seizing the day! I turned 30 this year and though I don't see 30 as old -I do see that this train called life is moving fast and I must get more intentional about everything -giving my life a serious looking-over and re-working -otherwise I will arrive at the end of the track and think "No! How did I get here? I never got to ..."
So I am starting over. A lot about my life is currently wonderful, but so much is not. Some things I am completely powerless to change, but so many of my life's aches and unpleasant areas are within my power to change and God-willing I will change those things.
What do I want to change?
Well, this list is longer than I care to admit. But I am willing to bet that most people feel the same about their "need to change about myself" list. That used to be an excuse I had and now I am not going to allow myself to use that as an excuse to continue to not better myself.
The following areas are the key things in my life I wish to change and or improve and will be blogging about on my journey to Hawaii:
- My walk with Christ.
- My relationship with my husband.
- My motherhood.
- Our family's life.
- Fears/worries.
- Our finances
- My health/body
- My zipcode (at least figuratively -if not literally)
I promise...
I promise to be real. Raw. Honest. Intentional. And in the now. I will not be overly dramatic. I will not fake success. I will not sugar coat. I will be fully human -walking with Christ- as I transform. It will be ugly at times, but I know it will be worth it. I am glad you are with me on the journey -or at least visiting. I pray I am inspiring you to take your own journey to a better you too!
How I will organize this blog for readers:
When I am making an entry about life improvement (and more than just a sentence or two) I will put ("Life Improvement") in the title and tag it that way and categorize it that way. I will tag and categorize it based on what specifically I am addressing in the post (motherhood or organic food, etc.).
When I am writing about Hawaii (literally) I will put ("Hawaii") in the title. If it's about researching housing or jobs, etc. I will tag and categorize the post accordingly.
I do plan to talk about Hawaii in ways beyond moving there and for those of you looking to just vacation there. Alex used to work for a whole sale travel company specializing in Hawaiian vacations so he is extremely knowledgeable about the islands and the hotels (he's visited many on several islands) and what to do and how to get the best deals, etc.
And a final thought on how I see this blog working: I have a huge heart for Hawaii -so I will write with my dream of living there (soon!) -even if it's on a topic that isn't necessarily related to Hawaii at all. Additionally, my heart is for Jesus. I love the beauty of Hawaii that God created, but I worship the creator -not the creation. I will always write with Jesus in my heart. If you are not a follower of Jesus it would be a thrill to know that this blog helped you to join your life with His -but I am not writing this blog to "convert" you. I am writing what's on my mind, on my heart and in my dreams. All are welcome here -just know I am a Jesus freak first and foremost -and a Hawaiian fanatic.
Aloha!
Okay, this is just AMAZING. I have a blog too, and I accidentally clicked on "Next Blog" on the top of my blog, and voila! I was on your blog. It's just so strange because I am also a photographer and a mommy. I live in Temecula with my hubby and daughter, but my sister and her family live in Bakersfield.
ReplyDeleteBut what REALLY struck me was how similar we are! I am trying to work on my relationship with Christ and strengthen it more and more. I am turning 40 in December, and this paragraph:
"GULP! It is a bit daunting, but what's my alternative? Celebrate my 40th birthday with the same issues (but likely only worse)? No thank you. I choose to take on the challenges now. Today. Not tomorrow..."
REALLY hit me because that's exactly why I decided to start working on things this year. I didn't want to hit 50 in ten years and be exactly where I was at 40. We had Maisy two years ago and I was tired of being overweight and not accomplishing my goals. We just read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, and we're starting down the road of becoming completely debt free. There's just SO much to work on. I felt a total kismet as I read your post, and I don't think it's an accident that I stumbled upon it. It has to be a God thing. :)
Anyway, it's SO nice to "meet" you. I just reopened my blog again recently so I don't have many visitors yet, but I'm hoping to make a few blogger friends out there. So feel free to stop by anytime! :)
Oh, and I am a total beach nut. I grew up going to the beach here in SoCal, and have always dreamed about visiting Hawaii. I would love to live there too. My sister comes down from Bakersfield as often as possible because she yearns for the beach. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I adore Beth Moore with all of my heart. She has helped me so much in the last couple years. I'm just starting to read her book called "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" and it's really great so far.
Shari, Thanks so much for commenting and for sharing so much with me. I LOVE IT!!! It's why I started this (publicly).
ReplyDeleteMy husband, Alex, and I just did Dave Ramsey's FPU through a local church. Getting debt free will be a long road -but one we are committed to -well, getting more committed to. Best to you on this.
You HAVE to go to Hawaii -especially if you are a photographer and love the beach! :-) But I warn you it's hard to leave. I have seen people (women) crying on the shuttle back to the airport.
What kind of photography do you do? Do you have a website? I will check out your blog. I would love to be your bloggin' buddy. So it's a pleasure "meeting you." I agree, it's a God thing that you found me. Glad He connected us and you commented!
By-the-way I haven't done that Beth Moore study yet. But I love her stuff so much I bet I will one day! My favorite so far has been "Jesus the One and Only." AWESOME STUDY!!!
Shari, I looked at your profile & can't find a link to your blog... Send me the link :-)
ReplyDeleteOh! I didn't even realize that I didn't have my blog listed in my profile. I just fixed it . . . it's called Lambs By the Ocean and it's in my profile section now.
ReplyDeleteWe have a super long way to becoming debt free too. I adore Dave Ramsey. We started his plan but got a little off track because my hubby started having severe sciatica pain (down his leg) on July 4th and we've had to pay quite a bit of medical stuff even though we have Kaiser. We were on our way to saving the first $1000 (for an emergency fund) but now it's all gone. But we're going to keep plugging along.
Here's my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonnabelle/
I started with nature photography but I'm slowly getting into baby/family photography. I don't even have a site yet. I think I'm kind of a chicken to really begin the process. But I love photography SO much . . . it's absolutely my passion!
I told my husband about you and how very much we have in common, and he agrees that it's not just a coincidence that I found your blog. It's so cool how God works! :)