Hi everyone!
Before I get to today's post, don't forget that Thursday is the Best of the Blogs linkup. I hope to see you all there. Also check in on Instagram as I'll be posting some photos from the Outer Banks!
With my 2 year anniversary of leaving WLOS coming up at the end of next month, I've been feeling a little reflective lately. I feel like since I left the TV station, I've been on a journey with myself and this blog to find true health and happiness. I never want to lose sight of that theme on Running in a Skirt or mission in my life.
I've also been thinking about the posts I publish and how they all capture these so-called "perfect" moments of mostly perfect food, clothes and travels. Yes. All of those things happen in my life, they are 100% honest, and none of them are fake, but there are so many non-picture perfect moments too. I feel like for the sake of being real and authentic I need to point that out sometimes.
Life is not a perfect Instagram filter.
I posted a similar Confessions post last year, and I'm continuing that series today. The purpose is not to complain, but to show my journey and share that we all struggle to keep it together.
Confessions...
So much summer travel...
I ended up with a crazy summer travel schedule and it's not over yet. I feel so blessed to be able to go on these trips but I feel like all I'm doing is getting ahead to leave and then coming back to catch up again. I'm so happy to be at the beach right now, but know I'll be paying for it when I get back. I just recovered from Austin!
July and August still have a few trips, but it shouldn't be quite as busy.
Rhett snots on my walls....
So my adorable, wacky almost 15 year old dachshund blows snot rockets everywhere. He's been to the vet for it probably a dozen times and there doesn't seem to be a cure. Some of them land of the walls as high as my eye level. The only thing that take them off is a magic eraser and I really don't get around to doing that often enough.
I don't eat off white plates...
I love color. If given the choice I will most often choose a cheerful color for anything I buy. My plates are all funny colors that don't photograph well. I've been thinking about getting a couple white super plates just for sharing my dinners on Instagram because they look so bad on my regular plates, but I can't bring myself to do it. This is what dinner often looks like. It's pretty, but I don't feel like it's Instagram worthy.
I've been struggling to grow my Instagram...
My Instagram account feels stagnant and I've really been struggling to figure out the magic formula to grow it. Is it the white plates? I don't know. Does anyone else feel like a lot of this blogging stuff is just trial and error? Any tips? Want to follow me?
I've been running like a snail...
I've talked about my love of summer but that does not extend to running in the heat. I haven't been able to get myself out of the door to run super early and have been fighting the heat. I've been running like a snail just to keep myself afloat. I need to shift my morning routine to get out of the door earlier because I'm UP... and I'm just doing other things.
I feel like there are never enough hours in the day...
I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone in this feeling, but I have so much more I want to do most days than time to do it. One thing I've been working really hard on is creating realistic to-do lists with attainable daily goals. I used to start the day with lists of stuff that would probably take a week to actually do and be disappointed when I didn't finish. I'm finding I'm much happier if I create a to-do list that can actually get done. It's a work in progress. 🙂
Life is Not Perfect
I could go on, but you get the idea. Life is really good and I don't want to actually complain. I am blessed, but it's not perfect.
I believe one key to happiness is finding a way to float along the river, not drown in it... even when challenges are thrown your way. And we all have those challenges and confessions. It's how we deal with these challenges, see silver linings and focus on REAL authentic happiness that determines our true joy. And isn't that what we all want anyway?
Thanks for stopping by today! See you tomorrow for another vegetarian take on a burger for the 4th of July... the BEST Portobello Mushroom Burger. And I don't say that lightly... it really is!
I'm linking up with Marvelous Monday.
Your turn!
If you feel comfortable, share a confession with me!
Do you feel like you deal with challenges well?
Farrah says
I definitely think blogging is a hell of a lot of trial and error, haha. I so wish there were more hours in a day too (if only)! And noooo on the snotrockets! At least there's nothing actually wrong though!
I only have about 4 different plates and most of them don't photograph all that well. I haven't been able to find my one white plate, but I do feel like everything photographs a whole lot better with it!
JulieWunder says
White or a light neutral really makes a big difference!
D, D, C, L, C, K and T says
We love having our Aunt Julie with us! xo
JulieWunder says
Love you... D, D, C, L, C, K & T!
Debbie@debbiethisandthat.com says
I love your honesty, Julie. None of us have perfect lives. Blogging is hard work and very time consuming I find. I'm not even trying to do instagram. Just keeping up with my blog and trying to do Google+ and Pinterest takes a load of time! I didn't realize there was such a thing about using white plates for photos. I just happen to have white plates....and I keep admiring all of the pretty colorful plates I see in blogs..including yours! Keep doing what you're doing. I love your blog!
JulieWunder says
Hi Debbie! I know! Blogging is such a growth process. I learn new things that work every month-- it's crazy. I think you can only do so much though or it will drive ya crazy!
Runaway Bridal Planner says
I totally hear ya on the Instagram. I do okay at time growing it, but others I feel I have more unfollow than follow. It's a difficult thing to grow and I have yet to catch on to the tricks. But I am learning, trial and error as you put it! Hope you can figure it out too!
I think it's awesome you are able to travel and share your vacations. I love seeing places I may want to go, or might not get to ever go, but still love seeing pictures from there. But I'm a vacation/travel junkie I'd do it almost weekly if I could, LOL my dream world:)
Yes, another person who has colorful plates!!! I can't say mine are all fun colors, but I don't have white plates either when I bought them I wasn't a blogger and white plates food just doesn't look as appetizing in person. Of course on a blog or IG feed it's a different story, oh well...
JulieWunder says
I know! Plate choices shouldn't matter, but it does! haha.
I'm so glad you enjoy following along with the travels. I sometimes worry I'm burning people out by posting about them all of the time.
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home says
On Friday, I posted my Runfessions post with a picture of me falling over in a headstand. I got quite a few comments thanking me for that. Kind of surprised me, since I consider myself to be so "real". How sad that people had to even comment on it? It's a tough world...
JulieWunder says
I know!!! I just never want to pretend life is perfect... ya know! It's unhealthy for even myself!
Melissa says
I so so feel you on this. I did notice all your travel and even though it's a good thing, that's got to be hard to live life with all that running around!
With Instagram, I'll be totally honest, I got super caught up in trying to grow mine recently too. I actually used a company's free trial of 10 days to do growth for me (basically follow accounts with similar interests to get a follow back). It grew things so fast for me and I actually connected with a bunch of other cool accounts/bloggers this way. But I only did it for 10 days because I wasn't wanting to pay for growth. It was only $40 a month though so not terribly expensive. Maybe a few months of that could help? Email me if you want the info. I also found that if you see accounts that are getting tons of likes, comments, and have a lot of followers that are similar to your account (or what you want it to look like), copy their hashtags or at least take a peek at them. Hashtags that were actually relevant for my content helped SO much. But that is easier said than done, especially when we blog about a LOT of things, not just food or only fashion, you know?
On that note though, I think Instagram has just become such a "thing" lately. It wasn't like this even a year ago AT ALL with all these people with 10K+ followers. I feel like everyone is focused on Instagram now, especially now that the algorithms have changed. I think it's just going to be hard to grow there because it's so over saturated right now. But you have WAY more followers than me!
In the end, I decided I was giving way too much of my time to Instagram growth (it's so easy to spend HOURS on there trying to figure it out, engage, and just do more). I wouldn't worry about it too much though. You just do you and let that be enough!
JulieWunder says
Hi Melissa! I totally feel ya. There always seems to be something NEW and it seems to be easier to grow your account if you just do one thing. I'm going to think about that service-- sounds like a possible option. At the end of the day though-- we can only do so much!
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says
Great post! So many people try to put off that "perfect" persona that it's a breath of fresh air to read this. The snot rocket part really cracked me up especially after seeing Rhett's cute face like "who me?" lol.
I'm guilty of the white plate thing on instagram. I think it does make the food pop out more but at the same time, it's so much more fun to actually eat off of colorful plates. I don't really have any recommendations though as I don't have that many followers. I wish I had as many as you!
Confession: I'm obsessed with scouring the sale bins at Anthropologie for really cheap and fun plates and bowls even though I don't use them when I take photos. They are one of my guilty pleasures...along with anything sparkly.
JulieWunder says
Oh yess.... Rhett has always had that "who me?" look down to perfection! haha
I'll go through Pier One and look for blog props. They are all tiny little plates though-- much smaller than my actual meal!
Nikol Murphy says
I love this post. The snot on the walls made me laugh out loud until I went into the garage and found that my cat threw up down the wall. How did he even do that?! I have been working on my to-do list as well and started with a "top 3" it pained me to only put three things down, but now when I move from on from them, I feel like I am "nailing it!" 😀
JulieWunder says
Oh nooooo!! I don't know how our pets do it! Rhett has always been really good at making a mess!
Love the top 3 idea. It's all about perspective on the lists we make for ourselves!
Blane Sherer says
I have always felt a refreshing genuineness from you
going back to when you first stated working at WLOS.
That is one of your most appealing characteristics.
I think you should get a few white plates for your
food presentations ( no biggie ). I had a nice belated
Father's Day with my family Sunday ( smile ).
JulieWunder says
Hi Blane! Thank you so much! Just trying to always keep it real, because me is all I know how to do! haha!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
I actually went and bought one white bowl, one white plate, and 2 different clear glasses just for the blog. I have these blue square plates that I love, but they photograph HORRIBLY so I needed to get some things just for the blog, ha!
JulieWunder says
Yes! I have props for my recipe photos, but don't use them for my everyday meals. So much to think about in blogging-- it's always a little bit of a filtered version of life.
Lynn Humohreys says
Sorry that I missed your Austin trip! I live near Houston,
but our daughter lives in Austin and works for Facebook.
They are downtown on 6th Street. Austin has changed
so much in the 42 years that we've lived in Texas! I LOVE
Austin and the hill country. Did you go to Luckenbach?
On the subject of your cute hound, he can do no wrong! ?
JulieWunder says
Haha! Rhett is a little goober! 🙂 He'll always be my favorite, so matter what he does!
I can imagine how much Austin has changed. It was a cool place. We didn't have a car, so we just stayed mainly downtown and did a lot of walking!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
Yes it's true that all we see is perfect moments and no ones' life is like that! The food photos are very hard on reg people plates aren't they?! Instagram is a tough one I am working on it too. Kind of given up on FB.
JulieWunder says
Hi Deborah! I've had some good luck with the comment groups on facebook. It seemed to have given the page a little boost to get more people to see it. It's really tough though!!!
Dan Steadman says
my diet hasn't exactly been stellar...and i have the hankering for chips, wings, and onion rings...there I said it
JulieWunder says
haha! Summer will do that to ya! 🙂 I love some ice cream and cheese! 🙂
heather @Lunging Through Life says
I hear ya on the to do list. I find I need to break those big tasks down so that it seems more realistic and such. Large projects sit there because they are so overwhelming. Confession my daughter is playing with the cat toys right now because it entertains her more than her toys... and I"m not feeling like ruining the fun right now! haha Have a wonderful day, Julie!
JulieWunder says
Haha!!! Whatever entertains, huh? I hope the cat doesn't mind. 🙂
Shelley Marcy says
True happiness is given through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The rest is all.....fluff?
JulieWunder says
So true! Thanks for the great reminder Shelley!
Susie @ SuzLyfe says
A quote that really made me think on time was that "happiness is when reality meets expectation." But I know what you mean--right now, nothing is wrong in my life, but something is still.... off...
JulieWunder says
I feel ya! I hope you can figure out what will help. I've been thinking about you.