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OOPS! I Did It Again

Scribbles and Tostitos25 Comments

When I hit the publish button for S&T 7 years ago, I had no idea that I’d meet such a charming blogging community, make new friends, and be nominated for TWO blog awards! In December, Pages of Paige nominated me for the Liebster Award. Last month,  Drifyness and Talking with Tati both nominated me for the Sunshine Blog Award.

Thank you, C!

Thank you, Tati!

I am particularly inspired by C and Tati’s blogs, so an award coming from them means a lot to me. If you haven’t already, check them out! You’ll love them too.

So, what’s the Sunshine Blog Award?

The Sunshine Blog Award recognizes bloggers who are positive, uplifting and inspirational.  With every S&T post, I aim to uplift women so this award is especially meaningful to me. I am especially humbled by the nomination. In sticking to the tradition of accepting this award, Tati and C request that I answer the following questions:

Why did you start blogging?

I write a lot. I’ve kept a journal since I was 8 years old, where I’d document all my thoughts and life happenings. I’ve been told that I’m a good writer and believe in sharing my talents with others. I started S&T as an outlet for my thoughts and to encourage women along the way. It took a lot of courage for me to publish my writings for the world, but I’m so glad I did.

What are your hopes for your blog?

I’d love to grow my readership. I am going to ahead and put it out there, as it is something kinda personal, but I’d love to write a book based on S&T one day.

Phew, I said it.

What’s something that you’d like to blog about, but haven’t done yet?

I’d love to share my career story. My 8-year career has been one long bumpy ride. I’ve been on freeways, stop lights, detours, roadblocks. I’ve had flat tires, a dead battery, and a damaged engine. Girl. I could write a book about the numerous jobs I’ve held.

Related: FAQ'S About Me

Apparently, the novel would be a page turner because when I share the story with others, they are both astonished and amused. I’ve never met someone who said, “That happened to me too!” That makes a difficult situation even more difficult. I want to share because I believe there is someone out there who would benefit. Or, at least have a good laugh out of my mishaps.

What are you working on outside of blogging?

I started kickboxing again at a local gym. I’m working on my summer body for 2018, but it seems to be evading me. Since it’s already June, I might settle for a spring body.

I’m also working on some blog posts that I am pretty excited about.

Are there any dreams you’ve had for many years?

I’d love to publish a book with a major publishing company.

I’d also love to have lunch with Oprah.

What’s your favorite thing about where you currently live?

I live in a small town in NC and there are three things that I love about it: the cost of living, proximity to major cities and beaches, and the fact that it is growing quickly.

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve done?

The most adventurous thing I’ve done is travel to India on the spur of the moment.

What are your most and least favorite things about blogging?

People have told me that they enjoy my blog and that it’s helped them navigate through life’s challenges. My favorite thing about blogging is knowing that my posts uplift people.

My least favorite thing about blogging is the huge time commitment it takes! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy interacting with readers and creating content, but it’s difficult to balance blogging with life.

What kind of content do you want to see or make more of?

Given the reaction from I’d Rather Talk About Sex, I’d love to see more content on how women negotiate their salaries and read some ideas on how we can eradicate income inequality.

What’s your funniest memory?

On my husband and my first date, the sunroof to his 1996 Nissan Altima got stuck. It started to rain on our drive home and yes, I got wet.

Related: My Husband Was Not What I Wanted

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a blogger?

What I write and what people read are two totally different things! People read blogs through their own filters, which are influenced by their experiences, prejudices, and other preconceived notions. Try your best to be authentic as possible, but know that some people will not understand the point you’re trying to convey, no matter how great of a writer you are. Let it go.

My Nominees

  1. Gallantly Gal
  2. Let’s Build Futures
  3. Yes, Little Hummingbird?
  4. Soulstriptease
  5. Positively Alyssa

Questions for My Nominees

  1. Why did you decide to blog?
  2. Where do you want to be in 5 years (personally, professionally, and physically)?
  3. Tell us about your favorite place in the world.
  4. As a kid, what did you do for fun?
  5. What is your biggest tip for new bloggers?
  6. What false assumption do people make about you?
  7. Besides blogging, what is something you’re currently working on?
  8. What is your funniest memory?
  9. Tell us about your perfect day.
  10. What is your favorite post on your blog?

25 thoughts on “OOPS! I Did It Again”

  1. This was a good read… I agree… balancing blogging and life is terribly difficult, if you want to put out quality work that is… Lolol I hope you weren’t a long way off from home when it started to rain… Congrats on the award…

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    • Thank you! I suppose you can slap anything together in a matter of minutes and blogging wouldn’t take so long! Lol.

      And unfortunately, we were 20 mins away and sitting in Atlanta traffic. Luckily, it didn’t rain too hard. But I had to change clothes as soon as I got home.

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  5. Once again another fabulous post! I really loved reading your answers and getting to know you even better! I am so incredibly honored that you nominated me for the Sunshine Blog Award! Thank you so much and I promise to answer the questions as soon as I can!!! It is so amazing to be nominated for an award from someone as great as you!!

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  7. I didn’t get a chance to comment yesterday but I dropped back in to say congratulations! Your award is so truly well deserved. I loved reading all about you from the questions, is like getting to see the person behind the curtain lol I will get onto answering the ones you asked of us and I thank you for your kind nomination!

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  8. I’m super late… smh smh apparently I still don’t know what day of the week it is LOL No need to thank me because you are very deserving of this award!! There’s many days when I want to throw in the towel and my computer, but you keep me going.

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  9. Yaa Yaa!!! I absolutely savored this blog! I really appreciate the time you took to intentionally answer these questions! But umm SEVEN YEARS!!! OoOMMMmgGGG!!! Talk about being consistent! Sheesh! I’ve only been on here 2 years and I’m sweating bullets about consistent content! You have just inspired me and let a girl know that it’s possible!

    Lunch with Oprah? Can I Come!??!?!? lol

    “What I write and what people read are two totally different things! People read blogs through their own filters” — OOMMGG!!! Yes! Yes! Yes! I don’t know where I read the quote, but it said, “We don’t see life how it is… we see it how WE are.” I was like dddayyyuuummm… truth! truth! truth! Because we can both read the same blog and get two DIFFERENT understandings! Very good observations my friend!

    That income inequality thing always gets me… I’m like, “if everybody knows this is happening, why can’t they just STOP it” — Shheessh! It sounds easy enough! But I know it’s probably a bit more intricate than what I have in my mind. I want to see more of that content too… Are you up for the challenge? lol

    Loved getting to know more about you Yaa Yaa! Looking forward to the day I can put a face to the name 🙂

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    • Haha, do you know that I paused for a second too after writing that statement. It honestly doesn’t feel so long. Of course there were downtimes, but life is so unpredictable that it always gave me something to write about. I’m sure this will be the same for you too! If you ever need someone to help brainstorm ideas with, let me know!

      SURE! My friend and I have this running joke that when one of us has lunch with Oprah, we must bring the other. I’ll add you to the pact. 😉

      Girl! I can’t tell you how frustrated I’ve been when people did not understand the point I’d try to convey in some posts. I would spend so much time explaining and explaining and then one day it hit me. People only see things as they are, like you said. The most you can do is improve your writing skills and maybe get a larger network of people to vet your blogs, but that’s about it. Most people will catch your point, but there will always be the oddball who totally missed it. 🤷🏾‍♀️

      Income inequality is such a tricky thing. I read a study years ago that found that people are more likely to lie about their salary than their sex lives. People do not like to talk about their money and anything that is hidden cannot be addressed. Furthermore, income inequality is compounded by gender roles and a whole bunch of other complex stuff. We’ll get there but it’ll take awhile. We might just have to make a more strategic and steady approach.

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  10. Yay! Congrats Yaa Yaa, you did that!

    I really enjoyed getting to know a little more about you. I would love to publish a book too, and I’d be very interested in reading yours. You have funny stories, uplifting stories, inspiring stories…things that make me realize that I’ll be ok as I grow up too.

    And PLEASE write more about your career journey. I’m in this weird phase where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and seeing other peoples’ journeys is really helping me.

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    • Thank you, C! And thanks again for the nomination. And I’m glad you find the stories inspirational. It makes the experiences worth it.

      Yes! I plan to write in detail about my career. I used to be embarrassed by them, but as long as I’ve learned from my mistakes, it’s all good right?

      Thanks so much for your support. ☺️

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