Why I Started A Blog
I started Andrea’s Wellness Notes seven years ago, on March 14, 2009. When I started my blog, I was pretty frazzled with a toddler, a teenager, and a demanding job. Plus, I was quickly approaching 40. I wanted to refocus on myself and on living my best possible life. Initially my focus was mainly on healthy living - food, exercise, and other things that brought me joy.
Not too long after starting my blog, I met some fabulous people through blogging. Most of the connections happened online, but some bloggers I got to meet in real life. And I was able to attend some pretty awesome blogger conferences. The connections I made with others are what kept me blogging.
Andy also started a blog in 2009 and initially focused on food (in 2011 he switched his focus and has been chronicling the craft beer scene in the South Bay ever since), so we got to attend two FoodBuzz Festivals in San Francisco together (2010 Part 1, 2010 Part 2, 2011 Part 1, 2011 Part 2). It was a fun way to sneak away on a date… We even got to dress up for a fancy dinner in the Ferry Building. Hard to believe the kid was that small once… And my recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Smoothie got second place in a recipe contest at the festival!
Why I Continue to Blog
While I love blogging, there have been times when I thought about quitting. But then I remembered all the fabulous people I have connected with through blogging. I believe the real magic of blogging is connecting - and staying connected - with people you meet through your blog. Most of the bloggers who started when I did (and there was a group of us that all started at the same time and got to know each other pretty well) are not blogging anymore today. Two of those who have quit (or have for the most part quit) have become very good friends of mine.
Biz from My Bizzy Kitchen is one of the few who is still blogging today. Her blog was one of the first food blogs I found, and I still read her blog every week for some humor, awesome recipes, and to keep up with her life. She recently quit her job, and is carving out her place in the food world, and I’m very excited for her. I’ve known Biz for almost seven years now and feel a real connection to her, even though we have never met in real life.
Starting a Style Blog
Last year I had to take a blogging break for a few months (the first time I didn’t blog at all for more than a few weeks), and when I came back to blogging, my focus shifted more to style as I realized that style is an important part of self-care and that’s where my current passion lies.
Since becoming part of the style blogging community, I have connected with some awesome bloggers online. And on Saturday, I got to meet some of them in person. They were just as nice in person as online.
We all met thanks to Kim from Northern California Style who hosted an event at the Trina Turk Boutique in Burlingame. Dawn Lucy from Fashion Should Be Fun and April from Ms B in the Bay Area were also there. I very much like each blogger’s individual style and enjoy the local connections in their posts once in a while. It was wonderful to meet them in person!
Dawn Lucy from Fashion Should Be Fun, Me, Kim from Northern California Style, and April from Ms. B in the Bay Area - Thanks for the photo Kim!
We chatted, had a drink and some snacks, tried on clothes, and I ended up taking a few pieces home. Here are some not-so-good dressing room photos of some of the clothes I tried on. I’ll share what I ended up buying soon.
In the meantime, Dawn Lucy already posted about the meetup on her blog. Check out her post, showcasing some of the pieces she tried on. I love her in the orange jumpsuit! She looks stunning! And if you are not familiar with her blog, check it out. She has an amazing sense of style and has a lot of fun with fashion - I guess hence her blog title!
And here are some of my Trina Turk favorites. Such a great line!
I look forward to meeting up with these fabulous ladies (and a few others who couldn’t make it) again. Thanks Kim for hosting such a great event! And thanks to the fabulous ladies at the Trina Turk Boutique in Burlingame. They were so friendly and helpful; I look forward to going back!
Questions: If you are a blogger, why did you start your blog? If you are a blog reader, why do you read blogs? Have you ever thought about starting your own blog? If so, what’s stopping you? If you are a blogger, why are you continuing to blog? Have you met any bloggers in real life?
Be well,
Andrea
[Disclosure: Links to clothing items in this post are affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com may benefit from actions taken on the links.]
It's so great hearing about your blogging journey! It's cool to hear how things evolved as time progressed, and I think it's great that you've kept this evolution happening!
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Thanks, Alecz! It's been a fun journey!
DeleteAndrea, this is just wonderful! I'm so glad you stuck with it because I love your voice and style! It's awesome you got to meet The ladies and Dawn Lucy, she's one of my favorites! Just like you my friend
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Andrea! Your blog is one I always look forward to reading! I love that you have a mix of things. And I love your style! I want to steal today's outfit! :-)
DeleteAwww .. can't wait to meet you in person too some day, Andrea Nine! OXOX
DeleteIt was so wonderful meeting you, Andrea! You're so sweet and beautiful! What a fun time I had! And yeah, I guess I really do have fun with fashion, don't I? How was it that I was the silliest and the only one not drinking champagne? ;)
ReplyDeleteOXOX
Dawn Lucy
http://fashionshouldbefun.blogspot.com
You are just so fun naturally! I love how much fun you have with clothes and taking photos! I still can't believe you take all your fabulous photos with a timer & remote control!
DeleteLooks like you had fun! I started blogging to organize and share my recipes with friends and family. It's been a wonderful creative outlet for me.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great event!
DeleteI love how you chronicle your family's meals, Pam! What a treasure for your children to have...
What a fabulous post and I'm jealous that you got to hang out with fellow bloggers! Looks like you had a wonderful time (LOVE Trina Turk too!). I started blogging years ago as a way to give my clients style ideas. But over the past year, I stepped things up a notch and partnered up with friends who are photographers to create The Midlife Fashionista. Why do I blog? 1. Because it's SOOOO fun! 2. I love to give women my age ideas for sprucing up their style. 3. It makes me feel amazing to hear that I had an impact on someone in a positive way. 4. I get to play dress-up at age 54. 5. I've been able to connect with incredible people like YOU from all over the world. Yay for blogging!! XO Susan www.themidlifefashionista.com
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan!
DeleteYou certainly share fabulous style inspirations on IG and your blog! Wish you were closer!
Happy seven years, Andrea! I've enjoyed your blog since I first discovered it early in 2010, and it's been fun to follow along on your blogging journey (and watch the kid grow - wowza!). I love how you've incorporated style into the blog - I only wish I had your fashion sense :) Here's to many more years, and a chance to meet you someday!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jessie!
DeleteI'm always happy when one of your posts pops up in my reader! Your sense of humor is just priceless! Plus, your recipes are delicious, and I have tried several ancient grains because of you!
Yes, I really hope we'll meet some day! Portland is on our bucket list! :-)
I saw you photos on IG and it looked like such a fun event. I follow all those women as well so I know it must have been great to meet up. You all look fabulous by the way :) I am also attending a Simply Stylist event this Saturday and I am hoping to meet some LA bloggers.
ReplyDeleteNora
www.jacketsociety.com
Thanks, Nora! It was great to meet everyone! Have a fabulous time at the Simply Stylist event!
DeleteThanks for the shout out Andrea! I actually love the avenue your blog has taken, mostly because I have no fashion sense and because of you (well, before I quit my job!) I would refer back to your blog on how you wear scarves, or your jewelry accessories.
ReplyDeleteI actually started my blog as a creative outlet, and like you, LOVE the people I have connected with (you included!) that I never would have met in real life. Next bucket list trip is California! I'll definitely let you know when that happens so we can meet up! :D
Thanks, Biz!
DeleteMake that California trip happen soon!
I love Trina Turk, and this looked like such a fun event! The relationships that I have made from blogging in the past year have been so rewarding, and I loved hearing about your journey!
ReplyDeleteRachael
http://www.threadsforthomasblog.com
Thanks, Rachael! I actually hadn't paid that much attention to Trina Turk before the event, but once I took a look, I pretty much loved everything!
DeleteI think blogging is so wonderful for the relationships you develop. I live in STL and haven't found many others that blog here, but I do text and email a lot of bloggers in other states that I have similar interests in. I think it is so neat you've met so many and I hope to go to a blog conference soon!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
Yes, the connections are really the most wonderful part of blogging, even if you are far apart geographically. Hope you get to go to a conference soon!
DeleteWhat a lovely post, a bit of an inside!It must be great to meet other bloggers and enjoy time together.I believe in the US it's more of, I dont know how to say it well, being nice to eachother. In the Netherlands its different. Perhaps you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that there can be a difference between Europe and the US (having grown up in Europe). But I hope you'll find some bloggers you can connect with that are close to you geographically nonetheless.
DeleteI think the connections are my favorite part but also the thing I anticipated the least! It's so awesome to connect with so many people all over the world.
ReplyDeleteSimply Shaunacey
Absolutely, Shaunacey!
DeleteWhat a fun meet up! I would love to meet more bloggers!
ReplyDeleteIt was great meeting everyone! And, yes, meeting bloggers is fun... :-)
DeleteI like the way you put it Andrea, style is also taking care of yourself. Agree. And yes I have met quite a few. The most fun yet has been meeting up with Patti of Not Dead Yet Style in NYC. And I would love to get together with you when I am going to be in CA later this year. But we are staying in SoCal...so bummer.....meeting fellow bloggers is what gets me going. Connecting and sharing. Have a great weekend. Sabina
ReplyDeleteHow fun that you got to meet Patti! I would love to meet her! And I would love to meet you! I'll email you soon!
DeleteLovely Andrea, you are the nicest to share this and it was so fun to finally meet! Thanks for coming in the wet weather. It was wonderful to see you in some of these things and I loved the long orange dress. I had no idea you had been blogging so long. Isn't it cool that your husband is doing it too? I hope we have more opportunities to get together and lunch! We are so close. Have a great weekend! x Kim
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim! And thanks again for hosting this event! It was really fun to meet you and Dawn Lucy and April! And, yes, let's definitely do lunch soon!
DeleteThis post definitely resonates with me. I started my blog almost 6 years ago because I work in the legal field and, while I love my job, my legal writing bored me to death. I needed a creative writing outlet. As I gradually created accounts on Twitter and other social media platforms, I connected with other bloggers and followers and had so much fun interacting with everyone. In 2014, I only wrote THREE posts for the whole year and considered quitting. Toward the end of 2014, I had a couple of really kind comments from ladies who I didn't even know were following me. One was from Spain and one was from England (and I was still living in the U.S. at that time). They said they missed my write-ups. I was shocked that people actually noticed I wasn't blogging anymore and I decided to revive the blog in 2015. SO happy I did! I continue to meet wonderful people via my blogging and it always makes my day when someone says that one of my posts helped them or made them aware of a new retailer. Blogging is hard work if you want to do it even semi-well but it's also rewarding.
ReplyDeleteYour blogger meet-up sounds like a blast! Trina Turk and fabulous bloggers? What could be better? Can't wait to see what you bought.
Yes, I have gotten some awesome emails from blog readers who never comment, and I didn't even know I had... It's always a reminder to let others know we appreciate their blog. I know I read quite a few blogs I never comment on (especially now that I read more on my phone), and I really need to make the time to let them know I enjoy what they are doing...
DeleteI'm so glad you revived your blog and that I found it!
I wasn't familiar with Trina Turk, and I really enjoyed the entire store! It's dangerous... :-)
I can't wait to see those pants you bought! I've always loved Trina Turk's clothing lines---I have a few pieces from a boutique here in Denver. When we visited California maybe 5 years ago we even got to visit one of the stores (yippee!!)
ReplyDeleteI've met two bloggers here in Colorado---hopefully more in the future!
How interesting you've been blogging so long...I don't think I even knew about blogging before 2 years ago (I lived under a rock, I know)!! jodie
www.jtouchofstyle.com
I loved pretty much everything in the store! Dangerous! I have already worn the top I bought twice, and I know I'll get so much wear out of it. And the pants are just fun... And we all need a little fun in our lives!
DeleteMaybe we get to meet one day!
At last I can connect with your blog! ( I had some difficulties with thewifi during the week )
ReplyDeleteI started blogging in 2013 as I wanted to know ladies who lived in different parts of the world. I like differences and am very curious about new places and habits. Greetje of No fear of fashion and I become friends also in real life and we met already four times! Isn't that wonderful??
Sorry about your Internet troubles - not fun!
DeleteIt's so great that you and Greetje became friends! I think a blog can really bond people because they are interested in similar things! Plus, you can go on dangerous shopping trips together... ;-)
My favorite thing about blogging is the connections I've made with other bloggers. It's such a supportive community! Looks like a fun event! Can't wait to see what you got!
ReplyDeleteJill
Doused In Pink
Aren't the connections great?!!! It was a very fun event!
DeleteI'm looking forward to sharing what I got! I already wore the top I picked up twice!
I was very sorry I didn't make it to the meetup. We were in San Francisco that weekend, and I just failed to extricate myself. Some day I hope to meet more of the Bay Area bloggers.
ReplyDeleteYes, hopefully we'll meet soon!
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