It was a simple challenge to encourage writers to write. My husband tells me all the time – the more you write – the easier it is to write. So I signed up and proceeded to find my groove in writing a daily piece on “31 Days to an Organized Life and Business.” I did enjoy writing it, and, like my husband said, it got easier and easier to let my finger go a-flying and finding my voice as a writer again.
But then…. Life. I was so busy living my life, that I hardly had much time to write about it. But, more importantly, I didn’t have enough time to reflect on it – in order to write something meaningful about it worthy of internet readers. Personal writing is such an intense personal thing for me, so I am not just one of those people that can churn out a bunch of words, without first tapping into a deeper emotional place – and – it takes a while to get there. So… 31 days of writing (ok so I skipped some here and there) but after 31 days… I was happen when #2 happened and I was grateful for a break.
So one day, this gorgeous couple’s NYC portrait session was featured on the blog and they literally broke the Internet. I learned that I apparently have a limit on how much traffic I can have pushing through the site and when I have reached that limit for the day, it shuts it down. Well… much to our surprise, it reached the limit in 20 minutes. And so the company was able to reset it for me. And then it reach the limit again. Again reset. And then by the 3 time it reached the limit, my hosting company said, sorry, we just cannot handle the load that your site is experiencing. And so… we had to high tail it and migrate to an entirely different server and hosting company.
Friends…. This is no small feat. Moving a blog is like selling your house and then moving to a new house – unpacking and setting up shop again. This set us back a solid month. And by then, we were knee deep in preparations for #3
3. Exuma Missions Trip.
I can’t even put the words together yet regarding the experience this was for our family. 5 months later and we are still processing all that God did on that trip. Someday the words will come. Until then, I invite you to see our team on the trip, or learn more about the island by watching the videos below. Or search Instagram for #urbansonmission
Is exactly what is says. A retreat for creatives to be inspired in Portland, Maine. I had the amazing opportunity to be invited to this retreat through the company I use to host my website, Showit (read: NOT my blog- because #1 above). They asked me to come along and represent them to the community in the North East Coast and what an amazing blessing that was. 4 days with a bunch of artists getting our hands dirty and digging deep internally to come back renewed and inspired. And I was – totally. Thank you to Elizabeth Langford and Showit for the opportunity to represent Showit and attend an amazing event. I was even able to visit some of my favorite people. If you click on Inspire’s link you can play Where’s Waldo and try to find me in that group photo. 🙂
5. Virginia
The traveling didn’t stop in Maine. The next weekend the family was in Virginia visiting our dear friends, The Daane Family. Yes January & February were just kind of a blur – in the best way. We were privileged to bring some Maine snow to Virginia and they got an epic (for them) snowstorm during our visit. The kids (and grownups) had a wonderful visit – and we managed to throw a surprise traveling baby shower and a number of out of town mutual friends surprised Beth with a mini-shower. Eventually I will get caught up on blogging my photography sessions for the past 6 months. Yikes. But here’s one of Beth from her maternity session.
6. Tax Season
Womp womp. Yes… one of my hats is a Certified Tax Preparer and people have grown to love me and hate me for this. My clients and I rolled up our sleeves and got through this season without a scratch. Glory be.
7. Maryland & DC
It was the season of travel for the Urbans. And it continued down to Maryland, and Washington DC where we visited our nation’s capital and of course, the cherry blossom trees. It was a fun time for the kids who got to spend time with their out of town friends. I was starting to feel like someone needed to pinch me because I was able to spend so much time with dear friends from across the miles that I don’t get to see too often.
8. Ocean City
The fun continued when a friend said, “wouldn’t it be fun to get a bunch of friends together and go to my family’s house at the shore?”
Friends. I live “at the shore”. I know what this means. It usually means that your family has a 1950s bungalow near where we might find parking that is near to where we can walk further to the actual ocean. I mean – in any case – I live at the shore for a reason… we love it here. I love it more surrounded by amazing friends and I would love nothing more than to be able to spend quality time with them – wherever that may be.
But when your friend fails to mention – until you show up at the address given – that the “family house” is actually a 9 bedroom mansion – oceanfront – like ON THE SAND – suddenly you realize your gratefulness for not thinking twice about spending the weekend in a cramped 1950s bungalow with your girlfriends. That you would have done that too. Hands down, because it’s the people that matter the most.
9. VEGAS
And then there was Vegas. VEGAS – the actual Las Vegas. This one was all Steve’s fault. His company was sending him for a business trip to connect with some people and learn about “insert Charlie Brown mumbled dialogue here”. Not that I don’t understand what my husband’s job is – I do… but VEGAS… so I hitched a ride and tagged along. Steve went to the office during the day, I people watched at Fake Paris poolside while editing photos and sending emails. It’s not a bad way to live at all. We had a fabulous time, saw an amazing show, enjoyed the warm weather, stunning desert landscape and pseudo cultural experiences from visiting all of the themed hotels. It was like the countries of Epcot. Only Vegas. And HUGE.
10. Camping Club 46
We just wrapped up the epic first half of the year with the 4th – 6th graders (and their younger siblings) from our church on a camping/missions trip. We traveled up to the Word of Life camp in Upstate NY to clean up the camp, and prepare it for their upcoming ministry season. Yes it was real camping because there was an actual spider in my bed. On my pillow to be exact. But these kids…. so worth it. 🙂
Please note: We, like many people, used to wear busy as a badge of honor. That life was full and meaningful if our calendars were packed and our work kept us at a frantic pace. I hated that life. I was there years ago and even had to schedule our “day to be spontaneous” a month in advance. It was sad. My love language is quality time; undivided attention to one thing at a time. And I felt like my attention was always split between too many things. And in trying to do too many things, the quality was filtered down.
While the 10 things above may seem on the outside to look “busy” I have never been more focused and slower paced in my life. My quality time tank is overflowing and the memories we have made as a family, and individually will last forever and continue to shape me.
So, it’s not that I haven’t had time to write. I was just too busy enjoying making new memories that I didn’t want to stop to record them. I quit writing, but not intentionally.
But writing is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. And I have been stuck in my head for too long now afraid to let the fingers go a-flying again. Lately I have been feeling the nudge again to dust off the keyboard and get back to writing again. To share all of these things that have been going on in my life and to encourage those who want to do the same. The good, the bad, and the ugly and the pretty.
So… here’s to a new day, a new commitment, and to getting back on the horse and checking fear at the door!
Thanks for stopping by and catching up with me today! Anybody have something they need to recommit to today?
XOXO,
Angie
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Kristin Ungerecht - I love you. Writing or enjoying life.
Lois Henzel Erickson - Welcome back