Please Share Your Opinion... {After reading a brief JASTG history}

I started this blog in May 2010. I started it as a way to keep my family and friends updated on my life. I was about to graduate college, get married, and move away from home. My first blog post was nothing special. It actually only has 4 views. I see a lot of bloggers talk about their old posts with embarrassment. I don't feel that way. I actually love some of my first blog posts. They were so genuine because I wasn't writing with any ulterior motive. I was simply writing my thoughts. I knew a lot of people didn't read my blog and that was okay. I was writing for myself.

If you're interested, these are some of my favorites from the early days:
My Life Philosophy Based on the Movie Titanic
Life Lessons Learned through Sarah's Life
Life Interrupted=Divine Intervention
What Would He Say to You?
What's the Point?
Time Machine
Where were you when the world stopped turning?

Anyway, then in March 2012, I decided to try and expand my blog beyond just people I know. This was a slow process. I'm not one of those bloggers who gained hundreds of followers in a month. For a while, I still wrote more personal blog posts than anything. I'd say it was around September 2012 when I really started figuring the whole blog thing out. I started participating in a LOT of link ups, blog hops, and giveaways. I started doing sponsorships. I started posting every day. It became exhausting! I feel like the quality of my posts dropped, yet I was getting a lot of views and a lot of comments.

As 2013 came around, I felt like I needed to back off. I was getting stressed out with blogging and that's not how it's meant to be. In March 2013, I wrote 2 blog posts about changes I wanted to make. I wanted to link up less, blog hop less, stop giving things away, and blog more quality posts instead of just more posts. I also decided to stop taking paid sponsorship. Instead, I only want to do button swaps and promote blogs I truly enjoy. I wanted to focus on writing good content that people would want to share. I've been trying to work on adding my own pictures that are edited with words so that they're pinnable.

Now, I usually only post 3-4 times a week. I think the quality of my posts has improved. I've posted a couple of things recently that were really important to me and I put a lot of time into them. (My 3 favorites being I have a dumb phone, Are you really pro life?, and To those forgotten on Mother's Day.) Yet, my views and comments overall have been down a lot lately. I'm not trying to sound whiny, but it's upsetting when you put a lot of time and energy, not to mention a little of your heart into a post and you feel like it's not appreciated. I wish I could have back that feeling from when I first started and just blogged because I enjoyed it.

ANYWAY....I said all that to get to the point of this post...I've been thinking a lot lately about my blogging and the first thing I realized is-I haven't taken a break since March 2012. Blogging is a lot of work and I think maybe sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break. So, I'll be backing off a lot in June. I'll probably post a couple of times the first week and last week of June, but I'm taking a break during the 2 weeks in the middle.

The next thing I've been thinking about and the part where your opinion comes in is the direction I want my blog to take in the future. I've often thought about what "type" of blogger I am. I don't really blog about one specific thing. I never felt like I knew enough about or did enough of one specific thing to have a whole blog dedicated to it.

I like to read, but I didn't want to only blog about books.

I teach, but I don't want to have a teaching blog because I'm not that creative with it.

I like to do crafts, but I don't do enough to only blog about it.

I like to bake and cook, but I never come up with my own recipes.

I'm not a health and fitness expert.

I'm not into fashion.

I'm not a mom.

I couldn't figure out what niche I could fit into. However, the recent direction of my posts and where my heart has been all along has gotten me thinking about renaming my blog and focusing more on a specific thing than being just a general "blog about whatever" or "lifestyle" blogger.

I can see advantages to be a specific type of blogger. Your readers know what to expect. You can have a target audience. Your blog will be more focused and have a direction which will guide what you write about. 

I want to know your opinion about a couple of things.

What type of blog do you prefer? Do you prefer to follow and read the blog of someone who is a specific type of blogger or do you prefer bloggers who blog about little bits of everything? 

I follow more blogs that are a little bit of everything, but I actually read more specific blogs. I think lifestyle blogs can gain more followers because at different times they can appeal to a range of people, but I've found I lose interest in certain people's blogs because it ends up that we don't have that much in common or that they blog about more things that I'm not interested in than things I am interested in.

However, when I follow a specific type blog, I'm following it because we have something in common or they write about something I'm definitely interested in so I'm going to be more likely to read more of their posts.

I also want to know if any of you have changed your blog's name? Is it a pain? Was there a lot of confusion? Would you recommend it if the direction of the blog is changing? 

If you read all of this-thank you! I did not set out to write a brief history of my blog. I also didn't set out to whine about my lack of comments. It just sort of happened. I felt like it might help explain where I was coming from with my questions. Your input is definitely appreciated!

What's Your Guilty Pleasure Song?

Guilty Pleasure- something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Admit it. We all have them. 

Those things that you're just a little embarrassed to admit you like or do.

*Cough*Cough* Watching every Bring It On movie whenever they come on TV *Cough*Cough*

Today, I want to Skip the Small Talk and discuss our GUILTY PLEASURE SONGS!

{If you missed the previous installments of Skip the Small Talk, you can view them here and here.}

How does it work? 

I'll pose a question and answer it. Then, I want you to answer in the comment section. If it's something you want to elaborate on, feel free to write a whole post on it and leave me the link. I only ask that you link back to me in your post. 

Ready? Let's go!

What is your guilty pleasure song? 

A lot of times 90's pop is associated with being a guilty pleasure. I have no problem admitting that I still jam out to Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, old school Britney Spears, and all the other songs from that time. I feel no guilty from enjoying these songs of my youth. 

So, what am I a little guilty to admit I like? 

Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift songs

You know that scene in the movie Easy A where the main character, Olive gets a card that plays the song "Pocketful of Sunshine" and at first she's like "Ugh. Worst song ever." Then, a few days later she's belting it at the top of her lungs. Well, that's me with JB and TSwift music. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, here's the clip:

I always start off scoffing in disgust. Then, before you know it, one of their songs is coming on the radio and I'm turning it up and singing along. 

Why must these songs be so catchy?!?

See, Regina George made me like his songs. You don't go against Regina George.

This is too funny not to share. Sorry Taylor.

Ok. Now that my "secret" is out, I'm going to let some of my sponsors share their guilty pleasure songs with you as well.
(click the picture to visit their blogs)

"I absolutely, unequivocally love Adam Levine's voice and his music. Forget Bruno Mars or J-Biebs-- listening to Adam Levine sing is like eating an entire tub of Ben & Jerry's in a bubble bath on a weeknight without worrying about going to work the next day. He is that amazing!"

 "I pretty much listen to clean music {or so I tell myself} and not much else...think Christian, Country, and Kiddie channels. But if I'd have to pick a guilty pleasure band or two, it would be fun. and The Lumineers. The songs are just so catchy and fun to listen to. And my daughter loves dancing to them!"

 "Guilty pleasure in music: One Direction. Enough said, hahaha!"

 "Gosh guilty pleasure songs/music? There are so many! I guess to me, guilty-pleasure music would entail anything you wouldn't normally associate with me. You know how the term "goody two-shoes" has a rather negative connotation? Well, that's what I like to consider myself (since I neither drink, nor party [hard], nor do drugs, nor sleep around [or at all, if you get my drill]) BUT to me, it's totally not a bad thing! I actually treasure being good and respecting my values and stuff. To some, I may be "boring," but it's what I enjoy and it's def not boring! I'm very family-oriented, so I tend to be against whatever deviates from that too. That rant (hey, I'm "the ranting Latina," after all haha!) was to say that "guilty pleasure" represents two things the way I see it: 
1) (Kinda goes w/#1) Anything my crazy alter ego from another life would like: Think "Thriftshop," vintage Maroon 5 (which I find more graphic than the watered-down commercialized stuff they have now--still love them though), "Riding Dirty," some Eminem, etc.) I like these b/c they're edgier and they make it so that people can't easily place me in a bubble or think I'm the bad kind of goody-two shoes :)..

2) Another thing that pops to mind when I think of GP music is stuff that I consider so corny/old that I tend to not play in public or at high volumes unless I'm at home doing my stuff: Think Backstreet Boys, vintage Britney, NSync, and even vintage Shakira (whose really old music is sooo good and even better than her recent hits.) Plus b/c I'm from Colombia  (I moved here in '02), I love all the music I used to listen to when I was there (BSB, etc.) b/c it brings back great memories :)."

"I don’t know that I have a guilty pleasure song~I do have guilty pleasure chocolate! Snickers Eggs around Easter time are my weakness and the rest of the year peanut butter M&M’s or Reeses Pieces would be my go-to when I’m working on bookwork and paying bills."
(Also check this shop out from A Delightful Glow)

"I must say that my guilty pleasure singer is most definitely BRUNO MARS! He sucked me in with Just the Way You are video  and his Studio version video of The Lazy Song..he is so stinkin adorable! (Though I'm not diggin' the new 'Do') He is pretty much my No. 1 Celeb Crush and my Prince Charming knows it. He bought me tickets to go see him this June in Philly! I'm SOO excited! Now the guilty pleasure song?? Maybe I shouldn't say...but it's Gorilla (by Bruno Mars) I would never let my kids hear it and I probably wouldn't even listen to it with anyone else around, but all I can say is it's quite visual and makes me want to grab my Prince Charming and lock the door...he he he :) I would say these are both my guilty pleasure songs because he doesn't have the most positive or wholesome lyrics and I won't let my girls hear most of his songs. My Prince Charming and I were talking about listening to KLOVE (Christian radio) the other day and I was saying that I always listen to KLOVE especially when the kids are around. I only listen to Bruno Mars when I'm alone...he said "Oh so you're saying you're only a heathen when you're by yourself huh?" lol..."

Now, it's your turn. I want to hear from you!

Are you following my blog on Bloglovin? If not, you should feel guilty about that. :)

What's in a name?

That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

Names

They're kind of important.

Names used to hold a lot more significance. A name said something about a person. 

If you have ever read the Bible or heard Bible stories, you know that many of the people in the Bible had a name change to reflect something that had happened in their life.

Last names started as a way to describe a person's occupation, where they're from, or characteristics. 

I've always been one of those girls who dream about baby names. I always thought I'd name my children names that I simply like. The older I get, though, the more I think I want to choose names that mean something (one day).

So, today I thought we'd Skip the Small Talk and talk about our names. In case you missed the first one, I described how I wanted to create some posts where we got to know one another better, but it doesn't work if you don't participate.  

How does it work? 

I'll pose a question and answer it. Then, I want you to answer in the comment section. If it's something you want to elaborate on, feel free to write a whole post on it and leave me the link. I only ask that you link back to me in your post. 

Ready? Let's go! 

What does your name mean? How did your parents choose your name? If you have children, how did you choose their name(s)? 

(Feel free to answer one or all of these questions)

My name is Megan Kimberly. 

According to Baby Names, Megan is a Welsh name. It means "pearl." It was most popular in 1985 which was a few years before my parents gave me the name. 

I like this meaning because pearls are created when a foreign substance gets inside an oyster and irritates it. The oyster takes this irritant and creates something beautiful. I hope I live up to this name and can take the struggles in my life and turn them into something beautiful. 

My mom chose this name after she read The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough. This is a complex story, but it's basically about Meghan Cleary who falls in love with her family's priest, Ralph. The story spans many years. It's actually one of my favorite books. In the book, Meghan is called Meggie. My mother actually wanted to call me Meggie. Thank goodness she never started that! (Sorry if you or someone you know goes by Meggie.)

via

Kimberly was chosen as my middle name because my dad's name is Kim. Although, Kimberly is no longer officially my middle name. I use my maiden name as my middle name.

Now it's your turn. I want to hear from YOU!

Participation Required

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Communication is a two way street. 

This is not only true in real life, but also in blogging.

It's why we make sure we're not "no-reply" bloggers. If you're a "no-reply" blogger, you might want to search how to fix it because it could be why you feel so disconnected from the blogging world. 

It's why I take the time to read all my comments and respond even when there's not really anything to say in response. I want you to know I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and comment. (Unless you're one of those people who says "Hey, I'm a new follower. Follow back?" Sorry, I just delete those messages.)

So, I wanted to have a way to have more communication with you. I decided to begin a new "series." I use the term series loosely because it won't occur on a set day or a certain number of times. I'll just post a new one when I feel like it because that's how I roll now.

I'm calling this Skip the Small Talk. I hate small talk. I prefer deep discussion and really getting to know someone. 

How will this work? 

I'll pose a question and answer it. Then, I want you to answer it in the comment section. If it's something you want to elaborate on more, feel free to write a whole post on it and leave me the link. I only ask that you link back to me in your post. 

Ready? Let's go!

What were you like in high school? Would you go back to high school if you could?

I thought I'd start with one that isn't too hard. I've already shared some about my high school days.

I was a smart kid and goody-goody in high school. I wanted to do what I was supposed to. I didn't want to get in trouble and I wanted to do things to the best of my ability. Grades mattered to me. 

I went to a very small high school, so while our school did have popular kids and not so popular kids it wasn't as big a deal as larger schools. I feel like I got along with everyone. My main group of friends was the band people. I was in the band playing clarinet and doing colorguard. 

I was involved in most of the clubs at one time or another. One of my main extracurricular activities was Yearbook. 

I wanted people to like me and I hated drama even though I still dealt with plenty of it. I had a fairly large group of friends and made some great memories. 

While I had some great times in high school and I treasure those memories, I would not go back! I would miss my independence too much. I also wouldn't go back to that drama for anything!

1. Did anyone else "steal" guys hats as a way to flirt? This was always one of my favorite pictures.

2. Colorguard posing on the football field

3. My senior prom

4. My cousin and I after one of our school's pageants

5. Academic banquet my senior year when we got our honors sashes

Now it's your turn. I want to hear from YOU!