Why I Took A Blogging Break, and Why I Am Back (For Real This Time)

Real talk: I have struggled internally over what to do with this blog for more than a year now. I started blogging back in December 2012, and it quickly became my favorite hobby and part of my identity. What started as a way to keep our families updated turned into a creative outlet, a way to meet new people, and an avenue to help and inspire other military spouses. I loved blogging, and it was definitely my "passion project". 

Fast forward to February 2017, and my son is born. He is everything I've ever dreamed of and more, and I have never loved anything like I love this kid. Suddenly, I go from being the biggest oversharer and blogging basically every facet of our lives to wanting to protect my kid and hide his face from the world. I want to believe everyone is good, but with a public blog, I really have no control over who reads it. 

Being that this has always been a lifestyle blog, and being a mom is now the biggest part of my life, I didn't know how to blog without sharing about my son. To me, it was either going to be all or nothing, and I chose nothing. I started posting once a month or not at all about random things, but my heart wasn't in it. I was mentally done, but every time I thought of something cool to post or fun to write about, I got sad thinking that I didn't really blog anymore. 

I prayed and thought a lot about it, and something in me recently shifted. I am not sure what or why exactly, but I really want to get back into blogging, and I feel like I finally have the time and the right mindset to do it. There is so much that I want to share and so much I have learned that I want to pass on. I am still going to try to keep things about my kiddo private to an extent, but there are a million other things to write about. 

So here we go. After over a year of neglecting this space, does anyone still read it? Probably not many (hi mom and dad!), but let's give this another whirl. 

I plan to post as close to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule as I can, so here goes nothing! If anyone is still around to read this, hi again, and thanks for sticking around! :)

Anchors Aweigh Turns 5!

Since I have been such a good blogger this year (sarcasm, obviously), I completely missed my blogiversary! That's still a thing, yes? Earlier this month, Anchors Aweigh turned 5! It amazes me that this blog has been going for 5 years and counting. Even though I have been the biggest blogging slacker this year since becoming a mom and I am not sure anyone reads this little blog anymore, I still love doing it. It has been such a huge part of my identity over the last 5 years, and I am so thankful for the seasons and phases this little blog has gone through.

 

I started my blog on December 1, 2012 as a way to keep our families up to date with our lives in the Navy. We were stationed in Pensacola and had been married a little over a year. You can read my very first post here. It quickly became a full blown hobby and then segued into a way to connect with other military spouses and young women like me. It became a coping mechanism when I lost our daughter and was a way for me to share our story with the world. I went through a season where I made some money with this blog and really put my time and effort into that. And now, it's a place where I still love to jot down a few thoughts while my sweet baby naps. 

This year was easily the hardest year for me, blog wise. Our son was born at the beginning of the year, and I wanted to shout it from the rooftops and share every little update about this new little life that I had fallen in love with. But, Parker and I decided we wanted to be more private with him. i don't regret our decision, but it has made blogging so much more difficult for me. This is a lifestyle blog, yet I won't allow myself to fully share the biggest part of my life right now. I really wrestle with that and what I am still doing here, but I just love it too much to quit right now. There is a season for everything, and I am just not ready for this one to be over yet. 

So cheers to 5 years of blogging. Whether you have been here since the beginning (hi, mom!) or just popped in today, I appreciate you taking the time to read this little blog and be apart of it. I am very grateful for this little space!

Blogging After Baby

Parker and I talked a lot while I was pregnant about what would happen with this blog after Preston was born. Neither of us were comfortable sharing details or pictures on a platform we have little to no control over. At the same time, I love blogging and he loves that I do it, so we sort of tabled the discussion and never really came to a decision. 

Fast forward to February, and we have this perfect, beautiful baby boy that we just can't get enough of. I want to shout him from the rooftops and share every little update, picture, and video with you guys. But it just doesn't feel right. It's one thing to share all about me and Parker, but it's a whole new ballgame sharing about our child. I want to believe everyone who reads this blog is a good person with good intentions, and hopefully that's the case, but there's no way to really know for sure. 

I decided to blog about our lives and just leave the baby out of it. I would share pictures, but only of the side of his face or his back. I would share his name, but no other personal details. I wrote about adjusting to parenthood, favorite baby products, etc. It was fine, but I had lost the zest and passion behind this blog. I blog because I love it, and I just didn't love it anymore. 

I told Parker that I'm an all or nothing person. If I am going to share about our lives, I want to share everything. If I can't share everything, I might as well just quit. We still felt keeping details of our son's life private was the best way to go, so a couple of weeks ago, I told Parker I thought I was done blogging for good.

I was ready to type out a post explaining that Anchors Aweigh would be no more, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I absolutely love blogging. It was my biggest coping mechanism when I lost our first baby. It's introduced me to so many great people who have become real life friends. It has been the best creative outlet for me, and bottom line, it's a big part of who I am. 

So where do we go from here? I am still going to blog, but I am careful about the pictures I do share of our son and don't plan to share his milestones, likes/dislikes, or any other personal details. I so badly want to, but I feel like this is best for him. Part of me feels guilty, because this blogging community has been so supportive and encouraging in our journey to become parents, and I want to share this little miracle with those who have prayed over us and loved on us. I share a lot of pictures on Instagram, so you are welcome to request to follow me there!

Thanks to everyone who has read this blog over the years. The support and community are why I continue to love blogging, and I just don't feel like I am done yet. See you all Monday. :)

Bloggers: How To Add Instagram To Your Blog The Right Way

I am by no means an expert on blogging gadgets and HTML coding, but when I figure out a cool trick, I want to pass it along. This post is for bloggers, so if that's not you, feel free to skip this one. We will be back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. ;)

Several months ago, I posted a tutorial for bloggers to add the Instagram widget to your sidebar. This is becoming increasingly popular and is a fun feature for all types of blogs.

Yall, I have to apologize. That tutorial I shared months ago will work, but it's not the optimal way to go about this. You see, that method uses intagme, which lets readers see your pictures, but it doesn't enable them to like pictures or follow you. What's the point, right?

Inefficient. Doesn't let readers connect with you. Let's fix it.

We want the Instagram gadget to take readers directly to Instagram, where they can follow you, see your feed, and like your pictures.

Today, I am going to show you how to add Instagram to your sidebar the right way.

Step 1: Head over to lightwidget.com.

Step 2: Enter your Instagram username where indicated and a hashtag if you have one. You will probably leave the hashtag blank, but if you're an Etsy shop or participate in a linkup, then you might want to enter a hashtag.

For the GRID effect:

- Select GRID
- Enter the number of columns you want
- Enter the number of rows you want
- Select your image hover effect
- Click "Preview" and then "Get Code!"

For the SLIDESHOW effect:

- Select SLIDESHOW
- Enter your desired number of photos that can be shown (I recommend 60)
- Select your image hover effect
- Click "Preview" and then "Get Code!"

For the COLUMN effect:

- Select COLUMN
- Enter the number of columns you want
- Enter the number of photos you want to be shown at a time
- Click "Preview" and then "Get Code!"

Now you are ready to install your code!

Since I use Blogger, I am not sure how to add the code to Wordpress blogs. However, for Blogger, here's what you need to do:

- Select Layout on the left side of the page
- Click "Add a Gadget" on your sidebar

- Click "Add HTML/JavaScript"
- Paste your code, and click "Save"
- Your Instagram gadget will now appear at the top of your sidebar. Drag the gadget to the position you want it to appear on your sidebar, and click "Save Arrangement"

Done, done, and done! Let me know if you have any questions. I am happy to help!

To follow me on Instagram, click my Instagram widget at the top of my sidebar or go here. 

Who Do You Blog For?

I've been at this blogging thing for over three years now, and I have published over 750 posts. 750. That number seems borderline crazy to me, but this is a hobby that I have come back to day after day, week after week. 

Why?

At some point, every blogger has to figure out why they blog. Or rather, who they blog for. Whether you are just starting a blog or publishing your 1000th post, you need to know who you are doing this for. I have thought about this question over the last few weeks and wanted to share my "who" with you all today. For me, there are five specific people/groups of people that I blog for, and here they are:

1. Myself

Honestly, there is no way I would have stuck at this for this long if I didn't truly enjoy it. I love writing, and blogging has been such a fun creative outlet for me. 

2. My husband

Parker has always been my biggest supporter in this blogging adventure. He thinks this blog is really cool, which I have always taken as a huge compliment. He likes that we document our lives and hopefully inspire a few along the way. 

3. Our families

Our families are the reason I started this blog. I wanted to create a way to keep them updated on our adventure through Navy life. I actually only know of a few family members that read this blog daily, and that is just fine. I still love that it is a way for them to stay updated on our lives. 

3. God

Obviously not every post is faith-based, but we have always hoped that Christ's love would shine through this blog. This blog is a great platform to share the joy of Christ through our blessings, and we strive to do just that. 

4. The one

This is perhaps the most special to me. I blog for the woman who stumbles upon my blog and finds encouragement through our journey with Taylor Grace. I blog for the military wife who needs positivity in such an unknown lifestyle. When someone takes the time to send me an email thanking me for writing a post or telling me it meant something to them, it reminds me that this is the biggest reason I love blogging. 

Bloggers: Who do you blog for?