As a new blogger, I was so excited when Chelsea at Southern Beauty Guide announced the Bigs & Littles Blogging Network. I relished the chance of learning more about blogging from someone who’s been on the blogging scene for awhile.
I was paired with Stephanie from My Freckled Life. She describes her blog as a way to document her journey to learning to love herself and to find a healthy balance in the world. She writes about working towards a lifestyle of healthy eating, exercising, and taking the time to de-stress and enjoy life. She shares healthy recipes and updates on her running and fitness goals.
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Today marks the end of our Big-Little pairing, and all the participants are blogging about the experience! Stephanie and I decided to both answer a few of the same questions, plus a few bonus questions. Go read her post for her answers! Mine are below.
What has been the best thing about being a newlywed? What has been the biggest adjustment or change?
Dan and I didn’t live together until exactly four weeks before our wedding, when I moved all of my stuff from Columbus to Findlay. Living with Dan is definitely the best part about being a newlywed, but it’s also the biggest adjustment. I had a one-bedroom apartment with a tiny kitchen and tiny bathroom in Columbus, but it was all mine. I didn’t have much furniture, so my bedroom and my living room felt very spacious.
Now I share a two-bedroom rental house with Dan and with all of our furniture. I love the space because we can be together when we want, but we also have room for alone time, even when we’re both at home. Division of chores has definitely been a challenge, but we’re working on it. It’s a lot easier to keep an apartment clean, even just cleaning it myself, than fairly dividing up the work to keep a house clean.
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If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?
My cousin Noah says I’m britastic, which I think is an accurate description. But if I were to use real words, Christian feminist libertarian sums up quite a bit about who I am and what I believe.
What’s one fun fact that people might not know about you when they meet you?
I can touch my tongue to my nose! It’s my only party trick. If that’s not fun enough, then most people don’t know that I lived in California as a kid. I was born in South Carolina, but my family moved to southern California when I was only 7 months old. We moved back to South Carolina shortly after my 7th birthday.
What’s your go-to cold weather meal?
Tomato soup and grilled cheese! Dan makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches, probably because he uses more butter than I do.
If you were stranded on an island, what three books would you want with you, and why?
I added the rule that practical books that teach survival skills don’t count, because where’s the fun in that? My three books would be:
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- The Bible
- The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
I choose these books for two primary reasons. One, they’re all really long. Two, I could read and reread these books many times before I would grow weary of them.
Plus, the three books represent different interests. I love historical fiction. I love religious books, and clearly if I can only have one THE book for Christianity is more important than inspirational books. I love fantasy fiction, especially fantasy fiction that includes strong, complicated female characters and a reversal of gender roles.
Also, I realize that it’s a trilogy, but my copy is all three books in one, so it totally counts as one book. And the Bible can’t be just any version, but the one I own, The Access Bible. It’s the New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha.
Why did you start blogging?
As one of my mom’s good friends joking said to me once, everyone is entitled to my opinion. I started blogging for several reasons, but the primary reason is that I have thoughts I want to share with the world.
More specifically, I think the blogosphere shares a lot of toxic relationship advice that I hope to counter with my own thoughts on marriage. I also think the Christian blogosphere is saturated with the traditional, conservative, and sadly sometimes even bigoted perspectives on religion. I’ve been very lucky to find many inspiring Christian feminists to read, and I hope to join their ranks.
Finally, I’ve spent most of my life recommending books to people who asked, and I relish the opportunity to share my literary expertise with more people.
Thus concludes my first experience with the Bigs and Littles Blogging Network! Stephanie was a great Big, and she was very patient with how long it took me to reply to emails. If you are a newbie blogger, or if you’ve been here for a few years, I recommend signing up for the next round! The next sign-ups will be in JANUARY.
Did you participate in the Bigs and Littles Blogging Network? If so, what did you learn? If not, what would you hope to gain from this experience?
