When Llamas Turn Grey

Good morning, lovelies! I'm so excited for today! I'm doing my Grateful Heart post a day later than normal for a special reason. This week I'm grateful for my sponsors. It's not just my sponsors though, it's my bloggy friends.

 

I know I've said it before, but dang it I'll say it a million times. I'm beyond grateful for the friendships I've made in this blogging community. If someone had asked me a year ago how I felt about connecting to random girls online through blogging, I probably would've laughed at them. Now I get it. I see the connections and bonds that have been made. This coming weekend I'll be going to the Atlanta Blogger Meetup, and I cannot wait!! I can't wait to finally meet some of my favorite ladies face to face. I'm grateful for each and every one of y'all that take time out of your days to email / chat / text with me. Or, hell, I have a few new pen pals too!

Today is special though. Today I get to officially introduce one of my amazing sponsors currently sitting on my sidebar. Emily from Ember Grey. I quickly fell in love with Emily's blog, and after commenting on each other's blogs I quickly fell in love with Emily as a friend! She's seriously so sweet, y'all. For us, comments turned into emails and emails eventually turned into text messages. Our random text conversations brighten my day, and she's so funny y'all.

So without further delay, let's get to know Emily a little better!

Describe yourself in four words  // Positive, loyal, compassionate, free-spirited.

How did you and "X" meet? // Well, for any of you new readers, "X" is a nickname for my husband, Christian. (I had to clarify because one time a reader thought I was talking about an ex boyfriend.) I shared the story of how X and I met in Part One of A Love Story, but in short: we met in an alley. He was wearing track pants and adidas flip flops and just randomly started doing the running man. (This was all before we'd even said hello.) That pretty much did it for me right then and there. 

You and your husband are adorable; how did you start the "Conversations with my Husband" series? //  I always said I wanted to marry a man who could make me laugh literally every day, and I did. The truth is though, both my husband and I have this goofy/twisted sense of humor and so a lot of the funny things that happen aren't necessarily things but, rather, conversations. The topics of these conversations are truly all over the place: from dudes at gyms to Alanis Morissette to UFOs to the correct way to pronounce certain words ... the list goes on and on. One night, X pointed out that we have these weird and hilarious conversations all the time but can never remember them the next day (totally true), so I told him that I was going to start to write them down. I started sharing some of the conversations with family and friends and quite a few of them told me I should share them on my blog. And thus, the Conversations with my Husband series was born ;) 

I really love your blogging style. What made you start blogging? // Thank you! My family and close friends are always commenting on how I tend to write just how I talk, and I've always taken that as a compliment. My favorite blogs to read are those where I feel like I can hear the blogger actually talking to me, telling me their story. I hope that's how Ember Grey readers feel, too.

I have always loved to write and tell stories, to connect with others - like really connect with them. I'd had a private blog for years, where I would share the day to day happenings, my dreams, etc. but only invited family and friends to read. At that time, I was in a corporate job and did not feel comfortable with clients being able to read about my personal life. When I left the corporate world in February, I knew that I wanted to have a public blog and to be able to connect to other creatives. The community in the blogging world is amazing and I'm really thankful for each person I've met and continue to get to know through this space.

Is this your first year doing Project 52? //  It is! Project 52 is a photo series/challenge where you choose a topic and then take a picture of that topic once a week. I chose to document the beauty found on weekly walks, which I'd hoped would not only encourage me to take more pictures but also encourage me to take more walks. Thankfully, that has been the case.

You're a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why? //  I assume we're talking about the huge 64 pack of crayons where all of the crayons have cool names?
(yes)
I would be a shade of purple (because it's my favorite color) and I would be called, Midnight at the Oasis. (This is a title of a song but also references a line in one of the greatest movies of all time: Waiting for Guffman.) 

What's the best advice you've ever been given about blogging? //  "Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle." (I'm sorry- I don't know where this originated from, but whoever said it gets an air-five from me!) Fortunately, I read this quote when I first started publicly blogging and I've kept that close ever since. (It's actually written down and taped on my computer.) (How fancy of me, I know.) 

It's so easy to compare in the blogging world: whether it's comparing numbers or experiences or layouts or partnerships... the list can be endless, if you let it be. The important thing though is NOT to. Try really hard not to compare. This is such a personal and creative outlet for us and it's important to be thankful for the place we're in, in the moment we're in it. As cheesy as this may sound, the quote that says, "Life is about the journey, not the destination" hits the nail on the head for blogging, too. This whole blogging experience really should be just that- an experience, a journey. Perhaps instead of letting others who might be in their middle discourage you, let them encourage you to work hard and make your blog and your space into what you want it to be. 

What's your favorite movie quote? //  "Milk was a bad choice." - Ron Burgundy

See, y'all? How awesome is she? I'm telling you she's just as sweet and genuine as she sounds in the interview. Thanks again for doing this, Emily.

If you want to get to know Emily better, follow her blog and social media! 

 

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