What. On. Earth.
I have now officially been blogging over FIVE years. (I’m a few weeks delayed in celebrating because I was trying to get this little blog face lift wrapped up!)
I have written over 1,000 blog posts.
I published a book.
I spoken in over a dozen states over several dozen times.
And insanely enough, I’ve had hundreds of thousands of friends from all over pop by to say hello or read a little something.
It has been such fun reading old posts and popular posts. Aside from my static pages, my top five read posts these past five years were ALL ABOUT FASHION. Oh mercy. Little did I know when I started writing these they would take on a life of their own. I get texts from you people saying, “where’s my fashion Friday?” It’s so cook for me because it’s like wandering around the mall with girlfriends with running commentary without actually having TO GO to the mall! Woohoo (though I wish I could see you in person more). In Defense of Pantyhose and What Up With the Ankle Strap were among your favorites!
On the non fashion side, the stuff where I share parenting challenges or my total muck ups seems to be when everyone stops in for a visit. Because of course. (Like Why I’m Not A Dance Company Mom and The Working Mom’s Battlefield – Alcohol.) I’m hoping it’s because of solidarity, the whole we’re-all-in-this-together, rather than slowing down to watch my train wreck.
This is what I hope comes through the absolute most. I am a mess. I fail all the time. But I love and serve a God who loves me unconditionally and is faithful and just to forgive me.
I am crazy about my husband. We have gone through some seriously rocky spots during my five years with you but God has been faithful there too, and as we come up on our ten-year wedding anniversary, I honestly am more in love with him today than I have ever been. I am no mom of the year but I LOVE being a mom, and the fact that God gave us these three human beings after years of infertility is the most precious treasure we have ever been given. I just pray I point them to Him.
And y’all, I am NUTS about you too! I feel like I have this massive group of girlfriends. I love women and I love writing, so getting to live in a century where there’s a thing called blogging where we can all connect is perfect (I only wish this decade came with more opportunities for evening gowns, I really miss dressing up). I love talking fashion but I also love hearing your parenting advice and your leadership struggles and your career, marriage and family wins and losses.
My very first post was a couple hundred words in October 2010 just after the triplets turned one: So as may be apparent from the one & only previous posting, I clearly did not get into the whole blogging thing. What with work, bedrest, having triplets, living in the NICU for a month, raising triplets, going back to work….well, you get the picture. However, I’m going to try once again. Mainly because the trio’s baby books are in sad sad shape and if I force myself to post about life, they’ll have some record of their early years – what did our mothers do????
So where are we today? Hubby still has a great job. I’m up for a promotion. And the itty bits aren’t as itty or bitty anymore – and they’re ONE. I work Mon – Thurs and stay at home w/the fab 3 Fri – Sun. A (boy) & B (girl) are taking steps on their own – they’ve each mastered three to four solo before crashing in our arms. C (boy) isn’t as interested in walking on his own since he clearly can push everything around the play room w/reckless abandon – not just push toys mind you, he believes everything has wheels, so even our kid sized music stand goes from one end of the room to the other with the big Hulkster pushing it around.
My how life has changed.
My how God is good.
My favorite posts were recapped mostly in my previous blogi-versary posts – if you’re new, you can check them out here: first year, second year, third year, and fourth year.
But really, I most love writing my annual posts to my kids on their birthday and to my husband on our anniversary. (Like recapping our first six years of marriage in a word or how much I still see in the kids from their second year love letter.) I will treasure those forever (and hopefully they will too).
Thanks so much for joining me on this wild ride. As a little thank you, I’m doing a little blog face lift/blogi-versary give-away pack. Today’s anniversary pack has a super fun scarf for the winter, some lovely note cards, and a signed copy of my book.
All you have to do to enter to win is either: (1) subscribe to this blog (see that subscribe by email box in green to your right, just plug your little email in!), or (2) follow me on Twitter @JustGindi and send me a tweet. Now if you are a rock star and have been along for this journey all along and are already subscribers and followers, all you need to do is leave a comment on the blog with a leadership or fashion topic or go review my book over on Amazon if you’ve read it. That’s it. Easy, breezy!
There will be some fun new adds on the blog along the way this year. We’ll keep talking fashion and faith and all our regular topics, but I’ve got a new series coming out, and you’ll have the option of listening to an audio version of selected posts too. Love you girls!