One year

Dress: vintage, thrifted, Jane Baar;
Shoes: Target;
Belt: Ann Taylor Loft.
Photos by Jeremiah.

Happy birthday ... to this blog! Sidewalk Chalk has been around for one year (tomorrow). And what's a birthday celebration without balloons?

For this week, I wanted to do an extra-special outfit post. I saved my prettiest dress (a thrift find from a couple months ago) and wore it last weekend to one of the most scenic places around -- a cotton field in the outskirts of the county. Jeremiah and I had so much fun putting this together, from buying the balloons to finding the perfect spot, to watching the cars slow down by us as their passengers tried to figure out what we were up to.

This particular outfit and photo location are indicative of how much my life has changed in the last year. A year ago, my sister Nikki and I started this blog. Actually, my sister started this blog specifically for me to get started in blogging. I had spent a few years obsessed with reading style blogs, but couldn't muster the courage to do it myself until forced. At the time, I was a recently married college graduate who was unhappy with the job market, my internship and just my overall way of being that I needed a new creative outlet to express myself. Back then, I knew what kind of person I wanted to be, and how I wanted to dress, but I just hadn't bridged that gap yet. Jeremiah encouraged me to keep pursuing blogging, and so I gave it a try and a here goes.

What's changed in a year? Certainly I've gained a newfound sense of confidence in my sartorial choices. I can wear all the weird and delightful dresses in my closet, and put things together and wear them, and feel absolutely myself in those threads. I can now go through life not caring what the "invisible audience" thinks of how I look. But that confidence extends to more than just my wardrobe. I've been able to come out of my shell and find a way to be myself -- whether it was through my writing voice, or making some life (grad school!) decisions. I'm still growing and learning those things, but I'm glad that I've been able to use this space for that.


The one thing I could not ever prepare myself for was this blogging community. My life has changed because of you, and now I cannot imagine my life without your words, e-mails, comments, and most importantly -- your friendship. It's hard to imagine that some of the nicest people I've ever met have been online, and if anyone has any doubt about the kindest of strangers, they only need to create a blog account and communicate with you all.

Thank you for everything in the last year.

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