10 Year #Bloganniversary

Hello - Yes, it's been a while. I've been wanting to jump back into blogging after my much needed hiatus, and this rainy fall day seemed like just the right time - especially since it was ten years ago today I wrote and posted my first blog post. It's hard to believe ten years have passed. So much has happened along the way - from exploring new industries (blogging/social media to thrift and luxury furnishings) plus applying my past experiences of retail visual merchandising to now showroom (and even a showhouse!) styling, attending industry events (bloggers conferences to furniture market weeks), redesigning client spaces, and criss-cross-country moves (from Florida to Arizona to North Carolina) and I'm grateful for it all -- especially all of the people I have met along the way. Some people have changed my life, some have passed away, and for some, I helped to changed their life. And to think, all of the connections started from stepping out of the retail box into a whole new world... and that world started with blogging.

Junior League of High Point Showhouse set & styling with Ray Langhammer for designer Libby Langdon, plus Scot M. Wood - adjacent Dining Room designer.


But that new world also came with a price - health decline from sitting too much, weight gain, eyesight loss, pinched nerves, neck, back, hand muscle aches (even tearing my meniscus while cleaning) and an uncomfortable lingering stress of keeping up with the Jones'. Health & wellness was furthest from my mind, until cancer struck a close friend (killed another), Parkinson's took another close family friend, my husbands sister was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's (now stage 5-6), and my moms diabetes landed her in the hospital - now she's on dialysis treatments three days a week in Miami. Turning fifty had me heading into a downward spiral I didn't like, so I made changes to my lifestyle. 


 Salem Lake Trail - Winston Salem

Compound all of the above with my husband being let go at his job (after twenty years with the company - and the reasons for our moves, now feeling trapped). At this point, I was mentally drained. All strong reasons why I just had to STOP - stop everything, and reevaluate the purpose of it all (blogging and social media). Downing Cokes and sugary foods & Advil to power through sitting at a computer for hours on end, researching, resourcing, comparing, and striving for new daily content is not living. Taking NyQuil shots to knock me out so I could sleep. FOMO of events and worrying all the time if someone is going to copy or steal my content / photos (even after taking more time to watermark) -- plus documenting all the correct lingo + link-backs for copyrights of others, truly just drained all of the joy out of blogging - So yes, I stopped blogging for a while, and refocused myself to living with intent. 


 Reynolda Park - Winston Salem

My intent now is ensuring a work / life balance - practiced, not just preached. What started as stop drinking soda, a major cut back on sugary foods (alcohol too), and making sure I move my ass daily (counting steps + using tracking apps) lead to a major pantry purge and shift in the foods, not only I eat, but my husband and pets too. Together we also have incorporated a weekly nature trail walk in nearby parks, a great means of breathing in fresh air plus clearing a cluttered mind - and this past year, speaking of decluttering, I've been focused on 'letting go of stuff'. We've lived here now for five years - no moves in sight to prompt a purge, and things do accumulate. 

It's all still a work in progress, but I feel so much better than before - so much so that the second I slip up (over indulge in sugar, not eating enough leafy greens or getting enough sleep) I feel it right away - sluggish, nauseous, out of balance - and that's no way to live.


 SBC Innovation Quarter - Winston Salem

Pivot back to blogging, a task I have struggled with continuing during my hiatus, (is blogging dead?), and I believe, similar to sweets or anything in life for that matter, in moderation and with intent, it can still add value to the reader, as well as my life - or now brand - Focal Point Styling... especially since my husband and I are planting more permanent roots here in The Triad. Recently, I have even been taking some refresher classes on blogging, social media and business at Wake Forest's Innovation Quarter, Small Business Center here in Winston Salem.

Blogging daily as I was when I first began ten years ago I cannot do - but blogging a few times a month going forward is feasible. In 2020 though, I may need to step it up and make the shift to Squarespace or Wordpress. As for the content, I'll continue to focus on interior styling, layering in more home organizing tips & tricks, along with continued sharing local love for small businesses and industry events.

My sweetie & I at Greensboro Fashion Week


How have YOU been? What's new with you?
You can still find me on Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram @nyclqinteriors.

Happy 10 Year Blog Anniversary to Focal Point Styling!
 Thanks for stopping by!










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