Why I Do (And Don’t) Blog…And Where It’s Heading

Way back in September 2008, I started my very own blog: Trav + Erin. It was about 9 months after we got married, and since we were living in Tuscaloosa away from our families, I decided to start a blog to keep everyone updated on our lives as newlyweds. I had no real vision for the blog, and I’m not sure that I really thought I’d still be blogging years down the road. It just seemed like blogging was the new thing to do, and it was a good excuse to start my own.

Fast forward a little over 5 years, and here we are! Sometimes for fun I’ll go back and read an old post or two just to go back in time for a few minutes. It’s neat/humorous to see the different thoughts, opinions, and priorities I’ve had during all the changes we’ve been through since 2008. This blog (which I renamed Trav and Erin + 1 last year for obvious reasons) has documented a lot of memories:

Life in college…

then graduation…

leaving Tuscaloosa…

getting “real” jobs, and buying our first house…

hard times like 4.27.11 and Mom’s breast cancer diagnosis…

lots of running (half and full marathons!)…

…pregnancy and Brooklyn’s birth…

…and 9 1/2 months of parenthood and watching B grow…

I’d say that covers a lot! I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing, and I LOVE taking pictures—so put the two together, and blogging is the natural result. I guess I could keep a private journal or scrapbook (which I would probably also enjoy), but I like being able to share my pictures and thoughts with others.

I guess my primary purpose in blogging is to record “real life” stuff as it happens to us. I mainly write for my own benefit–so that I have an easy way to walk down memory lane later on. As time passes, I know I’ll forget a lot of the small details about what we did in college, trips we went on, work, raising a baby, etc., so it’s really cool to go back and read about that stuff and relive the memories. I  guess the other main reason that I blog is for the benefit of family members (and friends!) who don’t live nearby. This gives them a way to keep up with what we’re doing.

In the beginning, I think I had about 10 people on the email list to receive updates when I posted something new on the blog. 10 people = basically our parents, grandparents, and siblings :) Then, somewhere along the way, I decided it would be a good idea to post my updates on Facebook. I’d seen other people do it, and so surely all of my Facebook “friends” would be interested in reading about our lives too!

Then, as is typical with Facebook posts in general (in my opinion), it becomes as much or more about the reaction you get than the actual content you post. “How many people are going to like my post?” “How many comments will it get?” “Who’s going to think this is the cutest picture of Brooklyn EVER?” Ironically, just last week a friend posted a link on Facebook to this blog post, which got me to thinking about this. Could I live without Internet celebrity? My favorite part of that post was this:

“What if you wrote a beautiful story or poem, profound article, or other work of art but could not share it with the world? Could you be content with enjoying its beauty yourself? We often create to communicate but could we contently create for creation’s sake?

I am challenged by this thought. It gnaws at me. I love the interaction; the sharing but sometimes it is not sharing. It is broadcasting. Promotion. Diatribe not dialog. That selfish imp inside who cries out to be seen and heard; to be known and loved, even if shallow attention and click-through reaction can be interpreted as love. Was it liked, shared, retweeted, or favorited? Did you see it? Did you care? Do I care? Am I seeing?”

I don’t want this blog to turn into a pathetic attempt at getting attention. Or a boastful way of showing off our “perfect little family”. (In fact, we aren’t perfect at all–I just figured no one wanted to read about diaper explosions, leaks in our roof, or cats pooping on TOP of the new litter box instead of IN it. Sorry, too much poop??). I’m definitely not a perfect wife, mom, daughter, sister, PERSON. Travis isn’t perfect either. And even sweet little Miss B has her moments that try our patience :) I just try to document the good more than the bad because that’s how I want to remember it down the road. And because no one wants to read about poop!

After doing some thinking about it, I think I’m going to take a little break from social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) for a while. I want to take pictures for the sake of taking pictures…not because I feel like I need something cute to post on Facebook. I want to blog because I feel like blogging and I have something to say…not for the number of “likes” or “comments” as I get as a result. I want to just simply live for a while.

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, family time, and living simply…I’m going to enjoy the holidays without the aid of social media. I think it will be a nice break! I’m still going to be blogging in the meantime because I don’t want to miss out on recording Brooklyn’s first Thanksgiving or Christmas. I just won’t be posting the links on Facebook anymore (and probably not even after the holidays are over). If you’d still like to read the blog, you’re more than welcome! I’m not trying to discourage anyone from reading; I’m just tired of broadcasting it in the hopes of getting “likes” and “comments”. I already send out an email when I post an update, and I can add your email address to the list. Just leave a comment on this post or email me at erin.c.grant@gmail.com. Don’t be shy! :)

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!