To be continued - offline....

Well, here we are. At the end of this blog adventure.
(I wasn't sure I would ever write that)

Lately I have felt more and more that my blog has become homework for life.
If something great happens, I must blog about it.
If I complete something, I must blog about it.
If I see something inspiring, or go somewhere exciting, I must blog about it.
Then there were all the Re-Building Joy entries - how could I walk through my grief and healing without explaining where I was at? How could I gloss over pain and pretend it didn't exist? So I shared it all.

And in a way, the blog itself - after 1115 posts and close to 6 years of regular blogging, has become a task for me to do - something else hanging over my head after each experience that I encounter.  I've been aware for years that my blog is different than others - it's not just crafting, quilting, art, family, foster care, adoption attempts, grief and healing, inspiration, skirts, business promotion (when I had one) - It was kind of it's own animal. It's been my online journal where I've allowed people into my head to see what makes me tick. And that was fun. Years of fun.

But recently, after some thought, I think it's time for this chapter to close. I am not promising that I won't ever blog again... Who knows what the future holds? This past year, J and I have been talking a lot about living a life less public, relishing some privacy and allowing ourselves and our family to have things we don't share.  This is a huge change from who we always were - starting with our huge wedding and big announcements over the years.... and then having to reign a lot in when we were foster parents and unable to share hardly any of the details of what we faced, while it was possibly the most formative thing we have done together as a family other than our multiple cross country moves. Now, though, we really desire to live somewhere in the middle.

Not that I am completely offline...
If you want to find me still, you can follow me on Instagram - I'm addicted to the fun of IG. You can also find some of my artwork on etsy.  Other than that, my friends - you can see me in real life and know that I have really loved this adventure with you as readers... 6 years of blogging makes for a habit that will leave a hole for sure. But that is good. Change is good.

I wish you the best, the brightest and the most hopeful future... and I'll see you around.