I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Tomorrow is Victoria Day here in Canada, which means LONG weekend! We commemorated this “first weekend of summer” by officially opening up my parents’ lake lot.
Last Tuesday, my mom and I headed out to the lake with thoughts that we would get everything ready so that there would be little to do on the weekend.
When we arrived at the lake, there were trees fallen everywhere and such a mess to clean up. As we walked among the disaster we began thinking that perhaps a small twister touched down. It was awful.
Then I got up on the roof of the trailer to take off the tarp. I surveyed the scene and was prompted to take a picture of our trashed landscape. However, as I assessed the terrain, I realized it didn’t seem as bad since I was removed from the mess of it.
The next day my blog disappeared from the landscape of the worldwide web. I was distressed and in the midst of it was told that perhaps it was gone for good. I contemplated whether I could rebuild. I assessed my life priorities and began to think about what my next steps would be if my blog was indeed, gone.
Over 24 hours later, after many prayers, countless emails, numerous telephone conversations, and some tears… my blog returned.
Now that I am removed from the immediacy of my blog being gone, I’m looking at the big picture. In this process I’ve realized a few things….
I love blogging
I love writing and I love sharing my thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. My posts range from emotional to educational. I don’t buffer or conceal the bumpy parts of my life but rather share an honest perspective of what I’m encountering. I do this because if I say something that helps even one person, then I feel I have succeeded.
I don’t want to quit
I realized in the midst of losing my blog that I don’t want to quit but I do want to keep my blogging efforts in perspective. It compelled me to assess my schedule. This led me to realize that between writing, reading posts, commenting, and social networking, I have been spending too much time blogging. I’ve made a new schedule and I’m feeling more comfortable with the time I’ll be committing to blogging.As much as I love blogging and I don’t want to quit… blogging isn’t everything. It is a small part of my life. I don’t want it to overshadow the bigger, more important things. Faith, family, parenting, friendships, and health are what matters.
I love the connections I’ve made
I’ve met so many beautiful souls here in the blogging world. I’ve met dear friends, kindred spirits, prayer partners, and soul sisters. These connections mean the world to me. I hope you know that. When I visit your blogs, I am there, with you, enjoying your presence and your company. When you stop by here, your visit makes my day.
When I thought I lost my blog, I was most grieved about the impact it could have on these connections and the friendships I’ve made. I couldn’t imagine not laughing, learning, and crying with you.
I’m making some changes
I have also discovered through this “ordeal” how vulnerable my blog is to loss.
So, I have contracted the services of a reputable small business that will transfer my blog over to WordPress. I’m a bit nervous about this transfer. There’s always a risk of losing posts or comments in a transfer. However, the security in knowing that I actually HAVE usable backups of my blog makes up for the small threat of a partial loss.
The transfer to WordPress is scheduled for June 4th. My blog may be down for 24-48 hours (hopefully with a better “site down landing page” than the porn menu that appeared last week).
So that’s the news.
It was an epic week with a shift of perspective. Needless to say, I’m glad I’m on this journey. I feel blessed by you and thankful that you take time out of your day to read my musings.
I look forward to continuing this journey, with a fresh perspective and a healthier sense of purpose.
Wishing you a lovely week.
Hi Jennifer! What a week you’ve had. Two things that looked like disaster, but you can come back from both of them. Yay! I think you’ll like WordPress. It took me a little time to get used to it, but it’s easy to deal with now. I have my blog hosted, and any problem I’ve had has been fixed within hours. It’s really great.
Blessings on the move, and I know it will go well.
Have a peaceful night,
Ceil
Thanks Ceil! I’m excited about the move. Trying to prepare for it by reading up on how to navigate WordPress. It should be interesting!
Thanks for the kind words and blessings.
This makes me happy. Glad you decided to stay a while. :-)
Thanks Lisa. I’m happy about it too. This issue really helped me see what exactly I want.
I LOVE wordpress!! I’m SO glad I switched and I know you will love it too!! So sorry you had to deal with all that, but glad you are back! Hope you enjoy the extra day tomorrow!
Oh Caroline, I’m so nervous about the switch. I have almost 730 posts and over 5000 comments… I hope I don’t lose too much stuff in the transfer.
It will also be a bit of a learning curve (I might be knocking on your door for tips)!
Very glad you decided to keep blogging. Sometimes, we all need to take a step back – planned or unplanned – to get a different perspective. I agree about the time. I often (too often) let my blogging stress me out and I shouldn’t. It is a hobby and I am struggling to put it where it belongs on my list of priorities. Glad you have found something that will work better for you.
Well all I can do at this point in time is pray about the transfer and ask God to keep me focused on what’s most important.
Thanks for stopping by Lisa.
I’m so glad everything got sorted out! I was holding my breath for your decisions/thoughts on blogging after dealing with such a stressful situation…I’m SO glad you are still here, in Blogland! I love your wisdom.
I’d love to hear how your new schedule is working for you after scaling back a bit…after you’ve had a chance to “live” it a bit! A future follow-up post request is what this is, I think ;)
Happy May Long!
Well Laura, I’ll breathe that sigh of relief when blog is transferred. There’s so much data, I’m really anxious about the transfer. But… I almost lost the whole thing anyway, so what can I do?
I will take you up on that followup post. Perhaps after my blog is rooted in its new hosting space.
I know that dreadful feeling of thinking your blog is just *POOF!* – gone! Very sad, and I think every blogger has encountered it once or twice. I hope your transfer goes well!!
It’s such an awful feeling Jeannie. I pray my transfer goes well too! Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve had that happen to me as well. Your heart skips a beat thinking all those years of memories are erased. I’m so happy all was not lost. : ) Have a beautiful week!! xo
~ Wendy
It’s a dreadful feeling Wendy! However, I’m thankful that it made me reassess things.
Wishing you a lovely week as well.
xoxo
I’m so glad you decided to stay.
I’ve made the switch to WordPress and I really don’t think I lost anything in the transfer. At least, I hope. The peace of mind means a lot to me.
Every now and then, blogging does overtake other parts of my life, and I step back. And it’s wonderful.
I’m hoping I’ll have some peace of mind on WordPress as well. I know no platform is a utopia but at least I can restore things if need be.
I like my new-found perspective on blogging.
I totally get this. I am constantly trying to balance it all- and find myself TOO immersed in the blog reading especially- due mostly out of obligation to people I just love and want to encourage and show them my loyalty in reading their posts. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to read them all… and I feel like a hamster on a wheel every SINGLE day. Battling between my ‘real life’ goings on and this ‘blog life’ goings on…
This summer I must pull back. It’s SO hard- because it’s personal. It’s all about relationships and connecting… and oh how I love that so very much!
SO hard to let go.
I’m hearing a lot of bloggers running into this dilemma of drawing boundaries. I really hope my plan and schedule works. I don’t want this to take over my life again.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Chris.
Omg Jenn I had to read everything! I’m so sorry with all the things you had to deal with. I was lucky to migrate my blog from blogger to wordpress when I only had around less than 30 post and 4 months of blogging. Now your case is different with 720 articles and still counting I cannot imagine how terrified you were about all this mess up.
I’m sending you lots hugs from one blogger mom to another, as you mentioned before I had so many great connections in this blogging sphere and you are one of those.
To cheer you up I started something new on my blog too today, swing by the blog and look for the article Featured Blog of the Month in Busy Mom Monologues and take part of these event. I will been doing this monthly and you can read all the details there.
Jenn once again, I love your blog and all your articles so don’t give up and everything has a solution… xoxo
Thanks so much for all of your encouraging words Remy. I’m praying all will go smoothly.
I’m so glad you enjoy this space. I don’t plan n giving up.
xoxo
I always enjoy your blog! Have a great day xoxo
BTW if you want to work with me in any future events for your blog I would love to :) xoxo
Thanks for the offer Remy! I appreciate it.
xoxo
All told, that certainly was a doozey of a week for you! I’m glad that your blog is back up and running, and I wish you the best with the WordPress transfer. (You’ll have to keep me posted!)
Above all, balance is good. I’ll continue to pray that you find that exact right balance for you in regards to blogging!
Robin, it really was a mess. The fact that I’m ready to subject my nerves, stomach, and brain to a transfer to WordPress so soon after this ordeal tells you how dreadful it was.
I will gladly keep you posted. Don’t ever hesitate to send me an email if you need any specifics.
Balance is essential. I’m praying God helps me establish this new schedule.
YAY! You’re staying! But ahhh transferring…I’m scared of the transfer process too. But from people I’ve seen make the move, it’s all okay. The only thing they lose are the comments. But eh, there will be new comments. Happy Summer!
I’m nervous about it but I see its necessity. Even if I lose some posts or comments, it will be nice to have some “security” and peace of mind.
I am glad you’ve got it worked out. I don’t think you will lose anything in the transfer. I know lots of people who have done it. I spent an hour and a half with my web guy this afternoon and most of my problems are fixed. Hurray! I was stressed out this weekend. There’s still stuff to do, but I feel relieved now. You will be fine! And I am happy you are staying!
I hope I don’t lose anything. I’m looking forward to it though. I should have done this a long time ago. I guess I just needed an epic push.
I’m happy I’m staying in the blogging world too.
That was a lot to deal with ll at once. So sorry. Good luck with the transfer over. It is quite the process, but all worth it in the end. I’m not at the end yet, but hoping to get there soon.
Thanks so much Jennifer. It was a lot of stress but hopefully things will be more settled after this transfer.
I think you’re going to love WordPress! I hear everyone say that once they get used to it, they are very glad they made the switch. Best wishes with the move!
I keep on hearing other bloggers rant and rave about WordPress, I hope it lives up to the high expectations I now have of it.
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m so glad you were able to get your blog back. It’s funny the way things like that force us to stop and rethink our priorities. I’m happy you came up with a new schedule that you’re more comfortable with in terms of your time devotion to blogging. I definitely have been having some of the same thoughts and I’ve eased up a bit in the last couple of months.
I hope you find WordPress to be better than Blogger! I’ve thought about making the big change myself sometime in the future. Hopefully you can share you experience with us!
I think this “glitch” was a blessing. I’ve really reflected on what I want from blogging and how much I want to give to blogging.
I hope this switch to WordPress will be fairly smooth. I trust it will be worth it in the end.
Wishing you a wonderful day Jessica.
I’m so glad you’ve decided to continue blogging, and that your wonderful blog wasn’t lost forever! I think taking a good hard look at your priorities was a great idea. I know that I, at times, feel the need to spend more time blogging, but in the grand scheme of things my family is #1 and they take priority.
Excited to see how the transition to WordPress goes. I may reach out to you to chat about it and get some recommendations. :)
Have a great Tuesday!
xoxo
As awful as it was, this was a blessing. It forced me to assess my priorities. Things were shifting out of balance and now they’re in their proper place.
If you’re thinking of switching to WordPress, my advice is to do so asap before your blog gets too big. The bigger it is, the harder the transfer. Definitely feel free to ask me any questions as I go through this process. It should be… interesting.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
So glad it returned!
Thanks Jess. I’m very relieved as well!
Disasters online and weather related all at once sound stressful. I’m glad you were able to get your blog straightened out and hope the change is an easy one. I enjoy your perspective and agree with the importance of keeping priorities balanced.
Thank you Jennifer. I am relieved that much of this stuff got sorted out. I’m also glad that I have a healthier schedule and have prioritized things in my life. Now to get this WordPress transfer out of the way….
Thanks for stopping by!
So glad to catch up on your blog situation. What a relief that you didn’t lose anything. I’ve used WordPress for years and love it. It is easy once you get used to it. Hope the move is uneventful.
xo ~Topaz
Thanks Topaz. I hope the WordPress transfer goes well. I’m anxious to start using it!