Looking back

Hello, my name is Becky and I am an American expat living in Bahrain.


For today's challenge, we are supposed to look at post number five of our blog and reflect how we have changed, how our writing has changed, etc.


I merged this blog with an older blog, so if I start with that older blog's entries, I was in a much different place. I think the entry was about making a kissing ball for Valentine's Day- a still uncompleted project I am pretty sure is stored in my parent's garage!


And we weren't telling anyone, but we were looking for overseas jobs. We were looking in the Middle East in particular and watching the news closely as the Arab Spring exploded in the region. (He got a job in Bahrain a few months later!)


I had a beautiful (but sick that week) one year-old, a fun first grader, a broken cat and a mouse in the house that would not be caught. My husband was super busy with work, school, church and house projects. I was trying to be a super-mom, a good wife, a good friend; blogging about crafting, DIYing, cooking and sharing online shopping scores. I had a bad case of the Februaries and was scared to wonder what the future held.


My blog was at that time, my way of faking it. My way of focusing on the positive and selectively editing my life. I hoped it would make me happier and more grateful. I also wanted to be that cute mommy blogger. And reading those first few posts, I realize how far I've come.


I have mellowed a lot. Doing something big like this- leaving it all behind and starting new has made me realize I am tough. I have more faith, more self-confidence, more experience, more wisdom, more maturity and more happiness than then. Thank goodness! I think I am also more authentic, which is good. But I used to write a lot more too- I'll have to challenge myself to keep this up after February is over!