Marissa says...not much

It's been quiet on here for a while, and I'm sorry. I don't have a good excuse. I have plenty of lame excuses like, "I have a baby. I'm still trying to get settled into my new home. I just started a new job. I haven't been cooking because of items A, B, and C above." But I really believe that you make the time for the things that you love to do and I haven't been making time for this. I love this blog, I really do. I love having a place where I can go all "stream of consciousness" and no one seems to mind. (Well, at least you don't tell me if you do.) But over the past year, sometimes it has felt like a burden. Like a thing I have to do, instead of something I want to do.

Three years ago when I started this thing, (good Lord, I can't believe I've had this blog for three years!?) I had no idea how it might turn out. Of course, I had grandiose dreams of turning it into a sustainable career with awesome paid advertisers and free merchandise coming to my front door. But in reality, I knew that was unlikely. While I have been approached by various companies/individuals over the years inquiring about paid content and advertising, I've never been tempted by an offer that seemed too sweet to pass up. Plus, I always kind of felt that if I went down that road that I would taint this thing that is perfectly mine. This sacred space that is completely and utterly in my control. I don't know, maybe I'm just being dramatic. Maybe I'm just scared about what would happen if I really actually tried to make money from it.

Anyway. I don't know where I'm going with this...with this post and with this blog. I'd love to say that I'm recommitting, that I'm promising to post X times a week moving forward, but I'm not going to do that. What I will say, is that even though it's been quiet on here, it still matters to me. I still take photos that I want to share with you, I still cook delicious food, I still want this to be a safe space for me and I really don't intend to let this blog die. 

That is all. XOXO, 
M-Dubs

"Marissa says..." blog is one year old today!

It's my blogiversary! It's been one full year of hearing my joys, concerns, bitching and ranting. How are you holding up over there? 

In my first blog post ever, I explained that I started Marissa says... as a source of therapy -- it was something to keep me occupied since I was no longer planning a wedding. It's really has been quite therapeutic, I feel like I've let you into my brain and heart. Sometimes, I feel a little vulnerable putting it all out there, but I always have received positive and encouraging words from family, friends and readers. 

With that being said, I've learned a lot in this first year, so I've created another post for this here blogiversary: Tips for starting a personal or lifestyle blog

If you're considering starting a new blog, I shared some insider tips so that you don't make the same mistakes I did when starting out. 

Year two of Marissa says... is going to be focused on continued growth. For the next year, I'm going to try and get more involved in the Philadelphia blogging community and expand my blogging network. I also want to continue to improve the caliber of my photography. 

In year two, I have some homework for you too! Since I tend to post links to new posts on Facebook, a lot of time the discussion and feedback happens over there, which is cool. But if you can manage, I'd love for you to comment on the blog posts too!!! Tell me what you love, tell me what you hate, feel free to disagree with me (I love a healthy debate.) Did you try any recipes out? How'd they go? 

I want to hear from youuuuuu. 

How to start a lifestyle or personal blog

As I celebrate the one year birthday of this here blog, I thought I'd provide some unsolicited advice to those of you that might be thinking about starting a blog. There are a few things I've learned along the way that might be useful in helping you avoid making the same mistakes that I've made! 

Philly is Ugly

Philly Is Ugly from Nathaniel Dodson on Vimeo.

Philly has its fair share of haters, but this video truly captures the beauty that this city has to offer. It's a place that I have come to love and call my own -- it's full of real people and amazing culture. I vividly remember the day when I was walking down the street and realized that I considered Philadelphia my home.  

Nathaniel Dodson is a Philadelphia photographer that created this awesome time-lapse video highlighting different perspectives of the city, the lighting is totally phenomenal. If you're wondering how he came up with the name, learn more about the project here. 

It's not all perfect. In fact, it's not even close.

Man, life is hard sometimes. I feel like I'm juggling a dozen balls right now, and when you're doing that, it's probably not going to end well. Between work, this here blog, the new camera, getting to the gym, visiting friends from faraway lands, and trying to cook and keep a clean house, something is bound to slip through the cracks. That something is the cleanliness of my home. See exhibit A (the photo above.)

A needed face lift

Notice anything new around here?!? Anything look a little younger, fresher, or tighter to you? 

Um hello. It's the blog! 

I've been investing a little extra time in sprucing Marissa Says... up a bit and I hope you like the new clean look. As I mentioned a few weeks back I'm really feigning for a nice new camera. With that in mind, I'm starting to move the design of the blog in a direction that focuses more on photos. Is this the direction I should be going? You tell me. You're the people I do this for in the first place!

 

Photos above show Marissa Says... on launch day compared to what it looks like now. And it's only been seven months since I launched. Imagine what it will look like after a couple of years, it will be super snazzy then. 

Help! What's the best digital SLR camera for a newbie?

There are a THOUSAND websites out there recommending what camera I should get as a newbie to the DSLR category. However, none of them agree with each other and some of them get into all the nitty gritty details that I don't need. And basically, I don't trust random people on the internet as much as I trust my family and friends. So folks who have some experience with DSLRs, what do you think? 

Here's my criteria:

Purpose
I have this totally awesome blog (Right? Am I right? Can I get an Amen?), but my images are not measuring up. I currently use my Samsung GSIII camera phone for a lot of the photos and I also have a little point and shoot that I'll use at home for some food or home decor images, but I'd really like to elevate the quality of my photos. Plus, I have a little artsy side to me so I think I'll enjoy the hobby. 

Our "Style Me Pretty" Wedding Debut

We're so excited and honored to be featured on the Style Me Pretty: New York wedding blog! SMP was a blog I always browsed when I wanted to swoon over gorgeous, detailed, and highly personalized weddings during my planning days.  

I was one of those crazy bride that actually enjoyed the planning process and I didn't want the wedding to actually come, because that would mean it was all over! BryGuy and I were so lucky to work with wonderful vendors that made the day extra special. 

See our post on Style Me Pretty: New York - Upstate Wedding from Bailly Photography 

You might be interested in reading:

• Post-Wedding Depression is Legit
• Tips for Future Brides - Part I
• Tips for Future Brides - Part II

New Year, New Goals

I have mixed feelings about New Years resolutions. On the one hand, I don't think that I have to wait until the first day of a new year to decide that I'm going to make some changes in my life. On the other hand, I understand the  importance of the milestone, a new year means renewed focus. Now is as good a time as any to start making changes and setting some new goals. 

I'm a firm believer that you have to be held accountable for your goals, or you'll find excuses not to achieve them. So, here are mine, I'm laying it out there for you. Periodically, I'll check back in and update you on the status of my goals and accomplishments throughout 2013. 

2013 Goals/Resolutions for Marissa:

Career

• Take online workshops and courses to improve skills in graphic design and video editing 
• Bring a renewed energy to my current job, go in with a positive mental attitude and creative ideas

Personal & Relationship 

• Work on listening skills and making sure that my first reaction in a conflict is not to be defensive
• Do something nice for the hubbers on a daily basis

Toes to Bar

Health & Fitness

• Get to the gym three times per week
• Stick to the paleo diet Monday through Friday
• Be able to do pull ups (without resistance assistance band), toes to bar, and hand stand push ups 
• Compete in at least one CrossFit competition

Financial 

• Save money towards a down payment on a home (yes, I have an exact dollar goal, but I'm not sharing that with you nosy folks)
• Start a retirement savings account. (I can hear you now, *gasp* "You don't have a retirement account?!?" Well I did have one at a previous job, but when I started my new position in Philly a few years back I never set one up or moved my funds over from my previous account. So, I'll be doing that this year.)

Blog

• Set aside more time to focus on the blog and post at least twice a week. Lucky you, you'll be hearing from me more often.

We had renter's remorse. But we got over it.

This past weekend we did the big move... approximately four blocks down the street from our former apartment. Originally BryGuy and I were going to do all of the heavy lifting on our own. Don't laugh! I do CrossFit, I'm quite strong. But the Man upstairs decided that we needed a little more assistance and he sent my wonderful father and brother from New York. Looking back, I really don't know how we would've done it without them. They were the best non-professional movers a girl could ask for (Thanks pops and Z!). We started loading the truck at 8 a.m. and had everything into our new apartment by 12:30 p.m. 

The evil U-Haul and BryGuy
(doesn't he look happy to be moving?)

There were a few hiccups, like our U-Haul's battery dying, twice, and our queen-sized box spring not fitting up the stairs to our bedroom. But other than that, things went well. When all of our furniture was moved to the new place, we did a very thorough cleaning of our old apartment. As we stood there in our bare apartment that we had lived in for almost three years, BryGuy and I got a little emotional. We loved that place, it has been our first "home" together, it's the home we lived in when we got married, we've laughed there, we've cried there, we've entertained our family and friends there, and the truth is we were starting to miss it already! It was in that moment that we started questioning whether or not we had made the right decision to move. We were faced with all of these boxes of unpacked things (and we were really really exhausted), and we started having regrets and doubts.

Post-Wedding Depression is Legit

Image from Save the Date Events blog

I knew it would happen to me. I saw it coming a mile away, and yet, I still wasn't prepared. Post-wedding depression smacked me in the face the moment I stepped foot on U.S. soil after my honeymoon.

Let me back up, I LOVED planning my wedding and I genuinely enjoyed every single part of it. Don't get me wrong, there were some stressful moments, but I never hit that point where I thought, "I'm tired of planning and just want to have the wedding already!" My absolute favorite part of the process was the browsing and dreaming. With thousands of wedding blogs and an entire wedding section on Pinterest (see my Wedding Board), you can get lost for hours just looking at beautiful, unique, and really personal weddings. Needless to say, I spent far too much of my free time after work and between gym sessions browsing, getting ideas, and envisioning our special day.

Once the wedding was over BryGuy and I would reflect on how awesome the day was, recapping our favorite moments. Pictures started coming in from friends and family that allowed us to relive the day while on our honeymoon. Once we returned from vacation I started to face the grim reality that awaited me, I was going to have to go back to "life as usual." I had no big event to look forward to anymore, no blissful vacation to talk about, and I started to get really sad. That’s when I knew that post-wedding depression was a real thing. But I’m determined to snap out of this in a timely fashion.

Putting Marissa Says… on the Interwebs

I’ve gone and done it. I have been thinking about starting a blog for years, literally years, but I’ve finally found the cojones to just sit down and make it happen. The biggest roadblock was that I couldn’t settle on what the blog was going to be about. Instead, I’ve decided NOT to decide what it’s going to be about. What I can say is that the focus of the blog will be me. I can hear my parents now, “…she always did think the world revolved around her.”

Marissa says… will touch on my main interests: food, fitness, fashion, entertaining, and design. However, I imagine that it will also hit on some other subjects from time to time – life as a newlywed, activities around Philly, work, etc. I really don’t want to put any limitations on this thing. I want to let it evolve organically, and see where it ends up.

So folks, here it is, the first post.

What I do know is that my goal is to have this be interactive, tell me what you like, tell me what you don’t like, give me feedback! Otherwise I’m just talking to myself.

Just as a heads up - I have purchased www.marissasays.com but I'm having trouble linking that domain to my blogger account. However, I hoping to get that sorted out shortly. I'll be sure to let you know when it's up and running and you can bookmark that link instead!