I’ve been blogging under several different guises for 6 years now, and as I’ve transitioned to more of a “lifestyle/style” blogger, I’ve built my community, the blogs I like to read, and those I admire. And while all of these blogs offer something new and creative to the blogosphere, they all seem to have the same effect on me. All these fantastic writers, photographers, and creators seem to have perfect lives. I know that often when we put ourselves out there on the internet, we want to showcase ourselves at our very best. We want to showcase the fabulousness of our lives, we’re presenting the world with our highlight reel and leaving our behind the scenes where only we can see it.

This applies to the style bloggers who always look so perfect and fit, put-together, tan, gorgeous, etc. Or the food bloggers who never show you when their recipes completely failed. Or the mommy bloggers who don’t show you those days when their kids are crying hysterically and they can’t be bothered to put on anything but yoga pants. And truthfully, this creates enormous amounts of pressure and stress.

My life is currently going through an insane process of upheaval. No more than a month ago, the upheaval was positive. I had just moved into an apartment I absolutely loved with my boyfriend Jason. I was gearing up to start a new position at a company I’m really excited about, and I had finally gotten to a position financially where I felt as though I had freedom to do some traveling. I had planned to revamp this whole blog, include more of the vintage inspiration that I’ve found myself drawn to my entire life, both with recipes and style.

And suddenly, everything changed. Through no fault of my own, I found myself without the partner I had known for three years, gearing up to sleep on an air mattress back in the apartment I spent years with, unsure of what my next move was going to be.

One thing that lifestyle bloggers seem to never talk about are the real ebbs and flows of relationships. The style bloggers become wedding bloggers become mommy bloggers. But what happens to that when you find yourself on the edge of 27 and starting over? Real life is messy and scary and unpredictable. We all make mistakes, we make choices with head over heart or heart over head, hoping that the two will line up. We stick with things much longer than we need to, hoping that we’ll see the changes we desperately need. We rely on others for our emotional well-being, and can be too scared to fight for what it is we truly want and need.

And sometimes we take that leap of faith. We push the fears aside, we accept the pain and instability, and know that we’ll come out on the other end okay. We put our faith in ourselves, our friends, and our family. We accept that it’s not going to be easy, that we will spend nights crying, that for a while, our highlight reel may be as exciting as a direct to Netflix film, and that’s ok.

It’s okay because we know we will come out on the other side. We know that what we’ve done is brave and necessary. That what we’ve done is what’s best for us, and that regardless of the fear and pain, there is excitement in there too. That fighting for what you want may not be glamorous, and it may not be beautiful, but it’s the only way to live.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake from Cinnamon Girl in Brooklyn

The Dandy Life may be in a short hiatus, but the celebration of it being one year is something I couldn’t allow myself to miss. I’ve had several different blogs before, but the moment I thought of the name The Dandy Life, I knew it was meant to stick. The past few years have been full of ups and downs, but this blog has always been something I’ve loved to go back to.

Building a readership over the past year has been enormously rewarding, and I can’t wait until I once again have the time to commit to this project the way I want to. Thank you for sticking with me and I promise that when I come back, it’ll be better than ever. Cheers to the next 365 days!

Hi Everyone!

If you haven’t noticed, there’s been a bit of a slow down with the posting lately. I’m in the home stretch of my freelance job and in the process of moving into a new apartment, so I’ve been spread pretty thin these past few weeks.

So I haven’t left, but if you notice  lack of posting over the next few weeks, I apologize. Hopefully you’ll stick with me and continue to check back!

XOXO,

Alex