#Reverb10 Part 1

I've seen a number of bloggers taking part in Reverb10- most noticibly the lovely Susannah Conway - and after reading through people's posts and answering the questions in my head, I've decided to get it all on here...

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1 - One Word.

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

Honestly - this year has been overwhelming... mostly in a great way - but sometimes in a bad. I feel like I've been constantly catching up with myself, on here and with everything else. I actually can't believe its December already, let alone nearly Christmas.

Next year, I hope I feel more organised, I don't mind being overwhelmed so much but feeling unorganised and behind with everything is really starting to bug me.

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2 – Writing.

What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

Go to work... does that count? Everyone has too right? I try not to let it stop me writing a post everyday though - whether I write at home the evening before or during my lunch break...

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3 – Moment.

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

This year has been full of some amazing moments to be honest - one of my best friends got married and my sister got engaged and I've really enjoyed being a part of those - but I think the moment I felt the most alive was standing at the top of Malham Cove - the sun was shining, the views were amazing, I was with Thomas, I had my holga with me and it was wonderful.

I really need to share more photos from that day actually - Helga did me proud!

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4 – Wonder.

How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

This year we travelled! It's been amazing, we've been to places we've never been before - Scotland and Poland! However the wonder I've felt in travelling this year has actually been in how beautiful England really is... Berwick, Malham, Wells... even Kirkstall Abbey, which is right on my door step. We really are so lucky to live in Leeds and Thomas and I are constantly amazed by how perfect it is for us both.

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5 – Let Go.

What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

I've been trying to let go of my anxiety this year... Moving house has really helped me feel better about things and actually get some sleep. I still haven't got complete confidence in my blog, or even my blogging abilities, however within this month, I think I've got my blogging mojo back and I've come to accept that 500 isn't quite that scary a number after all...

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6 – Make.

What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

The last thing that I made was a Halloween wreath - it was quite amazing, I used an old wire coat hanger and some purple, orange and black tissue paper. I wish I had got some tissue paper to make a christmas one as well... and I would love to make christmas cards again next year. Perhaps I should start planning that now?

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7 – Community.

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

I was looking through some of my posts from last year and amazingly - I have known some bloggers now for over a year - how amazing is that? And I definitely feel like they are true friends. I've been excited about weddings (eeeee), heartbroken about loss, inspired by creativity, had the best emailing buddies and really enjoyed getting to know other bloggers.
I also joined fpoe this year and what an amazing group of ladies they are!

I hope to continue to within this blog community - to continue growing friendships, perhaps meet new people and to really enjoy what the community has to offer.

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8 – Beautifully different.

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)

Oh I love this one. I really hope this blog is different and lights people up - it brightens my day - every day.

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9 – Party.

What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

K and P's wedding, definitely. Sharing in something like that with your best friends is something that is such a pleasure and an honour and seeing how happy they are now makes the whole day seem even more special :) I can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks now, hurray!

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10 – Wisdom.

What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

This is quite a recent decision - in fact only a couple of days - but I think its quite wise... I hope it plays out well.

I've decided to stop worrying about why people are visiting my blog and if it really is any good - and focus on keeping it consistant and making it better! Honestly I have no idea why people keep reading my blog and worrying about doing something wrong (which is worrying when you're not sure what you did right...) and comparing myself to other bloggers is not healthy - instead I'm going to focus on the fact that I love blogging - I love taking photos, I love reading and leaving comments and I love being creative... I guess this is related to letting go of anxiety - and deciding that I've had enough and that I need to make changes myself is definitely a wise decision.

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For more information on Reverb 10 - see here. There are 31 prompts in total, I have definitely enjoyed this section, I'm looking forward to the next 21.

The Versatile Blogger award!

Last week, the lovely Maddy (who loves Rock Band as much as I do, Hurray!) tagged me with The Versatile Blogger award, so I decided to share the love!

{ I try not to tag someone more than once with awards - so if you're new here, check out my awards tag to see the other 45 amazing bloggers that I have tagged in the past - they all deserve this award too! }

The rules dictate I have to share 7 things about myself, so here goes nothin':
(I totally stole Maddy's idea of putting the list on a photo...)

& now I get to share the award with 7 lovely lovely bloggers!

and... Bria

The rules are as follows:
1. thank and link back to who gave you the award
2. share 7 things about you!
3. pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy.
4. leave your recipients a note, telling them about the reward.
That was fun for a Friday :)
I'm honestly so glad this week is nearly over and we're seeing Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem tomorrow. I am excited. And I have Monday off work, woohooo!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Breaking down that brick wall...

I'm finally getting around to sorting out my blog tags and reacquainting myself with my blog - it's been so fun going through my old posts.

I thought I would share a few of my favourites with you... I like the idea of getting to know people better so we might as well start with you getting to know me better :)

(the post that pretty much converted me to loving yellow...)

(and today, I feel like this too...)

I think that will do for now don't you?

I'm still completely overwhelmed that alot of these posts are over a year old - where has the time gone? Does time move differently when you hit 25 (faster...that is...)?

p.s. this has helped with the bloggers block a little, I like my blog lol...

p.s.s. Why was I so unorganised with my tags?!?!

You feel the same sometimes too right?

Hey! This is me...
and ultimately, this blog is me!

It's my little world.

I was walking to work this morning and as I got to the front door, my favourite boss (yeah I have favourites...) who was also approaching the door, said 'Hey Rhianne' and... I completely blanked him - I was listening to my ipod - I was thinking about this post - I was looking at the floor so I didn't slip on the insanely slippery slabs that Yorkshire has (is that just a Yorkshire thing? I think so...) I was in my own little world.

As I realised he was there, I looked up (jumped) and said 'Hey! Sorry, I was in my own little world' and he said smiling.

'That's alright, we should all have our own little worlds...'

Gah! Most perfect response ever?! And I believe him, we should!

Anyway, the point of this now rather wordy post (sorry) is that really I haven't been honest in my little world... and I think thats why I've been struggling to post...

So here is a little honesty...

Approaching 500+ followers absolutely terrifies me!
(theres more of you through reader, eep!)

I wrote on Nicole's anonymous post recently about how I felt... and thinking about it, I don't know why I shouldn't share it on here - so here goes...

"I constantly worry about my blog, it's the only thing keeping me sane at the moment and the only thing I really put alot of effort into (my job sucks) But I worry that people will find me boring or that they think I'm just copying someone else... Having more readers has made me worry about it even more, I get upset if I lose followers and I'm sad that I don't get more comments then I did when I had less people read it...I know I shouldn't be bothered and that my blog is for me (and it is, I love it) but putting something out there in the internet world that you truly love, something that balances out all the negativity in your life is pretty scary... I wish it didn't bother me but I love reading other peoples blogs and I guess I just want people to enjoy mine as much as I enjoy theirs... "

I should probably also say that my job doesn't suck that much - I was having a very bad work day... I quite enjoy it when it's a good day.

This isn't about being a 'popular' blog or statistics - in fact I haven't checked my stats properly since I stopped my sponsors - its been a huge relief to me not to have to worry about them. It's about putting your world out there and making connections. Right now I feel a little like I'm on a podium in front of a massive 500 strong brick wall and I don't want that - I want to be in a 500 strong crowd, mingling, saying hi...

When I first started getting followers I used to say hi to each one - it was fun, I got to see people's blogs and share them with everyone else, I got to make a connection and say "Hi, I'm so glad you're here!" but honestly, a few other people started to do that too and it didn't seem as personal to me anymore - then I hit 200 and completely lost track of everyone - keeping track of 200 people is hard... also the blogger followers thing is rubbish - there's not always a link to blogs and new people don't always show up when I click on them... why isn't there a nice list somewhere of who follows you so I can just say hi?! Bah!

I read constantly about people saying that your blog should be for you and this blog is for me - but now it's also for you - and I don't think there is anything wrong with that - I'm not ashamed to be a little sad that people stop following my blog - they essentially stop being in my little world and I'm sad they didn't want to stay... I'm not ashamed that I want more people to comment... and I don't think there should be a stigma about wanting people to enjoy your blog and make a connection with you.

Essentially this post comes down to why I blog and where I want to go with my blog...

I started my blog because I was lonely and bored and I really don't cope very well with either of those two things... the posts stop me from being bored and the comments stop me from being lonely... I want comments because I want to talk to people - I want to comment back, I want to visit people's blogs - I want to have the 'conversation' that I hear so many pro bloggers talk about...

and as for where I want to go with my blog - I don't want to go anywhere - I love it how it is - if anything I need to find myself again and make sure it stays true to me and what I love...

it is my own little world afterall...

If you've read this all, thank you - and if you don't leave a comment (I hate the word lurker) that's fine - I can imagine you're not here to hear me emotionally splurge all over my blog - but if you want to just say hi - make a connection - then please do.

I truly do appreciate everyone who reads my blog - I just think we should get to know each other a bit better, don't you?

p.s It's the 1st of Oct and I should be featuring an etsy shop right now but I needed to get this out... I'll post it on Monday instead...

p.p.s. Happy weekend :)

p.p.p.s. I finally got a pic of me as a bridesmaid on here, haha