Just after I posted Humpday Funk, a friend told me that it was one of the most real blogs she had ever read of mine.  It got me thinking.

I try to keep things light and breezy on my blog.  I talk about my adventures with Brad on our days off.  I talk about delicious things I’ve baked or meals that Brad has made me.  I talk about our crazy backwards schedules and how we are discovering this new and exciting city.

But I often leave out the hard parts.  The parts when I get homesick or lonely.  The parts when I am horribly upset that I’m missing my ten year reunion or getting to visit my first nephew in the days after he was born in the hospital.  The parts when we are exhausted and eat pizza or macaroni & cheese for dinner five nights a week.  (This really isn’t the worst thing…)

I try to put out this shiny story of a newlywed couple making it in the big city.  And there are many, many happy times when we are that shiny couple (like this day!  yay!).  But there are also times when things get really hard.  And it is scary as a blogger to show those parts, too.  (Mostly because I know my mom and my mother in law are two of this blog’s biggest fans and I don’t want them to worry.  We are great, really!!)

Mochelle was right when she said that blog was real.  I was crying when I was writing it and I kept erasing things because I didn’t want to sound too melodramatic or depressing.  But as much as I am writing this blog for other people to read about my life and experiences out here on the west coast, I am also writing it for me to document this crazy amazing adventure.  And the good vastly outweighs the bad – but the bad is part of it, too.

I will also say that a few other friends that I haven’t kept in great touch with reached out to me that day and it really did wonders to put me in check.  I am so lucky to have lived all over this country and come in contact with some really amazing people.  And those people reaching out made me realize that so many people my age are going their own big, maybe semi-scary change (new job, new baby, new house…).  I may like to hide my struggles and put on a happy face to the world, but letting that guard down let a lot of friends in with their own stories and encouraging words.  Not only was it amazing to reconnect with every one of those people, but it was uplifting to know that I am absolutely not alone.

So, continuing with my focus in 2013, from hereon out I will focus on “keeping it real”.  I will focus on giving the real story – the whole story.  The good and the bad.  Because The Key of Kels involves it all.  And the bad only makes us stronger, so bring it on.  We’ll make it through.

xoxo