Following My Bliss

For those that haven't heard, coming up at the beginning of February in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel is the 2010 Blissdom Conference? How exciting! What is Blissdom, though?

"Blissdom is the premiere conference for women who find and express their bliss by publishing online. Blissdom ‘10, our third conference, is a welcoming oasis in the ever-changing blogging world. Speakers and panels featuring the best blogging, public relations and social media pros will be gathering to mentor new and old friends alike."

I live just minutes away from Nashville and was thrilled to find that the 2010 Blissdom Conference would be held so close to home. However, tickets were sold out before I was able to come up with the funds to purchase a pass. {I had been actively working on it, though, so imagine my disappointment to hear there were no more tickets available! Ah - c'est la vie!}

But, there still may be hope yet. Kimberly of Mom in the City is so very generously giving away one conference pass {valued at over $300!} to one random blogger who writes about what it means to "follow their bliss".

Do you know what following my bliss means to me? I think this quote from Gail Devers, a US track and field athlete who went from being seriously ill with Graves' disease to winning multiple Olympic gold medals, perfectly reflects how I feel about following my own bliss.

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe."

Can one take an ordinary house on an ordinary street and really turn it into a unique "cottage"? For years now, I've envisioned this thirty-three year old, falling down little house I call "Twice Remembered" someday becoming something truly special - a real honest to goodness old fashioned cottage {with a touch of whimsy!}. The very idea fascinates me to this day: Taking a circa 1977 "contemporary" home and transforming it into a circa 1877 cottage. Call me a hopeless romantic too full of nostalgia for my own good, but the very thought of it makes me giddy!!

I did not, however, know in the beginning how long it would take or how hard it would be for a couple of folks like Jeff and myself to make that cottage dream unfold. Because part of "following my bliss" involves sticking to the decision to be a stay-at-home mom to our three children, the budget for my cottage dream is very small - thus our projects {as you know} take a while to complete. Yes, it can be discouraging at times to look around at all that needs to be done and not even know how or when it's going to be accomplished. But when I look back at what we have been able to complete in 2009 and the years prior, I know that it has only been through "faith and belief in ourselves, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication", and might I also add to Gail Devers words, creativity and patience, that we've even been able to get as far as we have. We won't give up and we'll keep plugging away at it until our Twice Remembered has lived up to her sweetest potential. As I've always said, there is potential in everything, and I am proud to be following my bliss by slowly unveiling the charm I know this little house has hidden within it.

Lastly, following my bliss means that I am able to share this adventure with all of you. Some of you have been here since the beginning and some have newly joined us, but I am so thankful to have the opportunity to share Twice Remembered's ups and downs and tribulations and celebrations with each and every one of you. Blogging has proven to be a beautiful form of communication with which we can share both inspiration and encouragement, and I've gotten so much of that from you. Thank you! I truly appreciate your continued support in 2010 as I continue to "Follow My Bliss" here at The Twice Remembered Cottage!

"Remember all things are possible for those who believe."