Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Hello, Again

Back to Blog

Hi, again, readers! As I was preparing to write this post, I realized it has been just under three months since I last posted here while I was getting ready for my big adventure in Australia. If you had asked me just before that if I ever considered taking an extended break from my blog, I would have said, "No way." But life happens, and life was telling me I needed a break.

Not long after my last post here, I learned my grandmother, with whom I was very close, had passed away very suddenly. It ripped a hole in my heart that was too big and raw to share with anyone but those closest to me. Although it was difficult, Sean and I headed off to Australia not long after. I kept up the sunny, happy posts on social media, and I took some outfit photos while we were there, but I couldn't bring myself to edit or post them here. I couldn't seem to muster up even an ounce of creative spark, and looking at my blog made me tear up because my grandmother always enjoyed looking at my outfits and photos so much.

While we were in Australia, my family's sweet rescue pup, who was somewhere around 16 or 17, finally got to the point where he was very ill and in pain. My parents made the difficult decision to let him go. Even though I knew this was coming, it hurt my already-broken heart.

Then, to add injury to insult, I suppose, I suffered a serious injury while out diving in the Great Barrier Reef. As I was climbing back into the boat, the ladder I was using moved suddenly and crushed two of my fingers. Ending up in an Australian hospital needing surgery and wondering if I'd ever be able to use those fingers again was definitely not on the itinerary. With lots and lots of help from Sean, I made it through the rest of the trip and back home.

Okay, that was the bad part--good part is coming up next.

Tam's Bedroom

Now, two months later, post-rehab, I am back to typing with my bones healed and my fingernails growing back (pretty thrilled about all of those things). My heart is slowly mending, and I have learned quite a bit about taking care of myself.

So where to next? I want to share some of the things I've learned over the last couple months with you, and I plan to open the window into my life a little wider in my future posts. I already love sharing outfits, shopping, and travel with you, but I'm thinking I'll add some posts that talk about my exercise routine, my journey to eating healthier, my strategies for coping with anxiety and difficult times, and the tips and tricks I've found useful.

In the spirit of sharing more, here's the wide-angle view of the first pic in this post--a shot of my little sanctuary, my bedroom. It's my favorite room in my house, and most of this blog has been written sitting right here.

Back to Blogging
Tee: J.Crew (more on my love for J.Crew petite knits here) | Denim: J.Brand '620' | Necklaces: Theresa Mink, Kendra Scott via Rocksbox (review here) | Watch: Michael Kors | Lips: Stila 'Fiery'

Don't worry--I'd never leave you hanging on outfit details!

x, Tam


P.S. Thanks so much for reading, friends. This was a hard post to write. Tune in later this week for a much more lighthearted topic: how I survived a 16-hour flight and my tips for long-haul plane travel.

33 comments:

  1. Welcome back, Tam! I am so sorry for your loss and glad to hear you're doing better. Thanks for sharing your personal stories. I know it's not always easy. I am excited for read about your Australia vacation. Take care!

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    1. Thank you so much, Sydney! I am excited to share some Australia photos with you.

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  2. So glad to see you back! Your sense of style is obviously what hooked me as a reader in the first place, but I'm really excited to see some of the broader, more personal content you just described. Sounds like you've learned and grown a lot through your healing process, which I'm sure you'll turn into some fantastic content. Thanks for taking the leap and giving us an update.

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    1. Thank you, Michelle! I'm so glad you're excited to see some new topics discussed here. Thanks for the support!

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  3. Great post! So happy to have you back! You were definitely missed, but I understand why you took the break, I often wonder if I need one too. I look forward to reading more :)

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    1. Thanks, Noelle! I finally feel happy about opening up Blogger again, which is such a good feeling. I say that if you think you might need a break, take one. I initially thought mine was going to be a couple weeks, but it turned out longer, and I am okay with that. It's definitely worth unplugging for a little while, especially when you've been hanging around the blogosphere for as long as we have. Email me if you ever feel like chatting more about it!

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  4. Good to see you back! I'm so sorry for your loss but happy to hear that you are on the mend.

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    1. Thanks so much for the kind words, Maria!

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  5. I'm sorry to hear that you've had a rough few months, but I'm happy to hear that you're doing better! I understand the break. Sometimes things happen in life that bring those creative juices to a halt. I've wondered myself whether they would ever start flowing again. But I think given the line of work we are in, we need something that's completely different from our day job to keep us sane. Look forward to your posts!

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    1. Thanks, Cher! I definitely agree with you about needing the creative pursuits to balance out our work. I had just gotten to the point where I was getting stressed about not feeling creative, which I realized was totally defeating the purpose of why I blog! I'm glad you were able to work past your creative roadblock. I hope I'll be able to get past mine smoothly and keep going steadily in the direction I want to go now. Thank you for your support!

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  6. Wow, I'm sorry all of this happened to you, and all at once. I'm glad to hear you're getting back into the swing of things, though. Looking forward to your upcoming posts!

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    1. Thank you, Amber! Hope you enjoy the new content!

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  7. Sorry to hear for your loss. Hopefully you are feeling ok and time will start healing the wounds. Would love to see which part of Australia you went to as I'm from Australia :)

    katattack2000.wordpress.com

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    1. Thanks for your kind words--they are very much appreciated. I am doing better every day.

      I'm excited to share my Australia pics with you--we visited Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, and Sydney on our trip, and I loved the entire county. What a stunningly beautiful place to hail from--lucky you! You'll have to tell me what I've missed so I can make sure to get there next time. My husband has some family in Australia, so we are definitely going back as soon as we can!

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  8. This is SO weird. I am not joking when I say I was thinking about you just earlier today and wondering if everything was OK! I missed seeing you in the blogosphere :)
    Another weird thing...in 2013 I too lost my grandmother AND a family pet in a short time frame. The silver lining was that going home to NC for my grandma's funeral allowed me to see my kitty one last time (I just didn't know until a month later that it was the last time). Can't say I've ever crushed my fingers, though. You win.
    Anyway, happy to have you back and I look forward to what you have to share in the future!

    ~Sarah of Sarah's Real Life

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    1. Hi, Sarah! I've been creeping around Instagram, enjoying your pretty posts and hilarious captions and definitely missing reading your blog. Lots of catching up to do!

      The last time I saw my pup was right before we left for Australia, and I knew it was going to be the last time, but he was his sweet self as always, and I like that I have that last memory of him. Before we rescued him at age 3-4, he had a hard life and ended up abandoned up in the mountains, starving and freezing. When we brought him home, we were shocked that he knew commands, was totally housebroken, and was the sweetest little pet. He had a very good and loving home after that!

      Anyway, thanks so much for your support! Hope the future posts don't disappoint!

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  9. Hi Tam,

    My name is Lauren, I've followed your blog for several years now. It's been evident throughout your blog that you are a very intelligent and thoughtful woman, qualities I admire most in the bloggers I choose to follow.

    This was a very touching, heartfelt and well-written post. I am sorry to hear of your troubles, but think it was wonderful that you took some time off for the sake of your own personal health and happiness. Hopefully things are looking brighter for you and your family.

    Glad to have you back; I'm looking forward to your upcoming posts.

    Keep your head up.

    Lauren
    www.wellesleyandking.com

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    1. Hi, Lauren! First of all, thanks for following along for so long now! It is so nice to hear that you've enjoyed this post my blog so far. Thank you also for your kind words about me and this post. I think that things are looking better for me and for my family (fingers crossed that the mending continues!), but the difficult times have spurred me to try new things and to get out of my comfort zone a little, which has been a great, unexpected bonus.

      Thanks so much for the support! Hope you are well, too!

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  10. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I read this post as I was taking a break from writing a blog post about the loss of my own grandmother. I won't be ready to post it for a while, but I understand where you're coming from. I hope you (and your fingers) are feeling better, and I look forward to reading some of the new subjects you're writing about.

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    1. Oh, Cassie, I am very sorry for your loss! What a wrenchingly difficult post you must be putting together. Take your time before you post. There were a lot of tears while I was sitting here writing this post, but they felt cathartic and calming, oddly enough. Don't be afraid to write, scrap, rewrite, repeat until you get something that sounds like you but only gives the level of detail you're comfortable giving.

      Thank you so much for your support of my blog! Hope you'll keep coming back often!

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  11. Life happens and sometimes less than pleasant events take place. So sorry for your lost. Nothing hurts more like losing a loved one. I feel you (I lost my grandmother too and often still dreams about her these days). Definitely take as much of a break as you need. After all we all have our profession and blogging is merely a hobby :)

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    1. I think you hit it right on the nose--blogging is a hobby. If you want a break, you don't have to ask for time off and get coverage for your projects, you just hang out and do something else that's going to help you get healthier, more fit, more creative, more calm more fun, etc. Then just pick up where you left off (hopefully) once you feel you're good and ready to return.

      Thanks for always being so supportive, lady. You are a great blog buddy!

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  12. Are the drawings above your bed skylines? I'd love to know where they are from...

    Started following your blog right before your hiatus - so sorry about your losses and your injury!

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    1. Thanks, Jessica! They are line drawings of various scenes in London. I bought them for a pound from a street vendor near the Tower Bridge when I was there a few years ago. The frames are inexpensive ones from Target, and I added some writing to the matting for a little extra interest. I think the whole project cost me about $15.

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  13. Hey Tammy, welcome back. Really missed reading your blog in the last few months but I figured you will be back when you are ready. So sorry to hear about the difficult times you went through. I guess there is really no easy way around but to get through them. Hope you are doing better and will stay strong.

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    1. Hi Sky, I'm so touched to hear that you missed catching up here over the last few months. Hope you'll like some of the new content! Thanks for the encouragement!

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  14. Hi Tam, welcome back! I am sorry to hear about your difficult times, but in a sense this is my favorite post so far because of how much you opened up. I know it takes courage to write about less-than-perfect aspects of your life, but I am glad you've decided to incorporate more of your personal life into the blog. I am a young professional who is working on eating healthier and it will be great to see a successful fashion blogger talk about that side of her life too.

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    1. Thanks for the warm welcome back. So glad you enjoyed this post. Eating healthier has been such a slow process for me because I love sweets, candy, carbs, and processed foods. Moving away from them is so tough! I'm slowly starting to really enjoy more whole foods, which I feel is a step in the right direction!

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  15. Oh wow! What a rough couple of months! Sorry to hear about your losses, and your poor hand! I hope life cuts you break from here on out. =(

    Welcome back and looking forward to more updates from you!

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    1. Thank you so much, Kelly! I really appreciate the support.

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  16. So glad to see you back, Tam! And gosh, what an awful time you've been through. I'm so sorry - things can only go up from here, right?

    ♥ - Mary Ann

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  17. Hello, glad to have you back but sorry to hear about your losses and your accident. Glad you're feeling better. Sounds like a break is what was needed. Cheers~

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