Declare Conference Link Up!

Ladies and gentlemen (well, let's be real, there are probably zero gentlemen here), I will be attending my very first real life blogging/writing conference in ONE month right here at home in the lovely DFW area! That's heavy on the sarcasm, because there is basically nothing lovely about Texas in July. But that's OK. 

Because! Not only am I jumping out of my comfort zone and attending this thing, but it is also a writing conference for Christian women - is this something anyone thought I would be doing even like six months ago? Probably no, not one little bit. However, I am insanely pumped. I cannot WAIT to get together with lots of other like-minded ladies and see what God has in store for all of us. My life has basically flipped upside down over the past few months and I kind of love everything about it. (side note: did that sentence make anyone else immediately start singing the theme song from Fresh Prince? Just me?)

So, that was a very long-winded intro to a link-up style post that the attendees have been asked to do. I love this kind of thing when trying to get to know new online friends, and it's even better because I'll hopefully get to meet some of these ladies IRL (that's "in real life", mom) super soon! Now - on to my answers. 

Here's my recent photo..Hi!

1. If we were meeting in person, how would you introduce yourself? 
Hey there! I'm Celeste. Wife to a pretty fab husband - aka "A" here on the blog, and mama to two precious boys - Grayson is three, Gavin is 8 months. We live in a suburb just north of Dallas, and I currently stay at home with the babies. 
Even though I'm a stay at home mama, I'm always dreaming and scheming, coming up with a zillion things I want to pursue. I'm a freelance writer and blogger, and I love building relationships and getting to know women with similar stories, or similar interests, or in similar stages in life - really, just getting to know other women in general, I suppose. Community is everything to a mama with littles, and I (somewhat recently) have developed a huge heart for bringing mamas together. 

2. What is your favorite thing to write and why?
Oh gosh, I'm kind of all over the place. So many times I've tried to narrow things down to a specific niche, and it never works for me. Sometimes I feel like being super serious and sharing my heart and soul, sometimes I just want to write something funny. Sometimes I want to share something cute that my kids did, sometimes I share things that no one else probably cares about but that I want to remember forever. Basically, writing is my jam and I just enjoy it, no matter what form it happens to take. 

3. What is your favorite thing to read and why? 
This is going to sound super duper spiritual and maybe a little cheesy, but right now it's my bible. I consider myself a baby Christian, because I only very recently returned to my faith after a little over a decade of taking more of a I-could-take-it-or-leave-it kind of approach. So for the first time since I was in my late teens - or maybe ever, honestly - I am totally immersing myself in the bible and soaking up all the goodness that I'm finding inside. But aside from that, I love memoirs, a good mystery or suspenseful fiction, occasionally a love story or a really easy beach-read type book. I love reading more than just about anything else, but with the itty bitties running around here I don't get too much of that done these days.

4. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?
I want to say something sweet about spending time with my family, but I'm going to be totally honest and say my perfect day right now would be this: sleep in until like 10, preferably in a large king bed in a hotel room all by myself, have a quick but yummy breakfast, get a massage/facial/pedicure, come back to said hotel room and read/write/brainstorm/snack, possibly take a nap, get ready in a super leisurely fashion without tiny people climbing all over me, meet up with girlfriends for dinner, then retire back to my hotel to sleeeeeeppppp in peeeeaaaaccceeeee. Just being real, friends.

5. What’s one thing you love about your blog and one thing you’d like to improve?
I love that it still feels small and private enough that I can share basically anything I want and know that I likely won't get any negative feedback or feel overexposed. However, I would love to feel like I'm reaching people and to know that my words are helping other women in similar situations in some small way. So I love my lack of an audience, but I would also like to grow my audience. I never said I wasn't a complicated lady...

6. [Lightening Round] Would you rather …

• Read on Kindle or paperback? Ugh. Both? I love my Kindle app on my iPad because I can read it at night without disturbing the husband and/or whatever child is in my bed at the moment. But there's really nothing like cracking open a fresh new book.
• Drink coffee or tea? Iced coffee in the AM, iced tea in the PM - especially in sweltering Texas.
• Go to a musical or a movie? Probably a movie, although I certainly wouldn't turn down a musical.
• Vacation at the beach or the mountains? Beach! Well, can I say both again? Beach for like three days, mountains for like three days - sounds like a great little trip. Someone book that for me....
• Have an exciting night out or a relaxing night in? Depends on my mood. Most of the time I love a relaxing night in, but every once in awhile I get in the mood to dress up, go out, and have a fun night sans bebes. 
• Watch sports, play sports, or no sports? Just no. I want to like sports so bad, but I just can't make myself care. I tried so hard to get into the whole football thing for my husband, but...just. No.