Well, I’m finally hitting ‘publish’ again.

“What will this blog really contribute to society?”

It’s an existential question I find myself (hi, a melancholic!) asking myself from time to time. If you’re familiar with personality tests, I am an INFP, melancholic (primary), enneagram 2 wing 1. Basically: I like things to have a ‘higher’ purpose in life.

At the conception of this blog, it had no purpose but self-entertainment. Then, I began to offer posts that contributed to the piece of society in which I existed (brand new Army wives). Now, a few years in (more importantly: three kids in) I am faced with weighing whether this is “worth it” compared to my other ventures: being a mom, writing novels, etc.

I’ve also wondered if blogs are a bit of a thing of the past.

Sure, if you SEE a great Instagram post and there is a website link in the description box you might follow it. If there is a great pin image on Pinterest you just might open the link. But how many people actually bookmark a blog and routinely check it? I stopped doing that. I’m guessing you might have too.

So what does existential crisis mean in my life?

Do I stop blogging because I assume people aren’t reading blogs anymore? (assumptions are bad) Do I try to bring back blogging with a vengeance? (as if that was enough to start a revival) Do I switch to social media instead? (not my favorite option)

I don’t have to have the answers to that. I just have to ask myself if I want to blog. And I want to. So here I am. This is my return.

I hope you will pop in from time to time to see if I followed through (my secondary temperament is sanguine so…there is a risk factor there).

Okay…. so why did I disappear in the first place?

Luckily for me, people don’t tend to ask me this questions because in March 2020, all of us stopped showing up. (covid) I feel like now that everyone has been a stay-at-home-parent (be it child or dog) everybody “gets” just how busy it can be to stay in/work out of/take care of a home. But, since my readers deserve an extra special explanation, these were my non-covid distractions that kept me away:

1. I had a baby. (she’s my favorite item on this list and needs no further explanation)
2. I decided to write 2 more novels. (one in 2019, one in 2020)
3. Querying and editing my novels is time consuming. (fun fact…who knew?…NOT me)
4. I got a teeny weeny 2-year-case of blogger burn out (I have since recovered)
5. My blog needed a rebranding. (more on that later)
6. I moved. (fun times)
7. Most of all, I had to hold down the fort while my husband was gone. (can I get an ‘amen?’)

And…what will my blog look like after my return?

First of all, my latest post won’t be from 2019! (relief all around)

I’m planning to post twice a month here, with active content on my Instagram (@jjheartblog) as well. Life has slowed down a tootsie wootsie bit (as my toddler says) and I am able to devote time to blogging again. I can write about things that I care about for people who matter to me.

I have to say this: the comment section was a big reason I felt like I had to start blogging again. Hearing from real families who are really going through everything I go through is really meaningful. The connection is huge to me. And I don’t want to leave anyone hanging who says, “how about this?” or “what’s your experience with that?”.

What about the rebrand?

Nothing major will be changing, but there will be a gentle shift in content.

I might start blogging a bit more about my and home schooling journey. I know it won’t relate to some of my readers. It’s totally okay to just skip past those posts and read the ones you’re here for.

I’ll probably document more of my natural living experiencee too. I’ve admired low-tox life for a few years, but during my nesting phase in my most recent pregnancy, natural living became a big part of my life. I’m still growing in it, but it would be nice to blog about my journey thus far.

Other than that, you’ll still catch me rambling about the Army family life because that’s what this blog is all about. I love being an Army family and I love connecting with other ones too. Most of my readers come here for that content and we’ve had some great conversations.

Is my return permanent…like am I really here to stay?

Of course. I migrated my blog to a different hosting company (probably the hardest part of my return) and signed a 3 year contract. I’m not going anywhere! I love my blog and I can’t say ENOUGH how much I care about my readers. The military community is enormous and our online presence is always growing. It’s great to be able to be here for each other. I don’t want to go anywhere else but here!

Thanks for reading if you’ve gotten through my ramblings this far. Post quality and content value matters to me so there won’t be that many posts like this. haha. But I really felt like I owed an explanation as to where I’ve been and if this blog is a ghost town or not. (It’s not, we were just on a break).

Take care and come back because I promise I will! I have made my return and it feels good. Welcome back to all of us.