Hey All! I did have an entire post typed up for today, but I accidently messed it up on my phone and there is no way to get it back. But I just wanted to wish everyone a great weekend and that the giveaway winner was announced! Thank you to everyone that participated in my blogiversary week, and thank you to everyone who took the survey and submitted questions. The week was definetly a success and you guys are the best readers out there.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to check in on comments and everyone’s blogs today or not. I decided to come out camping a day early, so I’m going to enjoy the weather and river as much as possible today.

Have a great weekend everyone!
& I can’t wait to start year two on Monday. :)

Posted on May 20, 2013 - 13 comments
 Filed Under: Blogiversary

This post was suppose to be a video/vlog, that I was going to record on Wednesday night. But this happened…

Travis’ car caught on fire Wednesday afternoon, so I spent all Wednesday night trying to cheer him up. I even cooked him dinner (Travis does most/all of the cooking) which could have made his mood worse, since I can’t cook. But I banged out some awesome spaghetti & homemade garlic bread. *pats myself on back* So, instead of doing a video/vlog, I’m just going to type out the questions. If you have any other questions for me, just leave them in the comments section and I’ll answer them within this post when I get a chance. :)

Do you want to live in Pennsylvania your whole life or are you and Travis wanting to move away at some point?

Travis and I have a love/hate attitude towards Pennsylvania. We’ve always dreamed about moving south, I’d pick South Carolina and Travis would pick Texas, but the older I get, the more I love the cooler weather. At this point, I’d probably want to move North. Vermont is absolutely gorgeous and so is Maine. Travis on the other hand, would move anywhere the money goes. But, I think our answer to that question right now is that we are staying put. I have too much fun with my cousins, and the rest of my family. I’d miss our summer-filled camping trips with all of them, and all of the other family get togethers. Plus, I think my Mom would beat me if I moved to another state. She already gave me hell when I moved 40 minutes away.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I don’t think I could pick just one place. Growing up I always had this dream to retire early, and travel North America in a driving RV. There is too many places I want to see in my lifetime. I have a weird obsession with Oregon, I’d love to step foot in Canada, Mexico and Iceland. Plus, I must see Australia before I die. Oh, and Egypt! I must see those pyramids. Travis on the other hand wants to travel to Germany and Ireland. No complaints there. We should probably get some passports here shortly though.

Do you try to steer your posts in a certain direction or do you find yourself naturally drawn to a particular subject?

I’m not sure how to answer this question. I just kind of post whatever I’m thinking or working on. There really is no schedule. I just try to post things that are important to me, or things I’m interested in.

What has been the hardest thing about blogging?

I’d have to say the money. If I don’t have the extra money, the blog kind of goes silent, because I can’t go out to the craft store and buy some yarn or something. I’ve been trying to come up with ways to gain revenue from the blog, but it’s a slow process. Plus, we are trying to save for a house, and pay down some leftover debt so I tend to take money meant for blog projects and throw it in my savings account, or throw it towards my student loans. Could you imagine what blogs would be like if we all had unlimited funds? But, I guess that takes the fun out of it all.

How do you divide your time with blogging and a full time job?

It’s a juggling act. I have busy and slow times at work, and it varies month to month. I get my work done first, and then I work on blog stuff (writing posts, researching things, connecting with readers… etc) Some days I don’t have a thing to do, so I spend it working on the blog or coming up with post ideas. I try to do MOST blog things before 5PM. Travis usually gets home at 5:15 at night, so by that time I like having all blog things done and then we just hangout together, I don’t do much blogging stuff on weekends either since that’s family time or I’m super busy. So a simple answer to this is, that I work on the blog during the week, from 8 – 5, but only when I don’t have anything to do at work. Oh, but lately, I’ve been working on blog stuff while laying in bed. So maybe I’m starting a new habit. :)

What do you do as a full-time job?

I’m an administrative assistant for a non-profit organization. Nothing fancy, just a regular 8AM to 4PM, Monday to Friday job.

How did you come up with your blog name? Is there a special meaning behind it?

I was going to do a special post on this once it actually happens, but I’m sure some of you are looking for an answer to this question. Mailbox Journey is named after a mailbox that my pawpaw was making for me. He was a skilled wood craftsman. He would make the neatest things out of wood, my nanny would paint them, and then they’d sell them at craft shows. At the time, I loved pugs, so he started making me a mailbox to use at my house one day. Unfortunately, he passed away before he was able to finish it. So my cousin, Mikey, stepped in and finished it for me and painted it to look like a bulldog. (The plans were for a bulldog mailbox, but my PawPaw was going to turn it into a pug, since they are somewhat similar. I don’t think my cousin knew this, he just followed the plans so it would be a surprise.) This all happened when I was 13, so I’ve been holding onto this mailbox for the past ten years. Waiting for that moment when I finally own a house, and I can place that mailbox out front. This also slightly terrifies me because when we first moved into the house that my parents built, we had teenagers smash our mailbox with a baseball bat, and put dead frogs in it. If any rotten teenager touches my mailbox. I will hunt them down. :)

P.S. The giveaway is still open, you’ve gotta enter to win!

Posted on May 20, 2013 - 21 comments
 Filed Under: Blogiversary

** This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Lindsay /- Check your email! **
Exactly one year ago, Mailbox Journey officially began and what better way to celebrate the actual Blogiversary day then to host a giveaway for my awesome readers! Let’s face it, without you, the blog would not be where it is today. For this giveaway one (1) of my lucky readers will be chosen to receive the following:


A $25 MICHAEL’S GIFT CARD!

Prize: One (1) $25 Michael’s Giftcard
Number of Winners: One (1)
Prize Package Value: $25
Prize Ships: Everywhere
How To Enter: Use the Rafflecopter Widget Below
Giveaway Entry Deadline: Friday, August 17th at 12:01 am EST
Winner Announced: Friday, August 17th

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on May 20, 2013 - 24 comments
 Filed Under: Blogiversary, Giveaways