It’s always fun to start a new year here on ‘Or so she says…’ because I get to introduce to you a bunch of new and fabulous bloggers who have joined the blog team. There is sooooo much talent and creativity out there and my behind-the-scenes gals and myself work really hard to find our very favorites and slap a ‘she’ in front of their name. We’re pretty excited about these gals, both new AND the ones who are sticking around for another year. There will be oodles of blog posts and ideas coming your way. So be here, every day, yo. There’s always something new… recipes, parenting tips, travel ideas, crafts, gift ideas, and so much more!
Today I want to introduce you to Lindsay from Lindsay Ross Blog.
I was excited to snag Lindsay as a contributor! Her blog is different than what you might normally see. She shares lots of her photography tips (she’s awesome), but also has a lot of posts that are super REAL… posts that inspire you to be a better person. You know I’m all over that kind of stuff, so yay!! She’s awesome. I’m excited for you to get to know her over the year.
A few of my favorite posts from her blog: Best Advice I’ve Ever Heard About Parenting, Treadmill Shredmill, and Why We Have to Get Those Pictures Off Our Computers!
Hey. I’m Lindsay and I’m excited to be a contributor this year. I’m from Utah and I am married with four kids. I am a natural light photographer and I blog over at Lindsay Ross Blog. I love Lake Powell, people, stories, photographs, helping people, being active, reading, running, boating, and more boating.
My #1 favorite blog post from 2014: “From the mother of an addict. My mother.” This is probably my favorite because it was the hardest one to post. When I started my blog I had a few main goals. To use the Internet for GOOD, to be real, and to be vulnerable. This post takes care of all three. The good and real part aren’t as hard, but being vulnerable is something I’m trying really hard to embrace. It’s not easy.
My #1 most pinned post from 2014: “Books that inspire better, more meaningful living” This is a list of 13 books (with quotes from the books) that inspire me to be a better person and live a more meaningful life. It’s encouraging to see it pinned so many times. Proves people still value reading!
My #1 favorite book: It’s super unfair to only ask for one. I’m listing two. “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller. This changed the course of my life. And “Love Does” by Bob Goff.
My #1 beauty product: Oh boy. I honestly don’t have one. I’m as tom-boy as they come and couldn’t even tell you the names of makeup I use. How about black rubber bands to pull my hair back in a pony tail or braid. Does that count as a beauty product?
My #1 favorite healthy recipe: I’m generally not a green smoothie or juicer girl, but I love this spinach protein shake.
My #1 favorite movie: Hmmmm…I quit watching a lot of movies when I had kids. But one of my all-time favorites is Top Gun. It’s one of those movies I can watch over and over again. “What you should have done was land your plane.”
My #1 family vacation: Hands down Lake Powell. I would go there for a week over just about any other vacation on earth. It’s my happy place. Where my soul comes alive.
That’s me and my niece attempting to double surf. It’s way harder than people made it look on the Interwebs. Plus she’s not pulling any of her own weight and I have a sweet comb-0ver. Lake Powell is literally heaven on earth for me.
My #1 place to spend money: Amazon buying Kindle books. Book after book after book. I really should get them from the library, but there’s something about them being mine. And I highlight a ton and want to be able to find all those highlights in one place. I refer back to the books I read often. My second place would be Under Armor. I love that store.
My #1 personal mantra: ‘Go Big or Go Home.’ That’s a general mantra we say as a family. My mantra for this year is: “Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you; Beginners are many, but enders are few” I’m a professional at starting things. And being really excited about something. And then I fizzle. I want to start great things and this year I want to FINISH or stick with great things.
My #1 goal for the new year: This is my first year really being deliberate and intentional about the goals I set. Writing them down and creating an action plan to make sure they get done. I’ve broken down the goals into a few different areas of my life. My #1 goal for helping other people is to finish and launch my online photography course helping moms tell the stories of their family. And another goal is to read the Bible from start to finish. As a Christian and believer in God, I should have done that a long time ago.
I have had to really train myself to borrow books from the library! It’s so hard because I would prefer to own every book I’ve ever loved. They’re so beautiful on the shelf, and I love cracking them open, dog-earing pages, making notes in margins and not worrying about returning them.
Also, I loved your mom’s post about your brother. Thanks for sharing that.
Liv, I’m trying to embrace the whole library thing. I just LOVE highlighting in Kindle so so much. If it’s a fiction book, library for sure. But those self-help, motivational books–I need my highlights. 🙂
Wow, what a emotional post from your mom! It’s so sad… that darn addiction stuff. I hope things are going okay with your brother right now. Thanks for sharing that story. I know it was hard to do.
It’s so fun to learn about you! Can you believe I’ve never been to Lake Powell and I’ve lived in Utah for like 20 years now… lame. Okay, actually I did go there once in college, camped on the beach, but we were poor college students and had no boat or anything like that to get us out on the water! One of these days…
And, I’ll totally check out those books. I love inspirational books. Thanks so much, Lindsay! I’m happy to have you here!
Mariel, You need to go to Lake Powell. Like, ASAP. It’s heaven on earth. Literally.
I’m so glad you’ve joined the team! I just spent some time surfing your blog, and your post “best advice I’ve ever heard about parenting” really touched me. Thanks for the reminder! I’m excited to hear more from you!
Thanks so much Rebecca! I’m really excited to be a contributor here this year. And THANK YOU for taking time to surf the blog. Truly. Means a lot to me.