Blogger Spotlight: Everyday Adventures

I am so excited to bring you another Blogger Spotlight today. This time I have the wonderful Allie visiting! Below is just a sample of her awesomeness, to see it all you've got to check out her blog!

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Hi friends! I'm Allie, and I blog at Everyday Adventures. I'm a tap-dancing freelance writer from Texas, where I live with my husband and trouble-making cat. I blog about life, ice cream, that anxiety you get from not knowing what your next steps in life are, and that unstoppable itch for adventure. I don't believe in boredom. When I start feeling bored, I stop being bored and be awesome instead. True story.

What led you to start a blog?

I've been blogging on and off for a decade. My first few blogs were super exciting; everyone likes lists of what you did every day, right?! :) After a couple of starts and stops, I took a journalism class in college that focused on using blogs to tell stories, and that helped me tremendously in finding focus for my posts. 

When I got engaged, I decided I wanted to share my wedding planning stories in an attempt to stay sane (because I haaaated wedding planning), and became a blogger for Weddingbee. While I was sharing all the things that were happening in that year-and-a-half process, I got addicted to telling my crazy stories to other people, and that's how Everyday Adventures was born! 

What is your favorite thing about being a blogger?

It's super cliché, but my favorite thing is the friendships I've made through blogging, and the awesome conversations I've had with blog friends that I might not have had in real life. And I've literally made friends all over the world since I started wedding blogging back in 2011. My husband is in the process of looking for jobs (he just finished his Ph.D.), and every time he tells me about a new place he's applying, I'm all, "Seattle! I know people who live there!" "Los Angeles! I know people who live there!" "AUSTRALIA! I KNOW PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE!"

You recently completed the Fire Academy; how did you end up signing up? What part of that experience challenged you the most?

Citizen's Fire Academy was probably one of the cooler things I've done. It's a free program our city offers every year, in which offer this 12-week class to members of the community, so we can learn about the fire stations, the firefighters' work, and a whole lot of other really cool stuff. A friend of mine works for the fire department in community outreach and education, and told me I should sign up. I am easily swayed by the idea of doing something new and exciting.

Near the end of the course, we were put through the same agility testing that the fire school requires of its actual firefighters. They made it clear that we didn't have to do anything that we weren't comfortable with, but I was determined to get as much out of this class as possible. That agility test was the most challenging thing for me, mentally and physically. It was a matter of telling yourself, I may be tired but I know I am capable of still going. Even when I couldn't actually complete all the steps without assistance.

What posts are you most proud of?

Well, the first one I thought of was this post about small talk and how much I wish we could get beyond it. I still stand behind it 100%. And then there was the one about my mission trip to Mexico; after I published it, my mom called me in tears to tell me she was proud of me for going.

As far as more fun posts, I've gotten a lot of great responses, both online and off, about my DIY faux-designer parrot sandals! And I am also super proud of my video editing skillz from my shoe vlog.

What is something you wish the blog world knew about you/your blog/your life that you haven't shared yet?

I'm pretty much an open book. If I haven't talked about a specific topic on my blog, it's either because I don't have a good story to tell, or because I know that my mother and mother-in-law and grandma all read my blog, and I try to keep things on the PG end (most of the time, anyway). But ask me anything, and I'll answer. :) There is very little that makes me uncomfortable, and I don't embarrass easily.

You cook and bake so many delicious foods; what's the most delicious recipe you've tried recently?

I quite enjoy cooking, but I'm actually a pretty terrible baker! Though I did make zucchini muffins last week, since a friend gifted me with a garden-fresh zucchini that was literally the length of my femur.

Recently, we've enjoyed these Chili Roasted Potatoes from Budget Bytes, this Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai from Shared Appetite, and Quinoa Veggie Soup from Glori of Food. And balsamic-roasted zucchini is basically my favorite thing ever, and I make it at least once a month.

What was your biggest kitchen disaster?

I'm not great at improvising when I cook, so I mainly follow others' recipes and just trust that the food will turn out as awesome as the blogger or cookbook-writer claims it will. I know my tastes, so I know generally what I will and won't like before I start cooking. But one time my sister was in town, and I had planned to make this balsamic chicken and couscous dish, and the recipe said to marinate the chicken in balsamic vinegar for a few hours before grilling or baking it. It smelled a little weird (not bad-chicken weird, just weird) coming out of the plastic baggie after I'd marinated it, but I figured if the cookbook author said I was doing it right, then obviously it was fine. It was not fine. We each took one bite of vinegar chicken and opted to go to Panda Express instead.

You recently celebrated your third wedding anniversary, congratulations! What advice do you have for newlyweds?

Thank you! :) Hm, advice? Always kiss hello and goodbye. Keep each other laughing, and keep the relationship fun even when real-life things aren't so fun.

You have an awesome Life List on your blog, what are you most excited to cross off that list?

You can check out the full list here. One of the things I've been working on for a long time is the Blue Bell Challenge — my attempt to sample every current flavor of Blue Bell Ice Cream. (It's a Texas creamery that is popular in the south.) People keep asking me if I'm tired of ice cream. No, but I am getting tired of having to look for specific flavors instead of just eating the ones I want! So I will be glad when I can cross that one off.

Otherwise, I am most excited about getting back into the swing of practicing my Spanish, and hopefully eventually becoming fluent. Oh, and any of the travel items. :)

You've already accomplished a ton of awesome things off the list, what sticks out as the best memory from what you've already done? Is it hard to pick just one?

It is hard! Especially because several of the things on my List are process-type things that you don't just do, cross off, keep the memory and move on to the next item, like reading through the Bible. But as far as specific events, getting married, obviously, came with a ton of awesome memories. I loved going on our Chicago road trip (but really I love traveling anywhere). I've tried so many new food items because of this List too! Basically I just love food.

Can you share some of your favorite blogs with us?

I've got a whole big list of ones I love over on my blog, but my current favorites are I'm Better in Real Life, The Lady Okie and Apartment Wife. As far as bigger blogs, my all-time favorite is Go Fug Yourself. I've been reading that one for like, six years now.

Thank you, Kimberley, for letting me share!

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Now that you've read about her awesomeness (you know it's true), go visit Allie and check out the rest of her adventures! If you want to share what makes you awesome check out the Let's Be Friends tab and read all about it! 

Keep Smiling :)