UM OK? HOW DID WE GET HERE? It’s been a long time coming, y’all. Dang I cannot believe I started this little blog three years ago. I was in a place where I just wanted something that I could control, something that was mine. The summer before I jetted off to LSU, I made a leap of faith and created this corner of the internet. What originally was a blog for the preppy gal has evolved into something I couldn’t have ever dreamed of.
Blogging has truly been such a humbling experience. I honestly don’t think I would be the person I am today if I hadn’t started this blog. It’s brought me out of shell more than I’d like to admit. Putting yourself out there in real life is scary. But on the internet? Even more scary. That stuff is there to stay. Even after I am gone, LGIP will still be in the archives of the internet. Crazy stuff.
Growing up on the internet is such a unique experience. When I look back at some of my first blog posts, I can’t help but laugh. I’ve changed SO MUCH, y’all. I’ve grown up. AHHH it’s insane to think that I started all of this to chronicle my college experience and now it’s almost over. As I enter my senior year, I am so thankful I have an online scrapbook (of sorts) that I can go back and relieve my college years through.
Blogging has taught me so many things: discipline, self-confidence, the value of hard work. The list goes on and on. But mainly I think the one thing I have taken away from this entire crazy journey so far is that the internet does not define me. I know I talked about this a bit in one of my recent girl talk posts, but I’ll mention it again because I see so much value in it. The number of likes, comments, page views, and Instagram followers does not belittle me as a person. AT ALL. That’s something I know I have struggled with. To be honest, I still struggle with it to this day. It’s so hard to not define yourself based off what others think, especially in the digital age. But I think I’ve learned I’ve got to stay true to myself and the rest will follow.
As I stay true to myself: who I am and who I am working to be, things will fall into place. LGIP in the past year has become a place where girls can come and just be. We don’t have to pretend like we have it all together, because we sure as hell don’t. This summer I wrote one of my deepest (and honestly most favorite posts) and the feedback I got was AMAZING. It was unlike any other post I had written before. I got deep. Real deep. And y’all enjoyed it. It was relatable. It’s posts like those, where I can get real and y’all will understand/relate me to that make this entire thing worth it.
SO to sum up this entire heart-to-heart I want to say: THANK YOU. The past three years have been challenging mentally. That’s something that I never expected to get out of this experience, but I am appreciative that I did. Thanks to y’all, Louisiana Girl in Pearls has honestly made me a better person.
If you’re still with me, I would love to talk a quick lil trip down memory lane and share some of my FAVORITE LGIP posts from the last year.
What’s in my Forever 21 shopping cart
Why you need a pair of cropped jeans + how to style them
NYC recap (October) and NYC recap (July)
5 NYE outfit ideas you have to try
Everything you need to know about accutane + my skin care routine
Fake + bake | Summer self tanning routine
I MOVED! | How to move minimalistically + room tour
CHEERS TO THREE! HERE’S TO MANY, MANY MORE!
Madison