Blogging

My Blog Plan for 2021

by Ingrid
Anthem Community Park, Arizona

Are you new to blogging or do you consider yourself a seasoned blogger? No doubt, I fall into the latter group. I started this little blog of mine nine years ago – January 2012. On one hand, it seems like just yesterday and on the other hand, it feels like a lifetime ago. Time can be strange!

We all have our own individual reasons for starting a blog. Mine started out strictly for personal reasons as a means of documenting our travels and keeping family and friends up to date on all our new happenings. What transpired was the building of a community and a group of new friends. Friendships were forged and physical meetups were arranged.

Many of my original blogging friends have since sold their RV’s and found new places to settle and call home. Most have stopped blogging altogether. Some connections were strong enough that our friendship continues to this day while others have moved on. Life continues as new chapters are started, and as I reflect on the past nine years, I cherish the friendships and memories created.

How to preserve those memories?

What will happen to all our blog posts … our tales … our stories when we decide to deactivate our accounts? Say it isn’t so! No, I don’t plan on shutting down my site anytime soon. I still plan on being around here for a while and I hope you will be as well. I truly appreciate you stopping by, reading, liking, and leaving comments, and for that, I thank you. I love this blogging community and every time I take a break, I miss it … I miss you.

I know there will come a time when I will deactivate this account, but not before I find a way to preserve some of these memories and tales documented here on my blog. This has been my online journal, and I’d sure like to preserve it in some structured way. Thus, the idea of a “blog to book”. What a great concept. The first time I heard about this possibility was several years ago, and since then, there are now numerous platforms to choose from to do just that … turn my blog posts into physical books … books that are intended for my purposes only.

Cringe worthy writing!

I love the idea of creating a hard copy of select blog posts that I’ve written. BUT have you ever gone back and reread some of your original posts? Eek! I don’t know about you, but mine make me cringe. I mean, I literally want to hang my head in my hands in an embarrassing kind of cringe. However, if I look on the bright side, over the years my writing and my photographs have improved… at least I hope. I guess that would be known as progress. I’ll take it!

As much as my early posts make me cringe, I’m still very glad I jumped in and just wrote. My original intent, which continues to this day, is to write as I speak … minus my Chicago accent.😆 I want my blog posts to sound as if you and I are having a cup of coffee, or happy hour cocktail, together. My goal has always been to sound casual and inviting but without grammatical mistakes. Thank goodness for Grammarly. Where were you when I started this blog?

With that said, I’m not comfortable archiving many of my posts into a book format. Ah, what’s a gal to do?

My solution!

Since Al and I aren’t traveling like we used to and with this virus still hanging around, I find myself at a loss of blog material, a loss of inspiration, and at a loss of what to write about. Thus, I have decided to repurpose AND rewrite older blog posts, posts about our earlier travels with the RV. I also plan to add some new content to these tales … personal content and memories that I’d like to pass down to the next generation. After all, the whole point of turning my blog posts into a book is for the preservation of our travel memories … our life in an RV.

Hopefully, my images and writing will be somewhat less cringe-worthy and acceptable … acceptable to the level that I’ll feel comfortable turning those pages into a physical book; a book that will only be found on my shelf. Notice, I didn’t use the word professional. Yeah, I’m a realist and have no inclination to try and write professionally. Even my rewrites will still contain enough faux pas for an English teacher to have plenty to redline, and I’m ok with that.

So that’s my blog writing plan for the new year … to take you back in time and relive some of our travel tales and adventures. I hope you’ll stick around as I go down memory lane.

257 thoughts on “My Blog Plan for 2021”

  1. Even though its been some time i am writing here but whenever i learn of anyone who has left or isn’t active gives me subtle pangs. So many memories that we share here while writing come out as much more, and probably that is the magic we experience while writing, Knowing, seeing, understanding ourselves a tad bit better. I hope you don’t hang on for as long as you can.

    Thanks
    Nara x

    Like

  2. I just came across your blog, and love it! Hubs moved us across the country, Jax Beach, FL to Arizona, in 2014 for a job. He has worked in aviation from the age of 15 and works for th FAA. He’s a single engine and hot air balloon pilot and we are an aviation family. We live in Tonopah and if you’re out this way, we would love to meet you guys!
    ~Tracy

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Tracy. Wow, Jax Beach to Tonopah is a drastic change. Hope you are adjusting ok. We love connecting with our readers. Unfortunately, we don’t have any plans this year to travel I-10. But if you ever find yourselves heading north on the 17 let us know. We spend our winters near Anthem in an RV park. Thanks for stopping by and commenting … let’s stay in touch 😀

      Like

  3. Such a GREAT idea! If you find an ideal platform to turn our blogs into books – for personal reasons, let me know! I’d love to preserve what I can….and oh, yes, how I also cringe….LOL

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m be sure and keep everyone posted on the platform I use and how it turns out. Mona Liza from Lowe’s Travels printed out several books before taking down her site and I loved the way they turned out.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh no, her site is down?!?! They were also a couple we followed faithfully! Our love was hiking so they were helpful in finding places on the east coast.
        Did she self publish? Like yours, fabulous photography-worthy of publishing!

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        1. I knew once they moved into a sticks and bricks that she would stop blogging. The blog to print book is not considered self-publishing since it won’t be available to the public. It’s more like a personal Shutterfly photo album that converts your posts into a book. A few platforms are: pixxibook.com, blookup.com, blog2print.com, intorealpages.com plus I think Shutterfly also has an option.

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          1. She sent me all her recommendations. I know I have far fewer then either of you. I just learned I have 250. I’ve started at the beginning and am sprucing them up for a family book. I’ll probably stick with Shutterfly because I’ve made many with it. They keep them on-line to re-order – which is a plus!!!

            Liked by 1 person

  4. Ingrid, I love your idea! It will be such an interesting approach to document the life you and Al have been living. We have also been blogging for 9 years – amazing! And we too have had lots of old cringe-worthy posts that we’ve been rethinking and rewriting. I can’t wait to follow along. 🙂 ~Terri

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Terri. You two have had some amazing adventures over the years and I would think many of your posts would be worthy of putting into print via a keepsake book. I’ll keep everyone posted once I have my first volume printed. Stay tuned!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks! I knew if I just started writing blog posts, my regular readers would be confused, therefore the explanation. I’m really enjoying the journey down memory lane.

      Like

  8. Just stumbled upon your blog, I’m looking forward to reading your past travel adventures! I’ve always wanted to rent an RV and go cross country! This may just be the thing that inspires us to do it lol!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think renting an RV is a perfect vacation option. You’ll learn so much about the lifestyle as well as, hopefully, have a great time. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll drop back to hear about some of our misadventures.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. It is my first time reading your blog, and as a newbie (literally because I just started earlier), I am really inspired and motivated on about what I read. Thank you so much and I am really anticipating to learn more from you and your works. 😃

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Yes, it is very challenging to travel these days. That’s why I’ve chosen to travel down memory lane. Fingers crossed this summer will be somewhat less restrictive. Happy blogging!

      Liked by 2 people

  16. Well penned Ingrid! I must appreciate the way you crafts your thoughts. You are amazing exactly like your page.
    But hey! I have also started blogging on positivity and good mental health.
    It will mean world to me if you can please visit my blog and shower some love.
    Thanks and never stop being such an awesome soul. I am just a fan of your writings. Never stop dear!!!!

    Liked by 4 people

  17. Congratulations Ingrid for making upto 9 long years. Although, I am new to your site, I could sense the zeal that you brought to other bloggers. Good wishes for you!keep blogging!!

    Liked by 4 people

  20. I am new here and I enjoyed this post. I felt the magic / nostalgia. You can also copy and paste every post ( and respective comments ) and paste into a PDF file.

    A book is sweeter for evenings with tea and couch.
    🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  21. Congratulations on your many years of blogging. I’ve been sadden when many of my original blogging friends have decided to stop blogging. I can understand where you are coming from being limited in what you can blog about since most of us aren’t doing any traveling at the present time.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thank you Karen. Yeah, 2020 I think put a lot of us in a funk. Although I did enjoy a wonderful summer, things are just not the same. Traveling down memory lane has been good for me and hope my readers enjoy these new tales.

      Liked by 2 people

  29. I agree about re-reading old blogs and i hang my head as well!!!! Sounds like a great idea! Blog to book!! Two generations from now will have a historical idea of what we have been through in 2020 😹

    Liked by 3 people

    1. That is the game plan … to have a physical account of our adventures since I know I’ll deactivate this account at some point down the road. Happy blogging 😀

      Liked by 2 people

  31. Wow! Nine Years that is awesome! I just started out and could gain some valuable insights from you. Looking back at older posts and thinking 🤔 I really understand that. I’m an artist and many times I look back at my artwork and feel the same. Not everything needs to be made into a book. It makes me wonder what would I do with my posts a few years down the line. Very happy to read the post. Do keep sharing. For new comers like me the stories are all good and fresh 😀

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Yes, wonder what we’ll do with our posts down the road? That excited what started this journey for me. I’m really excited to step back in time and relive some of our adventures. Welcome to blogging. It’s a fun hobby and you’ll cyber meet some amazing people.😊

      Liked by 2 people

  34. I’m really interested in this project! Should I ever catch up with my current adventures I think I might do this as well. Can’t wait to catch up again with you!

    Liked by 3 people

  40. Thank you for sharing your plan. This is my first time finding you and this blog is the first one of yours that I’ve read. I’m still new here though I literally started in 2018 I just come every now and then but I can related to the cringe writing part but my goal is to improve my way of expressing my thoughts through writing so I’m just gonna have to ignore that part for now. Anyways, I’m glad I found you Thank you for being here 🥰

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you Linda. It has been fun going through old photos on my external hard drive and recalling old memories. I think this is just what I need to get through this covid time.

      Liked by 2 people

  42. Hi, this was really encouraging. I started blogging for the first time a little over a week ago and I have no idea what I’m doing. I just enjoy writing for now and am glad to see that(as with all things) time and experience will improve my naivety! Congratulations on all your hard work and growth!

    Liked by 3 people

  49. “Blog to book”! Wow, you just gave me a beautiful way to preserve my blog memories too. Although I started my blog about 4 years back, I started writing actively from last year thanks to the lockdown. My original posts from 4 years back do seem cringe worthy but I’m still attached to it as they made me happy at that time. I’m looking forward to improve my writing, connecting to more people on WP and hopefully helping people out (even if it’s a single person)

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  53. Ingrid we are very much on the same page on this one. I am in the midst of going through early posts and glancing over my shoulder hoping no one is looking at how terrible they were. In some cases I am copying out old diary type posts into a Word document to save. Then these are deleted and URLs redirected to better posts. So far 135 of those and counting. Once that is done I’ll get on to the re-writing phase. I’ve done some of that through 2020 and will continue. So bravo to you for tackling it. I think it will be work well worth doing.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Whew! Sounds like you’ve been busy. You and I have been following each other a long time and we’ve both changed up our style over the years. I’d call that growth! Here’s to staying inspired and creative in 2021 😀

      Liked by 2 people

  54. I’m in the newer to blogging category but I think this past year has left us all wondering about our inspiration and creative endeavors! I bet you will find that as you breathe new life into older posts, they will become totally new. Either way, they’ll be new to me haha. Best of luck to you!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I’m already having a great time stepping back in time and reviewing past travels and photos. Welcome to the blogosphere. It’s a wonderful platform to share creativity and inspiration. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Haha! Writing has never come easily to me. So when I jumped into blogging, I just went for it … flaws and all. Hopefully, my writing and photographs have improved after nine years of practice … one can hope 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  59. I’ve been struggling to come up with topics to write about too – No travel and limited socializing with family. Blogging has changed over the years. Most of my early blogging friends stopped a few years ago when WP got rid of the Recommended Blogger feature. It looks like WP ended their editors’ picks over the holidays.

    I love your idea of reposting material and publishing them in books. My biggest fear is that my blog disappears altogether! When I first started blogging in 2011, my husband printed out all of my posts and put them in binders. I should start doing that again.
    Happy New Year!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Yeah, I think 2020 put a lot of us in a bit of a funk. The past six months, I’ve really struggled with inspiration. When my dad was alive, I used to print out certain blog posts and snail mail them back to Illinois for his reading enjoyment. He was more comfortable with paper than an iPad. I never liked the way they printed out but he didn’t mind.

      With that said, I saw a few ‘blog to books’ that a friend of mine did and they turned out awesome. She really like pixxibook.com but also used intorealpages.com So I’ll be playing around and hopefully enjoy the process of stepping back in time. Keep us posted if you plan on doing something similar. 😊

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  60. I never thought of starting a blog to keep friends and family up to date, what a cool idea. I always thought blogs were business only. Great idea!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. It’s interesting to see how the blogging platform has changed over time. Blogging originally started as personal online journals and just in the last several years, the focus has changed to business and monetization. Many of us have remained in the personal journal category creating friendships and community along the way. I love it and will continue to blog as long as it remains fun and engaging.

      Liked by 1 person

  61. This is a great plan. I’ve only been blogging for 2 years, nowhere close to 9 years. I’m in awe of you and we share so much in common yet, I’m seeing your writing for the first time. I have not built the type of community you have yet I aspire to. I also write as I speak because I want to sound like I’m having a conversation. Oddly enough since December last year I also decided to take some of my old writing and well, rewrite them to make them less cringe worthy. It wasn’t so long ago that I was having a chat with a friend to tell him, I hope that one day I can turn my blog into a book. Thank you for this, you have made me feel like I’m taking steps in the right direction.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Awe, thank you for the kind comment. I do enjoy this blogging community and have made some wonderful friends. I’m still researching the various blog to book platforms. You can start with checking out pixxiboook.com or blog2print.com Let me know if you print and how it turns out. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

  65. I’ve just started my website and I can’t wait to see where it will take me. I’m feeling positive and happy 😊.

    Ps: Happy New Year Ingrid and to the rest of the commentors ❤

    Liked by 6 people

  66. Both, turning (parts of) my blogs into books as well as downloading them for offline use have long been on my mind.
    I’ve started, but never completed, downloading my entire blogs [with HTTrack – https://www.httrack.com/%5D, because it takes quite some time with the mass of data my blogs contain, but it’s still very much on my mind.
    As to turning parts of my blogs into books: I’ve started doing this by copying one page at a time with my travel story about our narrow boat tour in England in 2011 from my “Bilderbuch Blog [https://pitsbilderbuch.wordpress.com/]. That will take some time, but it gives me the possiblity of editing everything. How I’d then publish the book is still an open question – maybe using “Blurb” [https://www.blurb.com/]. Depending on how that works out, I might do the same for my “RailTrailsRoadTrips”.
    As to directly turning WordPress blogs into books – or downloading them, for that matter – there seem to be plug-ins.
    You might be interested in a discussion of that subject on a different blog, “Christas baeriger Blog” [https://christacanada.wordpress.com/] here: https://christacanada.wordpress.com/2020/12/29/eingefangen-5/
    I’ll be very interested in how your plans will turn out.
    Take care, and stay healthy,
    Pit

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Thanks for all the links Pit. I’ll have to check it out. I have a friend who has already turned her posts into books. She has used three or four different platforms, each one has its pluses and minuses. I’ll be talking with her again soon. But in the meantime, I’m adding some new content from when we first bought the RV until I started this blog which is a 2 year gap. I’m getting caught up and I’ll let you know when I print.

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  67. Very nice. yes, I also started out like you, and the whole world started with a normal picture shoot three years ago. yes, And now at the beginning of the year, the iron is one step by step. Set up my website….And the deeper we go, the more experience we are. It’s really nice to get to know you and your readers.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Yes, we hopefully learn and improve as we go. I am saddened with the photographs in my upcoming posts, but back then, all I used was an inexpensive point and shoot camera. Oh well! It’ll be fun to see my photography improve over time. Welcome! And I hope you enjoy.

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  68. I love the idea of turning posts into a book. I’ve been blogging for over 10 years and, like you, I sometimes wonder if I should be keeping them for future generations etc. Your post popped up at the right time… just when I was thinking about this. Thank you

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Congratulations on ten years of blogging. Are you like me and cringe at some of your earlier posts? I’m excited to rework and organize my posts to ready them for a print version. I’ll keep everyone updated on how that turns out. Let me know if you do the same.😊

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you! I know what you mean, I do cringe with a few of them when reading back. I’ll be interested in your journey with the rework and printing and I’ll keep everyone updated if I decide to do it with mine one day.

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  70. That’s such a great idea to go back and repost/rewrite posts from the past! I love going back through our blog and revisiting our adventures over the past eight years. Because of the pandemic and the personal challenges we had in 2020, I still have many posts to write about our travels in the Maritimes from 2019. I have plenty to keep me busy for the next several months while we decide what our next step will be, LOL. Hope all is well in your lives.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. My condolences! Although the past couple of months have been rough around here, it pales in comparison to your last 12 months. You write such beautiful posts that you’d be able to put any series into a lovely book. Mona Liza did a beautiful job printing out her travels and was my inspiration to do something similar. Stay well!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much. Unfortunately, the first couple of years of our travels, my photos aren’t to my liking, but it’s all I have. It has been enlightening seeing my photographic journey.

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  77. Love the photo of the heron and the waterfall. I believe I know exactly where you were standing when you took it. We used to spend a lot of time in that park. Your photographs are lovely. When my daughter decided to no longer blog, she made a book of her blog posts. I’m not sure which company she used and it wasn’t cheap, but she is glad she did it.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. That image was taken at the community park in Anthem (north side of Phoenix). Was that your thought? I have a friend who has published her posts and used a few different companies. Correct, not inexpensive, but worth it. I’d be interested to hear what platform your daughter used. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Yes, I was thinking of Anthem community park. We used to stay several times a year at a friend’s condo close to the park and we took lengthy litter-picking walks every day. Some days we counted wild rabbits, other days we sat and watched the lineup of turtles across the lake. We took family portraits there when our granddaughter was 3 weeks old and now when we visit we ride the train with the girls. (They attend school in Anthem.) My daughter had her blog printed by blog2print.com “Print My Blog Book.” She said it was expensive but she was impressed with the quality. BTW, we stayed at Pioneer for a few days in March 2019 and 2020. Perhaps we met in the laundry room. Not sure if we’ll make it down to AZ this spring.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Small world. Yes, perhaps we passed each other at Pioneer. Good to hear that your daughter was pleased with her book. I have a friend who has printed about 6 and loves them.

          Liked by 1 person

      1. I’ve just been watching a pathologist on the TV who says we have another year at least of fighting this virus. Thankfully our state and federal leaders are putting health first and heeding the advice of the scientists, so far, so good. But, it only takes one small mistake for this virus to run rampant. Take care, stay safe and live on the memories.

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  79. I was thinking on same lines a few days back. Reading this post was like hearing that little voice in my head. I hope you keep writing . I am glad I started the blog and hope to continue.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. As long as I still enjoy the process, I’ll keep blogging, but I know one day I’ll stop. When I do, I’d sure like to make sure I preserved some of my tales. Like minds 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  80. Thank you for sharing your personal blogging experience. I was today years old when I posted my first blog. I understand how you feel looking back. My first post is extremely basic. I look forward to growing in my blogging journey and creating content as beautiful as yours.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thank you for the kind comment and welcome to the world of RVing. Just remember, there will be some challenges, but the adventures will be worth it. By the way, you might want to add a ‘follow’ button to your blog. I’ll sub. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  83. Hi, Ingrid! Like everyone else, I’m glad you’re not “deactivating” but rather de-compressing (or de-something… :)) My blogs (our travels blog and my writing blog) sputter awhile until I get the notion to rev them back up… so I completely understand where you’re coming from.

    I’ve been blogging since before we went full-time (back in 2009) and I have a text version of all of them, plus references to the images I used in each. Even so, that’s not very visual, so to capture how they look onscreen, I sometimes use TechSmith’s Snagit, which has a screen-capture tool that allows you to scroll a page and save it either in the Snagit format or in PDF. It’s about $50 and I use it a lot; I sometimes capture an online article when I know my wifi is wonky and I want to read something offline later. Here’s the link if you think this might help: https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

    Would love to hear how you decide to put your book together and am looking forward to your re-visited posts!

    Ellen B

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out. Yeah, I was getting to a point where I just didn’t know what to write about anymore and I’d lost inspiration for photography. I needed a new focus and stepping back in time is turning out to be exactly what I’ve needed. Stay tuned!

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  86. When I first started writing a blog several of my running friends thought I should write a book on running. I could use my blog as a first draft.
    Well, I’m not that organized or motivated but it was a good idea.
    I like the idea of turning select posts into a book format.
    Technology evolves and old technology becomes useless – anyone else have a stack of 3.5″ floppy disks with college papers or financial information on them? – books have been around for hundreds of years and will be around for a while longer.
    I write about running and there hasn’t been a whole lot of interest to write about.
    There are some posts that I update every year but there are plenty of early cringe worthy posts that could use a re-write.
    I hope you are able to get back on the road eventually. I’m interested in the RV lifestyle.
    Andy

    Liked by 7 people

    1. I’m with you and don’t think I’d be able to write a book. But by focusing on one post at a time, I’m hoping when I put these posts in print via one format, that my children will find it worthwhile. I guess time will tell.

      We love RVing …. it’s the only way to travel.

      Liked by 1 person

  87. This is a great idea to rewrite your old blog posts! I actually think that makes it an interesting approach to the fact that we don’t go out as much nowadays..also I’ve never had an RV or travelled much for that matter, so I look forward to reading about your older travelling experiences! Times were different then and that adds a nice touch it 🙂
    I’m a fairly new blogger, like VERY new but I know I will learn a lot from your writing and also get to experience traveling through your eyes! Thank you for deciding to stick around (a lot hopefully :p) longer for us!!!

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Welcome to the blogosphere. You’ll meet some fantastic people on this platform. Just keep writing and engaging. You may even want to consider going to a local park and snapping some pics with your phone to add to your posts.
      Hopefully, some of my upcoming posts will be entertaining and that’ll you’ll stick around. Happy blogging!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much for that suggestion, what a great idea! I have a lot of pictures of parks from my phone actually, but it never occurred to me that I could write multiple posts with them 😅. And I know what you mean about meeting amazing people in this platform, I think it has helped me more than I hoped to help people. I look forward to more of that and your upcoming posts ofcourse!! Thank you so much for your response. 💕

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  88. As I wasn’t really involved in the blogging world nine years ago your rewrites will be fresh to me and I look forward to reading them. I only started my own blog last year, to be a mix of travel anecdotes and photography, and as I have many years of both to draw on, finding material isn’t really a challenge for me right now! I’ll have to look into those book options as it’s something I might like to consider down the line, when I have more posts accumulated 🙂

    Liked by 6 people

    1. This is a great time to enter the blogosphere considering we’re all spending a lot more time at home these days. Pulling out my external hard drives and going through photos from ten years ago is proving to be entertaining. My next few up coming posts are actually new material triggered by those pics. Happy blogging!

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Yes, it was the enforced time at home that got me started! I’ve written a blog on TravellersPoint for a few years, and before that was a top contributor to the now sadly closed Virtual Tourist website, but I’ve thought for some time I should start my own blog and now seemed the right time to do so 🙂

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  90. That’s a fantastic idea. I had a feeling you were a bit “out of ideas” when not traveling much – due to Covid and the “Phoenix arrangement.” I would be too. This is the perfect solution. Like you, I’m sure I’d find many typos and cringe-worthy sentences if I were to go back to my early years of blogging. I started in 2007… And, I cared much less about my writing then than now. Plus, my English wasn’t as good either. Turning my two blogs into books one day would be wonderful. But, perfectionist as I am (now), I’d have to reread, edit, and probably rewrite all of it!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Well, at least you have an excuse for cringe-worthy sentences considering English is your second language. I can’t say the same. Sometimes we have to push the perfectionist aside and just dive in … flaws and all.
      It has been a rough couple of months for me. So I’m hoping this little plan of mine puts me in better spirits 🤞

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  92. We started out and continue blogging for the same reason. To document our travels for ourselves and our family. And like you we have thought about how to preserve them for our kids kids and future generations. Will they read them? Who knows but we are struggling with the same dilemma

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    1. Yeah, who knows if anyone other than ourselves have interest in reading our travel tales. But once Al and I started RVing, I truly wished my parents had documented their RV travels. I would’ve loved to retrace. Mom had albums with lots of pictures but very little verbiage and my dad had a terrible memory for names. If nothing else, twenty years down the road, I’ll enjoy reading them.

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  93. Congrats on another milestone! Looking forward to hearing about the book idea. I’ve been looking for some ‘tool’ that lets you download all your posts quickly and easily to a format that is nice to look at. No luck so far.
    Over the years I’ve copied and pasted quite a few of my posts into Word Docs.
    One of the bloggers I follow has decided to take her blog down. I find that is sad because her posts are such great resource material. She doesn’t want to keep paying WordPress for a blog she isn’t using, and she doesn’t want her blog to become ‘polluted’ with WordPress ads (which it will once she quits paying the upgrade fee.) Tough decision.
    We’re still stuck in Alberta. Would like to be in Arizona, and could fly there if we wanted to. But sometimes it is better to dance with the devil you know than the one you don’t. Not sure I’d want to get Covid and be a foreign patient in AZ right now!

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Yeah, I was wondering if you had headed my way. The weather has been gorgeous but I’m still staying close to home and think you made a wise decision to stay in Canada. After all, life is anything but normal.

      One of my blogging friends turned all her travel posts into books before shutting down her site and said it was relatively easy. I’ll be checking with her again for the various websites and will keep everyone posted.

      Liked by 2 people

  94. Hi Ingrid. I found you from Second hand leisure….I started my blog for the same reason…to keep family updated on life, just as a creative outlet for myself, and it’s really still just that and I love finding new people to follow and learn from. I think it would be wonderful to RV and travel through the states…not sure that’ll ever happen but that’s okay.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Engaging with Terri’s Sunday Still’s theme is always fun and a great way to discover new blogs. We’ve been RVing now for quite a few years, and we’ve come to a point where we’re slowing down. Our interest is waning so it’s time to think about a new chapter, but not before we add in a few more adventures. Stay tuned!

      Liked by 2 people

  95. Hi, Ingrid,
    I began following Live, Laugh, RV about five years ago when you and Al were in Padre Island (I think). I was taken in by your bird photography and your love of the RV lifestyle. I look forward to reading some of your earlier posts as well as seeing your pictures from the past. Great idea! Please share the book printing information. Stay well. Joe

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thank you Joe. As I progress with these posts, I’ll be sure to let everyone know when I print the first book. As you know, we’ve had a couple of rough months and going down memory lane is exactly what I need right now. Enjoy the coast! I miss our TX Gulf Coast travels. Perhaps one day we’ll return.

      Liked by 1 person

  97. You will have to do a blog about the sites you found/are considering using to turn your blog into a book. I have also thought of doing that … like you I would only be doing it for me … but I like going back and reading about our travels and adventures over the last seven years and would like to preserve them in a book, or books 🙂

    Liked by 6 people

    1. My friend from Lowe’s RV Travels has made several books from her blog posts and has used three different print companies. They settled down in Wickenburg and I’ll be reviewing her books again before I decide which platform to use. I’ll let ya know!

      Liked by 3 people

  98. Ingrid, welcome back to the blogging world! I love your plan to rewrite some of your posts about earlier travels and I love the idea of blog to book. When you find a way to do it please let us know what it is!

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Thank you Beth. It has been a couple of challenging months, but such is life. I know there are several companies out there that do the printing. I’ll keep you posted once I dive into it further.

      Liked by 3 people

  100. Love that plan! If you find an easy way to convert the blog to a book, I am on board. Then I could put out annual updates or whenever it seemed the right time.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. I have a friend who has printed out six blog books from their seven years of full-time RVing. I’ll be visiting her soon and decide which platform she recommends. I’ll keep ya posted!

      Liked by 3 people

    1. You are very welcome! Thinking out of the box and brainstorming usually result in good ideas. I just need to make sure I don’t end up going down a rabbit hole when doing so 🤣😆🤣

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  102. As many have commented, I too, have given thought to saving blog contain in some form of hard copy, so am very interested to see suggestions on how to do so.

    Always look forward to reading your posts Ingrid, new or rewritten, I’ll be reading😘

    Liked by 8 people

  103. Ingrid, I know where you are as a blogger and I have had similar thoughts…..do I pull the plug and stop or do I continue? I think we all have summer writing – some of it good and some of it not so good…. I know I have plenty. I love your photos and I have enjoyed your adventures through the southwest, Padre Island, and the upper Midwest. I’ll keep reading and viewing and oohing and ahhing. A life unlived, is not life. Stay well and safe. Peace.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Always nice to hear from you Clay. Thank you for the kind words. I just started diving into posts from our earlier travels and I’m already having fun doing so. When blogging is no longer fun, it’s time to step away.

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  105. That is a great idea. I’ve often thought to go back to my old posts (I’ve been blogging since 2014) and decide whether to keep or discard them. There are a few cringe-worthy ones, but I also experience the “wow, did I write that?” sensation that I’m reading someone else’s writing. I think it’s great that blogs can act like a journal… or even a history book that you can revisit from time-to-time.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. I totally agree and feel the same way about some of my posts. Some I’m happy with and others not so much. I’m so glad I started this blog to journal the adventure. Now I’d like to preserve the journal.

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    1. Awe, thanks! On the bright side, I’m actually coming across a post here and there that I do like. Surprise! As long as I’m house-bound, this should be a fun project for me.

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  109. I have also found it harder lately to blog–is it due to restrictions of the pandemic? My son called me a few weeks ago because he wanted to put my blogs to a book for preserving since one day my blogging days may come to an abrupt end. I was trying to figure out how to do this (he is an internet start-up guy and knows how to do all this stuff), but if there is an easy way to do this, please share the links. In the meantime, I guess I will hunt around the internet for such a thing. I have also found the new format on WordPress a bit frustrating to design the page as I did in the past. I suppose my goal for 2021 is to: 1) find inspiration to write consistently again, 2) figure out the changing format of WordPress, and 3) figure out how to blog to book format. Thanks for writing just the words I need to read to get me moving again!

    Liked by 9 people

    1. You are welcome! I hope you find some inspiration. I know I’ve been struggling. I do believe it does have to do with the pandemic. Life isn’t normal and we’re not meant to keep our smiles hidden.
      The new editor is very frustrating in the beginning. Google has become my Gutenberg editor friend. The more I use it, the more I like it. My favorite feature is adding color to the background of a block. Keep plugging away. I promise, it’ll get easier. And I’ll keep everyone posted on the various blog print book platforms.

      Liked by 1 person

  111. That’s a great plan. I don’t blog, but I enjoy reading the blog’s of people I know. It was lovely talking with you a few days ago. At a distance, of course! I love the Fairy Duster photo. One of my favorite discoveries, a few years ago!

    Liked by 6 people

    1. It was nice chatting with you as well. I find those Fairy Duster’s fascinating. Think about documenting your travels in some form in the interest of your grandchildren. Someday they may want a reference as to where and what their grandparents did in their travel trailer. I wanted to retrace my parents RV travels, but my mom didn’t document their travels well … unfortunately.

      Liked by 2 people

  112. Great idea to refresh old blog posts, Ingrid. I know what you mean about earlier writing styles and also images that lack the better touches of new technologies. Congratulations on 9 years of blogging! With Sunday Stills I re-post older images, but only the better ones. We all learn and improve as time goes by!

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Well, let’s hope we all improve over time. I’m still learning the ins and outs of this new editor but it’s getting easier (and more fun) all the time. This old dog can learn new tricks … with time and practice. 🤣

      Liked by 3 people

  113. OMG…I was thinking about the first part of this topic this morning, Ingrid! Diana and I mentioned it the other day. We certainly haven’t stopped blogging (and don’t plan to), but we are wondering about the perpetuity end of it. The book is a great idea!

    Liked by 10 people

    1. We visited with MonaLiza and Steve at their new home in Wickenburg and she has made at least six of these books and used three different print companies. The books are awesome!
      Your posts are already well done and should turn into a book nicely. Hopefully, you’ll continue to blog and share more of life on your property this summer. Our search for a place continues!

      Liked by 3 people

  116. That’s a really good idea. I understand what you mean when you say you’re at a loss what to write about. I feel the same. Re-writing gives a purpose, and I’m sure it’ll lead you somewhere good.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Going down memory lane is already proving to be fun. I’ll be adding to those already published tales with more personal info. So hopefully they’ll be entertaining. Hope you’ll stick around. 😊

      Liked by 4 people

    1. Awe, thank you 😘 There are times when burnout steps in and I’m confronted with writer’s block. Traveling back in time reviewing our adventures is exactly what I need to do right now.

      Liked by 4 people

  119. It’s nice to know that you will be sticking around, Ingrid. My blog is staying put too. I use Grammarly as well, it’s amazing how many errors I make! The WP community is an amazing place, there are so many wonderful people on this platform. Stay safe, guys!

    Liked by 14 people

    1. Thank you John. Never in a million years did I think I’d make so many amazing friends via this blog. Wonderful people indeed. Hope you enjoy the upcoming tales.😀

      Liked by 5 people

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