“I’m a food and travel blogger/photographer”.

That’s my short answer when people ask what I do for a living.  I’m typically met with curious faces, a plethora of questions, and a lot of misconceptions. The assumptions about what I do for a living or what a typical day looks like for me are pretty funny…I don’t stay in my pajamas all day. I don’t go around and write nasty reviews of restaurants. I love food but don’t believe I’m obsessed with food (I rarely watch The Food Network or read food related books and magazines). Since I cook a ton and have four kids, I’m about the last person who can give a lot of great restaurant recommendations in the city I live in.

I’m BLESSED to be a blogger. I’ve grown Dine & Dish since 2006 and have had some incredible experiences. My job is not hard…fighting cancer is hard. Blogging? It’s not hard. Does it challenge me? Yes! I’m running my own multi faceted business, which provides a ton of daily challenges. Can it be frustrating? Like any job, it definitely can. But overall the best way to describe my career is as a blessing. I’ve been able to stay home and take care of my kids, doing something fun and fulfilling, while bringing in an income that helps support our family. I have the best of both worlds.

I’ll admit that lately, mostly in this past year, I’ve taken my job for granted. I haven’t felt burnt out, necessarily, but I needed to step away and re-shift my priorities. I mean, Leah starts kindergarten in 2 weeks (!!!) and my oldest is starting his last year of middle school. Add to that my mom being in the hospital all summer and my sister-in-laws breast cancer diagnosis, it seemed that my personal life was changing, and with that the need to refocus became crystal clear. …

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The post Sharing by the Shore Bloggers Retreat – Traverse City, Michigan appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I know I know… I’m horrible at keeping up with Project 365. Normally it’s this time of year that I stop uploading and sharing and give up. I never quit taking photos every day but if you’ll look at my past few years attempts, this is the time when I usually get so behind at uploading that I just quit The pictures stay on my computer and no one ever sees them.

Not this year. Nope… This year I’m going to bore you all to tears while I get caught up on my photos from July and most of August. Then, I have no vacations or out of town trips planned that should throw me off from uploading for awhile! Thanks for hanging in there! Here we go……

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The post Project 365 2012 – July through Now appeared first on Dine and Dish.

These past two weeks were pretty uneventful, but there are little moments I want to remember that I probably wouldn’t have had I not captured them on my camera. I’m so thankful I’m doing these posts as I know how much I treasure being able to look back in time and re-live the memories. Thank you for being there to take a peek as well. I do appreciate your comments and feedback!

OK…. now on to the pictures from week 25 & 26 of June!…

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The post Project 365 2012 – Week 25 & 26 – A Photo a Day Journey appeared first on Dine and Dish.