Welcome to the second week of the Blogger Bliss series! This series has given me so much motivation for STH recently. I have loved being able to connect with other bloggers and learn more about them. Having fellow blogging friends is so important to me and I just love being able to get to know other’s better.
This week I am excited to be introducing y’all to Kathleen from Places I Will Go. She and I met briefly a year ago while attending the Thrive Blogging Conference. We have reconnected and I could not be happier because we have a ton of things in common. She and I live in the same area and plan on meeting up soon. I hope you enjoy getting to know more about Kathleen, she’s amazing!
Hi Sweet Tea and Hydrangeas readers! My name is Kathleen and you can find me over at Places I Will Go. I’m a middle school history teacher and consider myself a part-time blogger. I have been blogging for about 7 years now, but have been doing it seriously for about 4 years. I am a Texas native, but lived in Florida for about 3 years while I worked for the Walt Disney Company. I consider myself a lifestyle blogger, because you can find several different things on my blog but I would love to move into a more concentrated niche and am working on doing just that. A few of my favorite things include; reading, photography, Target, Bravo, movie theaters, Dr. Pepper, and traveling!
1. What are some blog posts that readers should start with to get to know you better?
Boy it was hard to narrow it down to just three! But if you read these three posts I think you’ll have a good sense of who I am as a person and blogger! 🙂
Exploring Houston: Murals of the City – This is one of my most read posts and is travel themed which is the niche I’m really hoping to move into this summer!
2. What inspired you to start a blog? How did you come up with your blog name?
I started my blog in the fall of 2010 while I was still in college. I had one more semester of college left and knew I would be moving to Florida after graduation so I wanted a place where I could document this new chapter in my life. I really had no idea blogging would become such a big part of my life when I started. But I am so thankful that I decided to start because it has introduced me to a whole world that I love being a part of.
As for my blog name, Places I Will Go, just seemed like the perfect way to introduce my next chapter. I was leaving Texas and moving to a new state, with a new job, and knew I would be starting a new life. People get a little confused when it comes to my blog name because it totally sounds like it is exclusively a travel blog, but sadly it is not. But I am trying to rebrand the blog in that direction because travel is something that I absolutely LOVE, especially since taking my very first trip to Europe in the summer of 2015. So stick around because this summer the blog is getting a nice little brand make over and I have some exciting changes coming! 🙂
3. How has blogging made an impact on your life? What has been your biggest/ proudest blogging moment?
As I mentioned, blogging has become so much more than I ever thought it would be when I first started. I have made some of the best friends though blogging- Ashley from The Wandering Weekenders, Jenn from Going the Distance, and Jessica from Lovely Little Things/Glisten Fit (she was actually my very first blogging friend/blate ever! I even went to her wedding 3 years ago!) are just a few of the friendships I’ve made through blogging. I attended my first blogging conference, Thrive, here in Houston and made some more great connections with fellow bloggers in Houston. I’ve met so many inspiring women through my little space of the internet and that has been the most gratifying and impactful thing this little hobby of mine has made.
I think my proudest blogging moment was two years ago, I had written a review on the travel company I used for my trip to Europe, Go Ahead Tours, and after having read my post, the company actually contacted me about featuring one of my pictures in their large catalog and also featuring me in an interview in the spring catalog they released in the Spring of 2016. I just felt so validated as a blogger after all that excitement. It meant people were actually reading my writing and found value in it. Fingers crossed there are more moments like that in my future!
4. What are your favorite topics to blog about?
I love blogging about my travel experiences, books I’ve read, and also big things that happen in my life. I started this blog to document different parts my life and I’ve found that those are the posts that people tend to like the most.
5. If you could meet any blogger, who would it be?
Ok I’m gonna cheat a little bit and put two of the bloggers I would love to met one day.
First up would be Lauren from Aspiring Kennedy. She is a native Texas like me but lives in London with her adorable little family. She is a travel blogger and helps people plan travel itineraries not only to London but to other destinations as well. I’ve been reading her blog for about 3 or 4 years now and I just love following along with her. She has a great writing style and has such a genuine persona online. I think she would be a fabulous person to have tea with and spend the afternoon strolling the streets of Notting Hill with!
Next up would be Helene from Helene in Between. She too is a native Texan and is also a travel blogger (are you seeing the theme here?). She and her husband recently moved to Germany and are living their dreams of traveling all over Europe for the next few years. She blogs about travel and offers great blogging tips on her website. She too has a fantastic writing style and takes the dreamiest pictures of her travels. If I could switch places with her, I totally would. (and yes, I realize that sounds the tiniest bit creepy, sorry I’m not sorry) 🙂
Now Just for Fun:
6. What are your hobbies besides blogging?
i’m a HUGE reader, you can read some of my latest book review posts here and here. I love exploring new places around the city I live in, going to the movies, photography, and watching all the TV shows.
7. What is your dream vacation spot? What has been your favorite destination that you’ve traveled to so far? (I know you enjoy traveling)
Right now my dream vacation spot is Bora Bora or Fuji! The pictures I have seen from those Pacific Islands are totally dreamy. Staying in one of those bungalows on the crystal clear blue water would be the ultimate relaxation in my humble opinion.
My favorite travel destination so far has been Amsterdam but Lake Como, Italy comes a close second. Amsterdam had the best weather and was so easy to get around. But Lake Como was absolutely GORGEOUS and had tasty food and of course gelato. Enough said.
8. What television shows are you currently watching?
Currently I am watching…..Southern Charm, Real Housewives of New York, The Amazing Race (it’s my dream to one day be on this show with my brother), Famous in Love, Dancing with the Stars, Parks and Rec, Designated Survivor, and
9. What is your favorite thing about being a teacher?
I’ll be honest, I’m struggling with my love of teaching right now. So this isn’t the best time for me to answer this question. There is a lot going on with me when it comes to my job and I’m currently working on figuring out just what I need to do to get back to the reason I became a teacher. Now if you had asked me this question four years ago I would have said teaching a subject I’m passionate about (I teach history and majored in it in college) and see my students succeed and develop an appreciation for history. I feel like lots of people think it’s boring. And I love showing students that history is so much more than just a bunch of dates. One of my favorite quotes about history comes from a book I read by Jodi Picoult, “History isn’t about dates and places and wars. It’s about the people who fill the spaces between them.”
10. What are three books you would recommend reading?
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
These are three great books from three different genres. I wanted to include a little something for everyone! 🙂
Connect with Kathleen:
Thank You so much Kathleen for being apart of the Blogger Bliss Series! I hope y’all enjoyed getting to know her better! Make sure to show her some love by connecting with her!
If you’re interested in being featured email me at sweettea.hydrangeas@yahoo.com
Interesting hearing from other bloggers and their perspectives. I’m still new to the blogging world….maybe one day I will connect with other bloggers that have a relationship like this- but right now, I’ve encountered just selfish ones.
Crystal I love getting to know other bloggers. It’s a great way to learn and make friends. That stinks that you have not meet any bloggers that are nice. I hope you are able to connect with some better bloggers!
Hi Kathleen nice to meet u! Congrats on your feature from the travel company! So cool! I had something similar happen to me with a resort I blogged about in Puerto Rico! Super cool!
Hi Erica! Thank You so much for reading about Kathleen! She’s such an amazing blogger! What resort did you stay at in Puerto Rico? I went there last month and loved it!
BORA BORA, YASSSS! I love the fact that you’re highlighting other bloggers on your blog. I am doing the same thing with highlighting instagram accounts I like right now. Gotta lift eachother up and promote others who’s work we admire. Can’t wait for the next one!
Safaniya thank you! I love being able to cheer on fellow bloggers and get to know them better. Bora Bora would be amazing to go too. Kathleen is such an awesome blogger!
It was so fun to get to know Kathleen. I’ve followed her on Instagram for a while but I didn’t really know anything about her. Y’all are making me want to move to Texas and travel the world!
Congratulations on your biggest blogging accomplishment. That is truly something to be proud of. I hope more opportunities like that come to you! I love Helene from Helene in Between, too. All her posts and snaps make me want to move to Germany like yesterday!
You are my hero for being a middle school teacher. My son is in his 8th grade year now so I know what a difficult age this is and I also know that the need for teachers who are understanding and accepting of this age is really great. Middle school has been tough so he’s really taken to the teachers that are kind, loving, and patient with, not only him but his classmates, too.
Leslie, I’m so glad you enjoyed getting to know Kathleen better. You should move to TX!!! That would be awesome but I know you just got your new house. Maybe one day. 🙂 Helene in Between is awesome! I actually got to live in Germany for a month while visiting my family. Loved it! Thank You so much for reading!
Nice to meet Kathleen! I’ll have to check out her blog!
Rachel you should definitely check out Kathleen’s blog!