Happy 10th Blogiversary

Believe it or not, October 2019 marks the 10th year I have been writing this blog. It began when I sat next to my friend Alicia at one of those endless school auction meetings one night....you know the ones. Boring, but necessary. Probably not paying proper attention at the meeting, we got to talking and Alicia told me she loved my style and suggested I start a blog. I answered, "What is that?",  being the tech savvy girl I wasn't. So we met over coffee, and she showed me the way.

At first I just wrote about what I love, and downloaded photos from the world wide web, because I didn't have a photographer or really know what I was doing. But I did love to write. I come from a long line of well spoken, educated folk, and talented writers, including my brother Tom, who has made a living out of it. My grandfather was the night editor of the Billings Gazette newspaper, and my Mother wrote poems and other things. It was also not long after I began my blog that my Mom was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease. I used my writing to share my love for her and my grief over the terrible disease that took her away slowly and painfully from us. Sometimes I wrote about fashion to escape this reality and do something creative, and sometimes I wrote about life.

My first photo shoot with Krissi Beeksma Morse

Finally, I asked a friend, Krissi Beeksma Morse, who had taken family photos for us and was incredibly talented, if she would be interested in being my photographer. She jumped at the chance, luckily for me. We clicked instantly, and I liken our photo sessions as often a type of speed date. We talked about life, there was often a child in tow, and we had and still have, a lot of fun. Krissi is a treasure and she is the reason for the beautiful photos that I have. I love her and am so grateful for her ability to make me look good and for her lovely good nature. She's a treasure.

Last week on a trip to Montana. Photo by Tom J. Astle

If anything, West Fulton Street has recorded how I grow and change every year, not just with my ever evolving style, but in the woman I am becoming. I'd like to say that I welcome the wrinkles I have earned but I don't exactly. I make peace with them, and with my shortcomings. But I like the person I am today and I believe in being one's authentic self, and in kindness, humor, and love. The people I share my time with are the ones that bring light and make my world better.

My tag line for my blog has always been, "Be beautiful, be stylish, be you. No matter how many candles are on your birthday cake." Cheers to another decade of living life beautifully. And thank you, as always, for reading.

xx