Tuesday, July 11, 2017

What It's Like Being Friends With A Blogger

Y'all I am so excited for today's post! I've been wanting to add in some posts of this nature for a little while now and have a few other ideas up my sleeves but am just thrilled to finally make this post a reality thanks to my friends' input. I'm not sure if I am excited for this since it shows y'all a little bit more about me or if this is just me being nosey and wanting to hear my friends take on how our friendship is unique because of blogging but it covers both bases. 

I sent some of my friends an email (which they will tell you is classic me) the other day with the idea and some general starting points for them (what people may not see that I do, favors I've asked, whether or not it's noticeable on the day to day, are there any perks, etc.). They had full creative license when it came to what they wanted to say and you'll be able to see some used that to their advantage more than others. When I got these back from them I couldn't help but laugh and hope that you enjoy their insight as well!


NELL

What’s it like being friends with a blogger? It’s honestly just like any other friend who has a serious hobby. Some people are really into running and spend a lot of free time training for races, traveling to races, actually racing, talking about running, buying gear for running, etc. It’s the same thing with Dorothy except for her, it’s devoting free time to blogging. I didn’t know Dorothy before she had the blog. Actually, when I was doing some research (aka stalking) on my future roommate (if you say you don’t do that, I don’t believe you) I somehow found her blog. Anddd read the entire thing. I remember thinking, “Wow, this is cool,” but honestly didn’t think too much about it. What I was more concerned with was whether or not to tell Dorothy I saw her blog. It’s weird because it’s out there on the Internet for anyone to find, yet I felt creepy acknowledging it. Anyone else that way?

Anyway, I don’t remember how it came up but I think Dorothy told me about her blog at some point freshman year, and I acted like that was brand new information to me. It wasn’t until a good bit later I admitted, “Yeah I actually found your blog before we came to Furman and read the whole thing but didn’t want you to think I was weird so I just didn’t say anything.” Whoops.
It’s amazing how much time it takes to keep up a blog. I can see how people make it their full time jobs. There’s a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into making posts, some more than others, but still…it takes planning. Dorothy’s always thinking up post ideas, gathering outfits to shoot, taking the pictures, making graphics, making videos, communicating with brands about collaborations, or writing a post. There are a lot of little pieces that come together for one post. As far as favors she’s asked me to do (I’m looking at my prompt, trying to hit all the points), mainly just taking pictures and then writing the book posts every other week. Oh, and attending some events, which is fun, and there’s usually free stuff! I guess that could be considered a perk of a blogging friend. And she’s given me some of the stuff companies send her! I try to get her to connect with companies of things I like (I literally asked if she could reach out to a cheese company) but that hasn’t happened yet…maybe one day. It’s been neat to see how much her blog has grown in the four years I’ve known her, and we’ll see what’s next (hopefully some free cheese!)

Disclaimer: Dorothy doesn’t contact companies just for free stuff. That’s just me trying to influence her for my own selfish reasons. Also, she doesn’t post about everything that companies send her. She was sent some miswaks this year (natural toothbrushes: “natural” meaning that it’s literally a piece of a tree that you brush your teeth with), and I can personally say that she would not recommend them (and neither would I).


CHANDLER

Being behind the scenes of Prep In Your Step is one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had! You would be SHOCKED at the many things that go into having such a successful blog. I have to say one of my favorite parts about it is getting to see/use all of the sponsored gifts she gets! I gotta admit the most exciting package that Dot ever received (for me at least) was this incredible, bedazzled bottle of Vaseline lotion! I just about peed myself when I saw it because, naturally, Vaseline is my personal favorite beauty product! While I was thrilled and in awe about this…basically no one else was because of all the amazing posts she does that are far more exciting than a bottle of Vaseline... Now, that's only one amazing experience I was lucky to have by being a part of the behind the scenes of Prep In Your Step, but honestly, thats probably the least of how great it is to see all that our sassy Dottie is up to in her blog and life. It is always so fun to see what she comes up with for each idea and outfit I see in our everyday life on her blog!


ELLISON


Being friends, roommates, and classmates with Dorothy is special in all the ways friendship typically is, PLUS some unexpected added fun. Being a blogger causes her to see the world in a slightly different way.

Average conversations can take a new direction. For example, when mentioning how much I had heard about a particular beach lately, Dottie’s immediate response was “it’s probably sponsored, people are getting paid to talk about it.” Granted this was partly in jest, I think. Now, every time I say I enjoy something, she responds with “#ad”. No Dot, unfortunately no one pays me to like these things. In fact, no one pays me to do anything. #unemployedgradstudent


School is different too…
When scrolling through a website for a school assignment, the first thing she comments on is how much she likes the font they used and wonders what it is called. When making a pamphlet for another school assignment, Dot had to make sure she found pictures that matched the color of the border she used. Sometimes she makes me really nervous because she starts talking about turning in an assignment I haven’t started. Then she explains that she has to wake up at midnight the night before said assignment’s due to shop a sale and post her favorites for y'all before they’re all gone. Oh yeah, sameeee

Dot’s good at a lot of things besides posing for pictures and writing sassy posts. I am slowly learning to cook by copying her meal prep verbatim each week. She has great aim too. Using my own nerf guns, Dot has stealthy sniped me at least 5 times in the past month alone. Don’t forget about her knack for interpretive dance. Yup. (Ask her about her arm workout to the famous “peel the avocado” video.) My parents and boyfriend are all very glad that I am living with her, as they’re hoping her innate cleanliness, domestic skill, and inclination to wear more that Norts and an XL t-shirt out into the real world will rub off on me. Results TBD, but I feel responsible just living among her. She also makes me feel like I should get up and start my day bright and early, as I always see her light on at 5am when I stumble to my bathroom before getting back in bed.

In addition to these wonderful talents, shawty dotty keeps me looking fresh and styles me for every event. Without hesitation, she calls me into her room to “shop her closet” whenever she knows I’m heading somewhere. When she sees me laying on my bed and that it is evident I won’t be getting up anytime soon, she’ll swoop in with an extra plate of whatever she made for dinner, making sure I eat and nudging me to go on a walk with her when I am finisned. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be her friend and I can’t wait to keep track of her blogger comments as our time together goes on!

P.S. She e-mailed me to ask if I would write this paragraph. While I was sitting 20 feet away. I can see her room from my bed.


SOPHIA

After being roommates with Dorothy for two years, you would think it would be easy to write about what it's like to be friends with a blogger. Because Prep In Your Step is such a big part of Dorothy's life, I can't imagine her without it and sometimes forget that waking up at 5:15am everyday to answer blog emails or making five trips a day to the mailbox is not normal. I sometimes forget that taking pictures of your friend getting their haircut and then holding bottles of shampoo (and backing into a hill of fire ants as I take them) is not normal. Being offered gifted Rice Krispy treats with my friend's face painted on them is not normal. I've learned there are so many little perks and odd requests that come with being a blogger, but it takes a lot of commitment. Thankfully Dorothy loves productivity more than anything, so what seems like a lot of extra work  on top of school work and teaching is actually a way to keep Dorothy sane - more work making already existing work more manageable? Definitely not normal. 

So there you have it, some of my weird quirks embodied in one post by some of my favorite people! I feel like y'all really got the full scoop considering you got input from three people I've lived/am living with. This may just fall in my top 10 favorite posts I've written and I didn't even do much of the writing! If y'all enjoyed this style of post and would want to see other ones similar to it definitely let me know as I could brainstorm some similar ideas! Now that you've had a good laugh for the day don't forget that Prime Day is still happening and I shared some great finds in yesterday's post



9 comments :

  1. I really loved this post - it's something I've never seen a blogger write about, and I love that it introduces all the friends in your life! Such an entertaining read!

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

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  2. Such a fun post! It was cool to hear about it from your friends' perspectives!

    Ashley // MyWellDressedLife.com

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  3. I loved this post, so funny! I can totally imagine my friends saying similar things!

    xo, Hannah
    hannahwithacamera.com

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  4. This is such a cool, interesting post that not only lets us know more about blogging behind the scenes but also your everyday life. Your friends seem so sweet and supportive!

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  5. I love this post! It is so true and I love that your friends are so supportive! That's when you know they're the best :)

    xoxo, Ally
    xoxoallisonnicole.com

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  6. This was such a cute post and super entertaining! I love that your friends have embraced all the weird, quirky things that come with blogging! Great post gal!
    xo, G
    theswirlblog.com

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  7. I loved this post! So fun hearing all different things from all your friends.

    xo, Abigail

    girlwithaplanner.blogspot.com

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  8. I loved this! I'm going to have to ask my boyfriend to do a guest post on what it's like dealing with Blogger Me. I know he can't stand how many pictures he has to take on a daily basis!

    xoxo, Paige
    www.thedailypaigeblog.com

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  9. I absolutely love this post so much! It was so fun to read all your friend's perspectives. I want to do this with my boyfriend's point of view
    Kate || KATE KOUTURES

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