Top Ten Tuesday- Thankful Freebie

Top Ten Tuesday is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is a thankful freebie. I’ve decided to share 10 things that I’m thankful for as a result of blogging. (In no particular order of course).

Blogging and Author friends

Oh my wonderful blogging buddies. Thanks to reader retreats I was able to meet several of them in person this year. I was also able to connect with multiple authors and get to know them as more than just the people behind the words on pages. (Pics below at the events)

CFRR

CFRR 2019 was my first ever reader retreat that I attended and I can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am that I was able to attend! I’m also glad that I was able to experience it before it’s adoption by ACFW. I’m hoping to attend next year as the ACFW Storyfest but it’s a lot more expensive (and will involve flying) so we will have to see.

FRS

FRS is the second retreat I attended this year and one that I fully intend on going to again in the future. I spent a few extra days in the area so the fun was able to extend beyond the event itself.

Books

I mean, you can’t be a book blogger without books right?? Thankfully I admit that I get a lot of free books but I also buy a lot of them too. I try to support my local Christian bookstore as much as I can.

Pathways Christian Bookstore

Speaking of my local Christian bookstore, I recently started partnering with the store to feature a different fiction book each week for Fiction Friday. It’s great to get to support both authors and local business at the same time.

Social Media

Yes, I am actually stating that I’m thankful for social media here. While it certainly has it’s negatives, social media also allows for connection between people that otherwise would not be able to interact. Nothing compares to seeing people in-person, but being able to hang out with each other on Facebook and such helps fill in the holes and keep us connected throughout the rest of the year.

Book Clubs

After getting some negative comments when I suggested starting a local book club a few years ago I decided to ignore those voices and start one in my home. I’ve only done it a few months so far but I’ve already found it to be a lot of fun and it’s been getting others in my community excited about reading as well. When I posted on Facebook about it I was amazed how many comments I received from people that weren’t local wishing they could be a part so I started one on Facebook each month as well. Lots of bookish fun to go around!

All Things Bookish

Shortly after I started blogging I made a few fun bookish shirts with one of my cousins. After loads of comments at each of the reader retreats I’ve attended (along with random people in public), I officially opened an Etsy shop to share them with others. (Link at the top of page if you’d like to check it out).

Montana Trip

Yes, I got to go to Montana earlier this month and spent two whole weeks at author Kimberley Woodhouse’s house. It was amazing and I can’t even tell you how much fun I had. We did some author pics, lots of reading and writing, and I got to get a glimpse of the busy life of Kim. I made some wonderful new friends while I was there and Becca Whitham came to join the fun as well. (Because, you know, us Beccas tend to multiply around Kim haha).

#thebeccas

In all my life I don’t think I’ve been surrounded by so many other Beccas as I’ve met at the reader retreats this year. #thebeccas became a real thing. I still wish we would have gotten a picture of all of us together at CFRR this year because there was literally about a dozen of us lol. Then for FRS the hashtag took off then Becca Peterson and I roomed together and it was dubbed “the Becca room.” It was funny how people thought we’d been best friends for a long time when in actuality we’d met at CFRR and live on opposite sides of the country. CFRR was where “Becca the Tall” (Becca Whitham) and “Becca the Short” (me) were born, and then we later created “Becca the Just Right” for Becca Peterson. BUT there’s more than just the three of us. It’s never been more fun to be a Becca in my life though haha.

There is sooo much more that I could share but these are just a few things that came to mind when I think about how thankful I am for the blessing that blogging has been in my life. I never could have imagined how many awesome people I’d meet and the friendships that would develop through it. My heart is happy.