You guys. This break from college is… awesome. I feel like a totally new person and the idea that I can do whatever I want for most of the summer has me almost giddy! Let’s catch up.
Life:
Life has been wonderful now that I’ve finished my worst year of college. Next quarter I’m going to be taking classes on neurobiology, molecular genetics, psychology, and American literature. Oh! And I’m probably going to sign up for a soccer exercise class as well. Little known fact about me, but I played soccer for 12 years (5 of those being on a competitive club team) and I really miss the sport. FREAKING EXCITING.
Other than that, I’ve been soaking up my time in my hometown and have been developing some new recipes for Apple of My Eye and for my freelance job. Exercise is starting to make a come back as well and I went on a walk/run with my sister yesterday and played a good amount of tennis with Kyle today. This Thursday also happens to be my birthday, so there’s always that excitement :).
Blog:
One thing that really killed me this year was not being able to put much time into AoME. I love to blog. I love seeing my photography improve. I love to connect with all my bloggy friends. I love watching the site grow and think, “holy heck, could this turn into something?”. It’s exciting to say the least. One of my main goals for the summer is to nurture my little corner on the internet machine and (hopefully) watch it thrive! I don’t really mention monetizing my blog since that is NOT why I blog, but the idea that one day, maybe, it could turn into a part-time income is thrilling. Even if it just means paying for my Starbucks and food expenses, woweeeeeeee.
One thought that I’ve been toying with is posting monthly income reports like the fine folk at Pinch of Yum do. Lately, I’ve been talking a lot with Amanda about how we both plan on growing our blogs, and the transparency of talking numbers, different ad companies, freelance work, and improving our sites has been unbelievably helpful. There seems to be almost a taboo on mentioning making an income from blogging, which leaves little baby bloggers like me grappling for a sense on what works and what doesn’t. I’m still iffy about it, but I love the idea that my other blogging friends could learn something helpful from my trial and error and that we can all grow together. My one major reserve is that I don’t want to come off as insincere to my readers. The thought of you guys thinking that my primary goal is to make money makes me cringe.
Thoughts? I’d love to hear from some non-blogging readers as well! Your opinions mean the world to me.
Kyle:
Still happy as a clam with this handsome guy. He’s glad to be done for the summer as well, but has a really difficult year coming up since he’s on track for an insane schedule of engineering classes. We have a couple of fun dates planned in the next few months like an oceanside dinner, korean BBQ get-togethers with friends and family, hiking in our local canyon, and a possible road trip! Lots to look forward to 
.
So there you have it! A quick recap of things. I think not being able to blog has left me deprived because I have SO much pent up energy to write and post and take pictures of everything I eat. Expect to hear a lot from me via Apple of My Eye in the future because I can’t seem to shut up. HOORAY FOR SUMMER!
Congrats on finishing your hard semester! Just wait until you finish school altogether! It is a huge relief although it is bittersweet!
So please continue to share, I love the advice you have already given !
As far as your ideas on growing your blog I would love to hear about your experiences! Heck even getting my first giveaway, and although that wasn’t exactly earning money but just getting something free and giving my opinion made me feel way more valued! And girl with those recipes you should get paid for them
You are so right, it’s definitely bittersweet. I had some rough semesters, but was so so sad when it was over!
Glad to hear we’re going to hear more from you this summer! I’ve grown to really enjoy your recipes and writing here. Also, that would be GREAT if you would do something like an monthly income report along with any other advice for getting more freelancing jobs, working with companies as a blogger, etc. This is something I’m trying to get more into as time goes on. Have an awesome summer break, Christine, and also HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Ahh I totally get what you’re saying BUT IIIII personally would enjoy more income reports
PIY’s reports are awesome but they seem so out of reach for me sometimes. I think it’d be nice to read different perspectives on how to monetize a blog. As long as you mention that it’s an experimental thing and that it’s not your primary reason for blogging 
PS I think we ALL wish blogging could pay for our Starbucks 😉
I’m glad to hear that we’ll be hearing more from you — I’ve missed you! But I’m gladder still to hear that things have been going well for you and that you’re all super pumped to tackle blogging this summer 😀 It’s always nice to have someone to share that motivation with <3
I miss ya girly! And for the income reports? YES. I don’t have any ads right now but I want to add some, just so I can make enough to pay for my hosting, ya know? So excited for you to be posting more often!
Happy Early Birthday!!
Im so glad you have more time to do the things you want and just live life outside of books now! yaaahh!
That is awesome that your blog is growing, though I’m not surprised! Your pictures are fantastic and recipes are delicious (haven’t met one I haven’t loved!). I think you are a very sincere/real person and would never just blog for the money, but you would still also care very much about the readers! Its a beautiful thing when career and passion come together!
I’d love to read an income post. My goal is to one day monetize my blog as well (step one become self-hosted this summer) so I like seeing how others made it work
June babies are the best
my birthday is next Friday!!
And I would LOVE to read tips/trips/trials with monetizing your blog. That’s something I would like to work on myself too, but I have a loonngg wayyy to go haha And thanks to you I’ve gotten two freelance jobs from ODesk! I’m really starting one this week and the other one probably next week. So posts about your freelance work would be awesome too!
Congrats on being done with your worst year! I’m excited to take Bio electives next year as well-although I still have to finish Physics, plus more Chem. Blech. It’s funny-now that I’m home I’m finding less time to blog. Something about procrastination during the school year…haha.
Oooh girl, I am so sad that I won’t be able to wish you a happy birthday, since I will take a long weekend trip and not have any WIFI
. But I will think of you on your special day!
Regarding the income question: I think it is a very important topic and more bloggers should open up to it, to tackle the taboo around it. We all put so much heart and sweat in our little places on the web and turn them in something helpful for our readers. I don’t think there is any shame in getting paid for putting up great content.
Happy Birthday tmrw! I think it is a great idea to share an income report, it is something we all wonder about so we can gage ourselves and know what to expect, I think it would be really helpful for newbie bloggers like me:)
you know me. I am always willing and wanting to learn more about blogging. it IS so fun and kinda thrilling to find out that ONE day it could be more. I agree that POY seems a little high, but I would love to hear what you do to get there. After All, one day I would love to have my coffee expenses covered too! 😉
Love it all! Glad you have some time to focus on you and AoME. Love all the recipes and it is totally exciting to think about how a fun hobby can turn into so much more! Rooting for ya out here
Since you also wanted comments from non-bloggers, here’s my input:
I’m not sure how you actually make money off blogging. I see some blogs doing sponsored posts and I do find myself wondering if they were actually excited about what they made/posted or if it was pure out of necessity.
But if there are other ways to make money through your blog, I’m pretty sure it won’t put me off at all. I’m not paying anything to read your recipes and be entertained by your posts, so I’d just be happy you were getting something back for all the time and effort you put into it.
Thank you SO much for your input. Your comment on getting something back for the time and effort put in makes me relieved since I think one thing most readers don’t realize is how much time blogging takes up. I swear, it’s almost a part-time job for me! I love blogging, but the cost of cameras/food/props gets pretty expensive and my main goal is just to try to cover some of that!
Thanks again for your advice! It means the world to me.