i need your opinion. or advice. or both. i’m looking for comments and suggestions, so you better put on your thinking caps…
ready?
ok. since i am moving to the states, specifically to asheville, north carolina, a place that i totally love with all my heart. and since i am closing one chapter: “my expat life in sweden” and beginning the next one, i decided that it was a great time for a belovelive upgrade. a sort of overhaul to mark the passing of time, a physical change in countries, and the beginning of a new adventure.
- a new design. definitely.
- new categories. new widgets. a new feel. count on it.
- a new focus? perhaps.
of course, this space will still be belovelive… my corner on the internet block to write about my life as an expat (but now with the twist of living in my home country, but definitely not the same person i was when i left). and, of course, i’ll take lots of photos. and try to be inspirational/positive = pumping all you up to remember to always be true to yourself… because you’re amazing just the way you are! with that, there will also be my continued dip into spirituality & matters of faith. of course, there will be lgbt issues to tackle, along with other current events & politics. and i’ll write about daily life, only in asheville, instead of in norrköping.
yeah. it’ll be belovelive as usual. but not. belovelive… americanized. hippie-fied (due to living in asheville).
here’s where you come in:
i want to hear from you, my readers, what suggestions & thoughts you have for belovelive’s move to the states. it’s not that i’m going to take what you say & turn my blog into what you think it should be; but as we have created this relationship with each other, and since we will be growing together into a new phase of our relationship, i want to hear from you!
- what do you want to hear/see more of from me?
- what are your favorite posts/themes/subjects?
- what’s missing?
here’s your mission:
vote in the poll below. you have one week to do it. try to decide which one of the topics listed in the poll is your favorite. and vote. if your favorite isn’t there, then leave a comment and tell me what it is. and then vote for you second favorite anyway. voting and commenting will really help me to know what i am doing right. or wrong, i suppose too. hehe.
after you have voted. you have voted now, right? then keep thinking. and leave me a comment below. anything you want to say about belovelive. creative thoughts? tips? subject matters or categories you think i should use? your favorite posts? anything. i realize i am opening myself up to possible negative things, but i can take it.
by commenting, you will be entered into belovelive’s first contest!! its open to any & everyone, no matter where you live. leave a comment and your name will go into a bowl. my love will draw the lucky winner’s name out of the bowl, and the winner will be the recipient of a bunch of my favorite/typical swedish things. it’ll be a surprise for you!
the contest closes next sunday, june 30. the name will be drawn on monday july 1, and the winner will be announced here on belovelive the same day.
mark your calendars for the the relaunch of belovelive happening the week that i move to the states… july 15. after i receive all of your amazing comments and check out the voting results, i’ll get to work on the new design for belovelive. i can’t wait to see all that you have to say, all the ideas you have to offer!
so, to sum up one more time:
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i need your help.
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vote in the poll in this blog post
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leave a comment with suggestions/ideas/thoughts about improvements or ideas for belovelive, and be entered into belovelive’s first contest!
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the contest & comments & voting all close next sunday, june 30. so, get going!
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the contest winner will be announced monday, july 1 here on the blog.
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belovelive will relaunch on the week of july 15 (before july 18!)!
while most of the changes here will simply be cosmetic and all about graphic design/organization, i want to assure you that belovelive will always be a place where the focus is on:
being who we are,
loving everyone exactly as they are, and
living life to the fullest.
from the bottom of my heart, i thank you so much for being a reader and/or follower, whether you comment or not. each one of you have been a blessing to me, and you inspire me to write and post and share. the relationships i have formed through blogging, the friends & family with whom i have stayed in touch over the years, have all touched and enriched my life in ways that i’d never imagined possible. and it feels so amazing to say that i have friends, all of you, all around the world. what a joy it is to have started this little blog. and how it has grown in more ways than i thought possible!
I enjoy seeing your perspective on what you encounter every day; I especially have enjoyed reading about your Swedification, and appreciation of the new experiences you have had in Norrkoping. It will be interesting to see how it feels to be back home – what you rejoice in experiencing anew in the US and what you have left behind that you miss, or how your new normal is as a former ex pat.
I like everything. So I’m no help at all there. You know the thing that makes the blog special isn’t your experiences in Sweden, interesting and charming though they are, it’s you.
So I guess more you. There you go.
I love the positivity i find here. I’m a big fan of your bllphotoaday!! 🙂
Although I love your pictures (especially from vacations, day trips, etc., where they give such a real glimpse into the place), I think my favorite posts are the ones that are most theological. Probably because that’s my own interest, as a recent seminary grad. 🙂 But I also love getting to read From Death to Peace whenever snippets come along. And, of course, I really appreciate getting the daily or almost-daily reminders to live in the moment and appreciate all the goodness around me.
Like the majority, I voted for spirituality but I wanted to also vote for “daily life” as I particularly like the thoughtful way you apply your spiritual thoughts and understanding to your life. Also enjoy your photography.
I think what I love most about your blog is that you cover such a range of everything–from your wonderful photos to your thoughts about daily life to your spiritual musings. It’s a great mixed bag that never gets boring.
What a wonderful adventure you’re on.
I’m very new to your blog so I don’t have a history to choose from. But I read a lot of blogs and a lot of news sites and quite frankly, there are a lot pf people yelling at each other out there. It is nice to come to your blog knowing that it has positive energy and no yelling.
Daily life, you and Lina and how you got to where you are today… I will always be reading.
x
What I love most about your blog is how personal it is. And yep I’m a sucker for your memoir. I just love to hear the true stories of great people. What I’m hoping from the new location of your blog is an insight in your everyday life in the states, a demonstration of the little differences. For me your blog means being able to stay in touch with you and be part of you even with the distance. To add something new. I think you could put together your monthly instagram pics or other important pics in a slideshow with a song that meant something this month. It woukdbe the start of your own zen video collection. One for every bllphotoaday topic.
Looooove
Love everything!!! Love reading about your daily life, about your work, your life in a new country, your fight for samesex marrige and so on.
Just enjoying to follow your journey, and keep in contact in that way.
Knus
This might sound lame and un-creative, however, I like your blog and design the way it is. I don’t see why you should drastically change it after moving but can understand the thought process. A new life, a new country, a new continent… I like how it is, I like the homepage and being able to click on the images and being led to a new blog post. Not sure how you’d improve that.
I will certainly be up for a surprise once you switch it up. 😉
Hi Liz,
I’d like to hear more of your life struggles, aka “death to peace”, but moving forward, a work that continues rather than ends- as in, your expat status reworked, so it is Lina who is the odd-one -out, the expat from Sweden to US.
Further, the journey you both have taken re: anorexia & lina’s continuing battle. I realize that Lina has her own blog, but yours is in your perspective, not hers. Please continue to link to hers- and a she said/she said of the same event would be incredibly interesting & fresh in the blog world?
Going past that, is now your new journey of Sweden to N.C., USA. I want the dish on the good & bad (after all- NC voted against same-sex marriage pretty venomously).
Lastly, I request more of your photographic talent in your “home port”, so to speak. I’d love to see your new apartment, life, family- as well as your day-trips.
So yeah, that’s me- 😉
I’m happy for you & Lina & wish you both (& Zola) the best on your new journey.
🙂
I like pretty much everything you write, but as a progressive Christian, I am interested in your work with your church, how you came to the place you are in your spiritual journey, etc.
Also, I am looking forward to hearing about how you and Lina adjust to living here in the U.S. after being in Sweden.