I'm flying to Dallas tomorrow. Just me. All by my lonesome. (Well, besides the itty bitty baby dwelling in my womb. Apparently I do not take trips without bringing at least one of my kids along!)
I'm kind of nervous but I'm also super excited, because I'm attending the Catholic New Media Conference. Which is essentially a conference for writers, bloggers, tecchies, and anyone generally interested in using new media to tell the Catholic story.
As thrilled as I am to be going, I must admit that I debated for a long, long time over whether I should. Because, um, I am a relative nobody in the Catholic blogging world. (I also don't really know how to use Twitter very well. Shhhh.) So not only would I be sacrificing money and time away from my family, I'd be "posing" as a "Blogger"--amidst a bunch of people way out of my league.
But the more I thought about it, and the more my sweet husband encouraged me, and the more I considered my goals related to my blog and to writing in general, the more I really wanted to go.
I've told you before that I've gone back and forth over whether or not this blogging thing is worth my time. Because, well, it's time-consuming. And I'm busy. Remember that I have seven kids, I homeschool, and I have a social life that I rather enjoy. And yet while I've come close to throwing in the towel too many times to count, I've also discovered along the way that I just plain love to write. I really, really do. Processing my life and faith through the written word and engaging with all of you is energizing and life-giving for me, regardless how many hits I get or who links to me that day. (Not that I mind when my posts appear on New Advent or NCR. Nope, not at all. :) )
A few months ago I actually came to a crossroads of sorts, and made the decision to get more serious about what I do here. (This may or may not have come on the heels of having dessert with Jennifer Fulwiler, which may or may not have come on the heels of having dinner with Mark Shea and Kevin Knight. Yes, it really did happen, and yes, it was that evening that really got me thinking. Perhaps I'll share the story of how all this came about another time.) And after an unofficial hiatus this summer due to early pregnancy woes, I'm ready to jump back in. I'm even in the midst of a blog redesign that'll include a fun new logo and, as you can see, I'm now blogging here at www.briannaheldt.com. My very own URL!
I really do believe that God has given each of us a story. In stewarding my story well, I need to share it, and this is the platform God has given me. So while I have no desire to be an apologist or expert of any sort, I can at least share what God has done with the hope that it might encourage or inform someone else. I can offer you an explanation for why my relationship with Jesus took me from Evangelical to Mainline Protestant to Catholic Christianity. I can give you some insight into why my husband and I made the decision to adopt four children in need of a home. I can tell you what it's like to have two children with Down syndrome and medical needs. I can tell you why we made the decision years ago to be open to life in our marriage, and how that has actually improved our marriage in countless ways.
So ultimately, this conference will be an amazing opportunity for networking, learning, and for being inspired. Don't tell, but I've never really done any networking at all. And I am seriously introverted, which means I am also occasionally socially awkward.
So maybe instead of shamelessly promoting myself, I'll be lurking awkwardly in the back by the cookies and punch. Pretending to use Twitter.
Either way it's going to be an amazing week of focusing on writing and blogging, seeing fellow bloggy friends that I never get to see, and meeting bloggers I've only previously known online. Oh, and having a hotel room all to myself (!)
Funny thing is, I never really envisioned having a pursuit or passion beyond being a wife, raising my kids and being a bookworm.
But I guess now I'm a "Blogger".
So Dallas, hotel room, punch, and cookies, here I come!
