This blog is about 43 months old and I just recently figured out what the hell it’s all about. In the beginning we started it to document the Paso Robles tasting rooms we went to, since at the time, we were hitting up three to eight tasting rooms per weekend…religiously! As that went on we started trying to do some at home “critiques” of wine which was complete bullshit because that’s not who we are. From there we started blogging about not only tasting rooms but also places we went to eat, events, and other topics that came across as interesting to us.
We still seemed to be wandering aimlessly on here though. I wanted more meat to this but I was really sure what I felt we were missing. We’ve done a ton of videos as well as written content and included thousands of photos over the 43 months (and by the way, this post is number 698 in those roughly 43 months). People refer to us as wine bloggers and to be honest we aren’t really wine bloggers, hell, I actually dislike the term blogger itself but that’s the word everyone uses so it is what it is.
So if we aren’t wine bloggers…what are we?
Are we Central Coast bloggers? Paso Robles bloggers? Nah…I consider us lifestyle bloggers and here’s why…
We have covered wine, beer, cigars, food, events, some traveling we’ve done, general thoughts on life, social media, our pregnancy, and so on. So to me it makes us “lifestyle” bloggers. Here’s the thing though, why does any of this interest you? Most of the people that check our blog out are either looking for information, which we do not always deliver since we cover so many different topics, or they are strangers, acquaintances, friends, or family that want to see what we’re up to.
Why do we do what we do? I don’t know for sure but here are some reasons for why I keep this blog going:
-I love to write and create content (and yes, I know the content isn’t always interesting to you but it is to me).
-I love the openness of this platform. I can talk about whatever I want and you can choose to tune in or out…freedom.
-I love to share our lives and the things we find interesting in Paso Robles. When I say share our lives I mean that I sincerely hope that every once in a while when I write something about life, hardship, or motivation that it connects with someone…even if it’s just one person, I like the idea of helping people.
-I love that I don’t know what’s around the corner. As I mentioned above, this blog has morphed from one thing to another to another…I like not knowing what will come on here next. It’s an adventure for me.
-I love that Annie and I are documenting our life…for us. Now that we have Sammy I am glad that if something were to happen to me he has 43 months worth of video, pictures, and my writing to go through if he chooses.
-I love the connections. I have met some truly amazing people through this blog and social media. I’ve met people that make me laugh, people that make me smarter, people that get me excited about this life, and people that are awesome to share a glass of wine with. What could possibly be better than meeting new people?
So with all that being said I go back to the first line of this in which I said I just recently figured out what the hell it’s all about. It is about our life together and our life here in Paso Robles. It is about sharing and spreading the word on Paso Robles and the Central Coast. It’s about wanting to help people that have questions about this area in regards to wine, beer, food, events, and other things happening here. Mostly…it’s about building a community of people like you and I who just want to explore, adventure, have fun, learn some new stuff, and maybe ponder this life a little.
As I have stated before…I love my wife, I love my son, and I love living here in Paso Robles. So for now, that’s what this is all about. Cheers and thanks for all the amazing friendships and support with this weird and wild blogging journey.
Yep, this is why we love your Lifestyle Blog, when I first met you both on Hoot N Annie (which I don’t remember how) I wanted to learn from others the wonders of wine and I have enjoyed every minute of your videos of wineries you have shared with us and following you with all the adventures this life has taken you. I am so happy we have come this far in social media I never dreamed this would have happened 30 years ago. It’s been a real pleasure finding you so keep up the good work and pictures of Sweet Sammy. Best.
Super sweet of you, Beverly!! 🙂 It’s awesome that these things exist today and we can connect with people we would not normally be able to connect with. I really appreciate the support, Bev!
Matt: I read lots of blogs. I read you guys because you’re a connection to a place that’s important to me. In helping me understand and appreciate Paso (in spite of a few bad experiences there, ahem…), I’ve come to know you…and that keeps me coming back. Your blog is a reflection of who you are and I like that.
In my case, I blog to promote my skill set in a more engaging way than just sending out a resume or a pitch letter. Not sure if it works or not, and my reasons for writing it may change entirely (as yours have) over time. Meantime, it’s fun, it’s a good exercise, and it might make me a few new friends.
Rusty
Rusty, I appreciate that and you make good points. In regards to your reasons for blogging I view it this way…blogging cannot hurt. For you it’s a great way to stockpile articles that you can share for reference purposes at any time, etc. I think blogs change over time because we change over time, they only reflect us. Cheers to it! 🙂
Kids…it has been a pleasure sharing our lives together…you, Annie and Little Browne and us as Central Coast newcomers! We share a lot of the same likes and dislikes and for that our paths have crossed many times…you have brought insight into issues, people and places that we have not been exposed to and verse vicea! By whatever media, it is through this exchange that we all have grown and appreciated (and avoided?) the many things that the Central Coast lifestyle has to offer! We applaud that you continue the “status quo” of your postings…we look forward to sharing many more!!!
You rock, Steve. I really appreciate it. I guess I just got to pondering what we are, many assume “wine bloggers” but I don’t feel that’s the case. The only reason this was important to me is because I want to better define what we’re doing so i can make necessary changes to the blog…hoping to have some more helpful info on here and start getting local folks to guest blog on here. We’ll see what happens.
I assume we’ll see you at Mac & Cheese today? 🙂
I really enjoy hearing “the word on Paso Robles and the Central Coast” as we are hoping to move to the area. Please keep on spreading the word.
Gary, that’s awesome, hope the move works out for you and I appreciate the support! 🙂
We will be Mac N Cheesing it today…see you there!
We’ll have the whole clan, Steve. Sammy, Annie’s mom as well as her uncle and aunt. 🙂
I really appreciate all that you and Annie do for Paso! As a fellow blogger, it’s hard for me to pin down my blog too narrowly, because food, wine, travel and lifestyle morph together and you can take this creedo with you wherever you go. Alas, I feel blessed to live on the Central Coast, love exploring it, and enjoy sharing it with whomever wants to come along for the read.
Elizabeth, thanks for that. As you know blogging a pretty interesting thing. We take the time to put these thoughts together and put them out there for public consumption, at that point it is what it is. I was feeling reflective on it recently because I was wondering why i do that…why I take so much time to write and put it out there publicly.
As for the central coast…it’s simply amazing to have so much at our fingertips. It’s a very unique area for sure. Cheers to the journey!
Cheers to you and Annie and thanks for your blog! it’s always great to read your thoughts and opinions about Paso and the central coast! We would never have met you if it weren’t for your blog!
Thank you, Pat. I really want to turn this blog into more of a community thing…more voices, etc. It’s been a ton of fun! 🙂 And it was great meeting you two!