Four years ago this week, my oldest son, then 14, was being snarky.
“Remember that blog you always said you’d start?” he asked. “Well, I knew you’d never do it.”
Here’s how I reacted. Did I stand up for myself? No.
Did I get angry? No.
Was I hurt by his words? A little.
But my first reaction, my initial impulse, was to think “You’re right. I knew I’d never do it either.” And then, I changed my mind.
About an hour later, my first BSM post went live. The next day, I added to my story and proceeded from there.
What the Numbers Say
Looking back at those posts, I’m a little embarrassed. They were heavy on words (I’m a writer, yes?) and light on images. The text was dense and the paragraphs were long. I apparently had a lot to say.
And I still do. No matter how much I write about family skiing, the words just keep coming. I love it that much.
With this post, I’ve written and published 505 articles on this site alone. Over 450,000 people have taken some time and visited. I’ve also been extremely fortunate to write for other publications, both online and on paper. It continues to be an amazing ride.
Time for a Change
Still, since the ride has been so fast, with little time to catch my breath, I’ve sometimes found it hard to take a close look at where I’m going. And while I’ve known for at least a year that it was time to revamp and update my site, I wasn’t sure where to start. It was another instance of “I knew you’d never do it.”
Today, the refreshed, recharged and revamped site is finally up. Thanks to the efforts and expertise of website designed Rachael Butts, Braveskimom.com has a new look. I hope you like it, and find it easier both to read and search.
And although it’s only July, winter will be here before we know it. As in year’s past, I’ll start gearing up with skiing and snowsports related posts in September. October will find us looking at the latest ski fashions and gear and then once the lifts start turning, it will be family skiing and travel tips, ski resort reviews and lots and lots of timely skiing-related content.
Until then, I’ll continue posting once a week or so, enjoying the remainder of summer. I hope you do, too!
Cheers!
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Wendy says
Congrats on the new look! It’s always good to shake things up now and then. Looking forward to reading more of your great posts!
braveskimom says
Thanks Wendy! One of the BEST benefits of the past four years has been getting to know you and being part of the amazing theskidiva.com community!
Keith says
On my mobile phone, what’s new??
braveskimom says
It’s a cleaner design, with several featured posts on the homepage. The old masthead is gone, and the best thing (!) the drop down menus are divided into categories, so if you’re looking for “skiing with children” or “telemark skiing” you can find a listing of posts related to topics! On mobile, it doesn’t look much different. I discovered that, too!
If you look on your computer, please let me know if my favicon (the letter “b” with some pink and yellow from my logo) shows up in the browser address bar. I’m getting “G” in a circle and it’s bothering me.
Thanks!
John says
There’s nothing wrong with long paragraphs. The ability to read through them and keep your train of thought means that you’re intelligent. Well, at least that’s what I tell myself.
I do to adhere to the maxim, “omit needless words,” but sometimes the “slap up some photos with Twitter-length” way of thinking annoys me. Get off my mountain!
braveskimom says
I hope you’ll let me stay on your mountain! I don’t mind long paragraphs, either, but I think for online writing, it’s nice to break up the text with photos! As you know, I rarely limit myself to 140 characters! Thanks for commenting (and reading!).
Jennifer says
Congrats! We’re already thinking about our ski season, which, as you know, requires LOTs of advance planning for us here in the Southeast. Looking forward to seeing the new site.
braveskimom says
Thanks Jennifer! So glad you’re already planning for a family ski vacation this upcoming winter! Hooray!
Amy G says
Awesome Kristen!! Looks great!! Thanks for helping my family and I rock the CO slopes last winter, you are a wonderful resource!! Keep it coming!!
braveskimom says
You are so welcome Amy! Always glad to hear that the blog has been of help! Let it snow!
Janine says
Congratulations on a your hard work, dedication and achievements. It’s so tough to balance it all as a mom and you are rockin’ it!! Blog on!
braveskimom says
Thank you so much Janine! It can be a tightrope sometime, but the community we’ve all made together makes it more than worth it! Cheers!
Jennifer says
Site looks great! Excited to work together again this season, and ski together again too!
Heather Burke - Family Ski Trips says
Great looking ski site Kristen! go Brave Ski Mom!
braveskimom says
Thanks Heather! I can’t wait to feature your site, LuxurySkiTrips on here!