Featured Blogger: Tawsha Connell

Happy Monday!

Oh, I am so excited about this post. For about a year, I have wanted to feature some of my favorite bloggers, but was scared to put myself out there. If I did this, then that means these AMAZING people would look at my little blog and well, this terrified me. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t have the most profound/ interesting/ creative posts. However, as many of you know, my posts show where I am on my journey and let you glimpse into my life. In my attempt to face one of my fears, I FINALLY took the plunge. I asked one of my go-to bloggers if she would consider being featured on my blog. My heart skipped a beat when she said yes! (I now know what guys feel like when they propose and the girl says yes)

I’ve been a HUGE fan of this blogger for quite some time. I used to listen to her as a morning DJ when she lived in Washington and then somehow found her on Twitter.  I started following her and then we became friends on Facebook. We have had small interactions here and there, but nothing too earth shattering. Honestly, this woman amazes me. She is an amazing mom and wife, has ridiculously close taste in music/ tv shows/ movies as I do and is super witty. To top that off, she is incredibly business savvy and hilarious. Can you say package deal?!

Without further ado, I am honored to bring you my very first Featured Blogger…..

Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?

Ha! Which one! I’m a blog addict. I have a blog for my business which is www.weddingpreviewevent.wordpress.com. We (my business partner and I) started it to represent real people in the wedding industry. We’re not interested in fluff (you can find that anywhere on any blog), we’re interested in talking about life, wedding plans, botched DIY projects and more. We like to connect with those who meet the vendors we support through the Wedding Preview Event. We are the go-between between couples getting married and the experts who help create that dream wedding. We’re unbiased and super cool. Oh wait, that’s like being self-proclaimed cool. Dang it! Writing fail.

The other blog I have (I’ll stop at two for now) is called No Thinking Required. It’s basically a virtual viewing party involving 30+ women who are scattered throughout the US but still wanted to “get together” to talk about our shows, books, celeb gossip and more. This is a new venture for me. I’m a pop culture junkie and I’ve found a bunch of women who feel the same way. I launched this site about a week ago and we’ve got our ladies all lined up to do their show updates. It’s fun. I love that sort of thing. No Thinking Required is such a perfect name, too. Credit goes to Jennie, who is a high school friend who is now living in Florida.

What inspires you for your posts?
I’m inspired by anything and everything. Life inspires me. I don’t mean that in a whimsical way, though. As far as my work blog goes (Wedding Preview Event), we have a weekly schedule of subjects. I know what’s coming so whenever I hear something, read something or experience something that has to do with my subject, I jot it down in Evernote and get back to it when it’s time for me to blog. I am an idea a minute type of person so inspiration isn’t tough to come by. Dedication is the tough part. So far so good, though. I’m really really proud of our work.

As far as No Thinking Required goes, everything I write is stream of conscious. It may not have to do with the subject at hand, rather something I picked up on during a TV show or thoughts that ran through my mind after seeing just a split second of a clip.

Do you ever find it difficult to be “real” and put yourself out there?
Not really. I started blogging when blogging wasn’t the cool thing to do. I worked in radio and I literally observed everything around me and just started typing. I didn’t edit anything. Ever. That’s what I found to bring in the most readers. I could be honest and there actually were other people who were looking for honesty. Go figure. I do the same today. If you don’t like me or my writing, I’d say that my blogs aren’t for you. I’m okay with that. I won’t change my style, though, because I become extremely boring and that’s when I get writer’s block. Like, right now, I have no idea of anything I’ve written actually makes sense. I won’t go back and read my answers before I hit submit.

Are there blogs that you visit on a daily basis? If so, which ones?
Actually, no. I don’t typically read other blogs because they are boring to me. I’m not saying that mine are the best, it’s just a style thing. I’m not interested in looking through photograph after photograph with a short description afterwards. I’m interested in humor, real discussions and a unique personality behind the writing. I’m not saying those blogs aren’t out there, I just haven’t found the person who has a style that brings me back on a daily basis. There are some gossip sites I visit (www.wetpaint.com, www.dlisted.com) but as far as other wedding blogs (my industry)? Nah.

Okay, now onto some fun questions that are non-relevant to blogging…..

If you could be a celebrity for one day, who would it be? Why?
Oh geez. This is the best question EVER! I’m trying really hard not to morph multiple celebrities together to create the ultimate famous person. I think I’d be…um….agh. I don’t want to mess this up. I think I’ll go with Kelly Ripa. She has a job that I’d love. She is relaxed in her daily routine, she spends time working out, she’s got a super-hot husband and she can shop whenever wherever. I’d be game ANYDAY! Plus, I think she makes drinking coffee look fun.

What are your favorite TV shows?
Reality TV. By far. I love the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I watch Orange County but it’s become such a wannabe rich group that it’s nauseating. Don’t get me wrong, I still watch. I love Revenge, Keeping Up with the Kardashians (don’t judge), The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars. Oooh, back to the previous question. I love Maria Menuonos. I’d stare at my abs all day and laugh like her (duh, I’d be her) just to annoy people.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
I’m kind of focused on New Zealand lately. For some reason, NZ seems like a great place to vacation. I’ve been out of the country exactly three times and I’d like to broaden my reach.

Name 5 things that you are most passionate about:
In no particular order:
1. Success
2. Organization
3. My little family. Can one be passionate about their family?
4. Designer jeans
5. Any song I’m singing. I’m a horrible singer but I’m passionate. That’s got to count for something

• Tawsha’s Twitter
• No Thinking Required blog
• Wedding Preview Event blog
• Wedding Preview Event on Facebook 
  

I hope you all enjoyed my very first Featured Blogger post. The list of bloggers I follow is quite long, so hopefully we can continue this feature for quite a while. :)

Like I mentioned above, this was a little stretching for me (to go outside my comfort zone), but I hope it was worth it for you all. I would LOVE to know what you thought of this post- a quick comment or a lengthy one *big grin* would be fab!

Have a fantastic Monday- I’ll talk with you all soon!