So, last week I gave you a bit of the backstory behind CWC.

Country Wife Chronicles certainly wasn’t conjured up overnight; it was definitely an evolution of ideas to get here.

And today, in Part 2 of the Country Wife Chronicles’ blogiversary series, I’m going to share a little on the details behind the official launch of CWC. Because our launch story is pretty indicative of where CWC will be headed in the future.

As you now know, blogging was definitely on my mind for quite a few years before I actually took the leap and started Country Wife Chronicles. As I continued to dream up ideas and brainstorm topics to cover, I also sought out other career paths. I had a tendency to just keep finding reasons to not take the leap.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret any of the jobs or experience I gained in the interim between leaving my professional career and starting this blog. In fact, each position I held served a specific purpose for me, I can be sure of that. I’m certain God was preparing me for the day that would eventually come. The day that I would run out of excuses and just start blogging already.

And that day did come.

That is where we are picking up from last week’s post on the inspiration behind the creation of Country Wife Chronicles.

A Launch Story

Twenty-Sixteen was a year of firsts in the world of blogging. I purchased the Country Wife Chronicles domain and hit the ground running. I researched, tested out, researched some more, and developed my own ideas for everything from website design to SEO.

In seeking to do CWC completely DIY, I was building this website, this concept, this business, completely from the ground up.

And I definitely felt the overwhelm at times. Because blogging, it’s a lot.

My to-do list was seriously never-ending, with every one item I crossed off, I probably added 5-10 more at the bottom.

My initial blog launch plan consisted of preparing for about 3 months before going live. That timeframe quickly turned into 6 months. Which then became a year.

With every additional task added to my to-do list, CWC’s launch date just kept getting pushed back.

There was always something else I needed to learn about. Something more I could do on the website before going live. Improvements to be made. Glitches to fix.

I wanted everything to be perfect before launching Country Wife Chronicles. Not halfway done, but completely done. Perfect.

And then it happened.

CWC launched. On accident.

Let me share with you CWC’s Facebook post the day of this accidental launch. I think you’ll be able to read between the lines to see how the perfectionist in me handled this unlikely circumstance.

Divine intervention is not always so blatantly obvious. But this time, for me, it was incredibly clear.

It all started with my sister calling me out, “What are you waiting for? Just launch the blog already!” I stumbled around with my response of a million reasons why Country Wife Chronicles (CWC) just wasn’t quite ready to go live yet. There were still things I needed to do to perfect CWC before the predetermined launch date. (Which, mind you, had gotten pushed back on several occasions already to allow for more time for said perfecting…)

Then, as I was working on the backend of the blog, something went awry. The “Coming Soon” page plugin was not functioning. Like at all. And nothing I did was fixing it. Nothing.

Boom. Country Wife Chronicles was LIVE. Ready or not, it was LIVE.

For all eyes to see, for any wanderer, peruser, or passerby to stumble upon.

And I couldn’t do a thing about it.

The fear began to creep in. Panic ensued. I scrambled to find a fix for the issue as I began to realize my plans and my timeline had all just went up in smoke. Complete, and utter smoke.

How could this be happening?!? This is NOT what I had decided, this was NOT how I planned to launch.

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

No, it is NOT what I had decided. It was NOT how I planned things out.

It was as if God was saying, “Hey, I got this, remember? I’m in control, not you. It’s my plan, not yours. And you are ready. CWC is ready to be revealed.”

Ok, God. Message received. Write your story, not mine.

So, without further adieu, Country Wife Chronicles is officially live.

And while I’m over here trying to keep the panic at bay and fretting to a minimum, I’m reminded, once again, to just…

Be Still & Know…

Can you feel the panic running through me on that monumental day last year?

Oh, but how fitting.

When I set out to become the Country Wife, I was determined to use my blog for His glory. So, yeah, it makes total sense to me that it would not be my call as to when CWC would make its first appearance to the world.

Sometimes I need forced into it. And that is exactly how CWC went live in early 2017. Just one year ago.

And I’m so glad it did. Because if I’m being honest, there is a very real possibility I’d still be “perfecting” CWC for its launch today, here in 2018.

A Journey Back to the Stillness…

One year ago, when CWC launched, I had one purpose: to share the joys of slowing down and savoring the art of being still in the Lord. 

I’d like to think that several articles here on CWC have done just that. As well as indulge you in many other aspects of my day-to-day simplified country life.

You know by now that I’m a passionate pursuer of intentional marriage. And being married to Wildland Man, while it has its perks, can make that whole intentional marriage thing a bit more complicated.

But this life we live, well, I love it. I love living far from the buzz of city life. I love the stillness of my morning quiet time.

And I love where we are headed. I love learning more about natural living, healthier real food options, and getting back to the basics. I love to put the brakes on and slow things down a bit more. I love finding my purpose in blogging while being able to watch my husband pursue his in wildland firefighting.

I hope that in sharing my life with you over the past year, you have gained something, anything, from my words and my experiences.

Maybe it was a tasty recipe you decided to try out. Maybe it was a few new ingredients.

Maybe you were able to walk away with a bit more faith one day. Or you felt inspired to make an effort in your marriage, even if only for that moment.

Maybe you decided to head outdoors and experience what nature has to offer in bringing you stillness in the fast-paced busyness of life.

I won’t sugar coat it for you, this road to and through blogging hasn’t always been easy or joyful. There have most definitely been moments of doubt and fear.

And there have been moments in time where this very blog, the platform in which I share my tips for slowing down and seeking stillness, has bogged down my life and made me feel stressed out.

CWC has been no small feat.

But Psalm 46:10 still sings to my heart, “Be Still and Know…”

I’m on a continuous journey back to the stillness.

I hope you have enjoyed our look back in this blogiversary series here on Country Wife Chronicles. I feel like I’m pulling the curtain back a bit for you to take a peek into what makes me tick as the blogger behind CWC.

Because even though I pride myself on treating this blogging gig as a career and remaining professional in the process, I’d be fooling myself if I said that this wasn’t personal. Everything about Country Wife Chronicles is personal to me.

It is a passion. It is my purpose. It is who I was. Who I am. And who I am yet to be.

So, thanks again for joining me, a simple country wife seeking stillness in the every day.

This month we will continue to take a look back here on CWC. And in the process, I would love to give you, my readers, a chance to get your burning questions answered. Ok, I realize you may not really have any burning questions, but I do want to open up the rest of these posts in this series to some Q&A for you. Just type your questions in the comments below and I’ll be sure to include them in the upcoming posts here on CWC!

Be Still & Know…