Pressed Words isn’t just my blog, it’s my diary. Sometimes I write for hours, and then publish the post privately. It’s a collection of adventures and thoughts for you, and even deeper notes and memoirs for myself. It’s been an excellent, therapeutic healing tool over the past few months, and I truly believe that in 10 years, when I have 3 kids and am living in some cookie-cutter neighborhood, I will look back at Pressed Words and will feel genuinely thankful that past-Ali took the time to document her travels and young adult adventures. But last night something weird happened, and it made me question whether I should use Pressed Words as a private diary in addition to a public forum. I published a note my Mom had sent to me, as a private post. The title of the post read ‘private’, as all private posts do, but five minutes later my mom sent me a text asking why the heck I had shared her e-mail on my blog. I looked, and it was still marked as private, but apparently a glitch had occurred and all of my e-mail followers were sent the private blog post. I actually got a few high-five comments from readers today saying how much my mom rocked (no denying, she is amazeballs) but either way, I was confused and annoyed, and definitely questioning my judgement in using Pressed Words as a private journal. The post could have been much, much, much worse, and the last thing I want to do is spam you with annoying Ali-thoughts that don’t make much sense.
I’m telling you this for two reasons. A) I am taking the leap and am going to start journaling with a good old fashioned pen and paper. I have terrible, scribbly handwriting and typing is so much faster (my thoughts tend to race too fast for a pen and paper) but I’m going to give it a shot!! Do any of your journal the old fashion way? Care to share some advice? B) My mom has been on my mind (if you couldn’t tell by the faulty e-mail post!), and this update is for her. She’s a sea-lady and loves the ocean. So even though I’m not posting her super-personal e-mail, I am writing this post for her, as deep sea blues and cyan skies always remind me of my mom :)
Meet Boothbay Maine:
Following our trip to the Botanical Gardens, we swung by the harbor for an ice cream and some shopping.
We strolled along the water, tried on goofy lobster hats, and enjoyed the sunshine.
I’ll keep the words pretty minimal on this one, as these photos are stunning and can do most of the talking. But if you’re ever in Maine and want a true, quaint sea town holiday, Boothbay is for you!
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend! xo Ali
amsterdamandbeyond.com 
What a great harbor!! I miss Michigan’s Great Lakes. I did receive that email you mentioned, Ali. I think your mother is a great woman. You are lucky to have her!
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I’ve never seen the Great Lakes, that trip has been on m bucket list for a while :)
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I received it too and I think it was a really nice letter. :) I also started a hand written diary and the funny thing that I realized is how I lost the ability to write fluently on a paper. We type so much nowadays that we have to practise handwriting before we forget.
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I can imagine it is difficult to train your brain to work at a slower speed. Sometimes I think hand written letters allow us more time to doubt our words, where digitally thoughts and notes can flow much more naturally. Going to treat myself to a nice journal this weekend :)
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I was wondering about that post and when the link didn’t work I was hoping you didn’t mean that to be private. WP has done that a couple of times I’ve seen and it sucks. Hope your mom isn’t too upset, it was a wonderful letter, though not meant for the masses.
I used to journal in a book but like most things I start, I tend to let it fall to the wayside. I have horrible follow through for some reason. Trying to work on that.
I hope the journal writing is good for you but please don’t shy away from the blog, I love living vicariously through your travels and foodie explorations.
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She wasn’t upset, just surprised!! She’s a loving caring lady, and neither of us would want to say or put something on the internet that could be seen as hurtful.
I like you have started many a journal – blogging seems to be the one form of memory-logging I can commit to regularly. Scrap books, photo albums, journals . . . are all wonderful but always seem so much more time consuming than digitally logging memories.
And never fear, the blog will not dwindle :) I’m hoping writing in a notebook will actually help inspire the blog more. x
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Glitchy as it was, I did love that letter!
I used to journal the old-fashioned way and really should start it up again, but I did it initially for very similar reasons. I’ve been blogging off and on since my teens, which I’ve always loved. I didn’t publicize it much and was generally not too worried about the content, but a nosy cousin read it–and similar blogs I’ve kept since–and told other people. There were times when some people took issue with some things I had to say. I had a very messy falling out with that cousin, which I’ve mentioned before, but I have reason to believe he still keeps an eye on my blog. Old-fashioned journaling was a way to express myself very, very similarly to blogging but much more privately.
I did it as a sort of stream-of-counsciousness thing–I’d write about whatever came to mind, good, bad, or random, and I’d fill one page about every night.
It’s a great practice!
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Ohhh, I love the idea of writing whatever comes to mind, with no particular topic or destination in mind. Maybe this is a good place for me to start . . .
I’ve had similar experiences with blog content walking the line of being personal / offensive / public. It’s too bad you had a falling out with your cousin . . . I think everyone deserves their own piece of the internet, and if it helps build confidence, photography / writing skills, new friendships . . . then sometimes the price of honesty is worth it. Over the past few months, I’ve been digging a bit deeper emotionally when I write, which is something I’ve reserved for private journaling in the past. It takes a lot to put yourself out there and risk offending others, but at the end of the day, if you’re true to yourself and it’s helping you grow, it can be a GREAT experience :)
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I absolutely agree! Especially when it comes to honesty.
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I am glad I found your blog. :)
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thank you darling :)
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