Hi. I'm Joy. And this is my blog.
You're probably looking at the sidebar, saying to yourself, "Wait, there are a dozen or so posts already!" And you're right! There are! BUT, this is the first real one.
I've been blogging at Caspara for the past five years, and, well, it was time for a change. But I didn't want to give it all up, so I've brought over (what I think are) the best posts from it.
So what's this blog about? Okay, on the surface, it's going to sound super narcissistic. It's about... Joy.
But no. Trust me. It's about more than just me.
I used to hate the fact that I was named Joy. It wasn't a particularly "cool" name. In fact, where I was born, it was usually a name for a boy (something my parents learned a couple years after naming me). It was really short, too, squished between my sisters "Jenny" and "Jackie" when my parents were introducing us. Kids in middle school (ah, lovely middle school!) would get all sarcastic and say, "Why's your name Joy? Were your parents, like, really happy to have you or something?" Uh, yeah. I guess.
Then, as an adult, it seemed like the name "Joy" came with a certain level of expectation, like I was supposed to always be happy and therefore nice all. the. time.
But as I get older, I'm kind of okay with it. I kind of like it. And Joy is not just a name I'm okay with, it's something I've come to really value. I've learned that Joy isn't about being super happy and bubbly all the time, but having a strong, consistent undercurrent of positivity.
But as I get older, I'm kind of okay with it. I kind of like it. And Joy is not just a name I'm okay with, it's something I've come to really value. I've learned that Joy isn't about being super happy and bubbly all the time, but having a strong, consistent undercurrent of positivity.
So why the name of this blog? Last year, I first thought about starting a new blog, and I asked my kids, "But what would I name it?" Jayna, my eldest, said, "Hmmm... how about Jumbled Up Joy?" And right away, I thought, Yeah, that's it. Then the more I thought about it, the more perfect it seemed. I've always despised categorization and felt claustrophobic when I tried to think of those "one-word descriptions" of myself.
And more than that, my life is a lot of things -- motherhood, writing, travel, etc. -- and they're all jumbled up, but they're all part of me and my quest, my fight (sometimes) for Joy.
So here I am, finally, starting my new blog. Jumbled Up Joy is about all the things that make up my life -- food, clothes, travel, books, my home, my faith -- and my journey to find Joy. There'll be recipes, essays, and recommendations here. I might even try vlogging! (Might.) (We'll see.)
But I hope you'll join me and follow along! We can start a conversation about Joy, and what it means to you, and hopefully we'll all learn some things along the way!