Ah! I can’t believe that it’s already time for New York and Full Figured Fashion Week. I’d love to say that I have myself completely ready for the trip, but that’s just not the case :). BUT! I am so excited because this year I am bringing a friend from home with me, Brittany, and I have time for actual touristy sight-seeing. Not to mention the fact that I get to be with the Fashion Front and learn from and interact with some of my favorite bloggers and new-to-me bloggers. Yesterday I had the chance to just relax out on the lake for about an hour. I can’t remember the last time I was just alone to my thoughts and not trying to get something done, and in that moment I had one of those “Wow, look how far I’ve come” moments. 2 1/2 years ago I was a new blogger and completely enamored by the bloggers attending FFFWeek in 2011. It felt like such a far removed experience, to go to New York and talk with plus size companies and other bloggers, that I never expected to be doing it a year later and then again now as part of the Fashion Front. It reminds me that writing, blogging, and connecting with others can transport us all outside of the paths we saw for ourselves and can lead us to experiences that many do not get to have. It also reminded me that those confident women in 2011 have changed my life in ways I never expected, and other lives will continue to change by fellow plus size women, those who are in the fashion industry and those like me who work elsewhere but connect to fashion through social media. Sometimes I forget what it felt like when I just found this online community. The reminder let me remember all the reasons I love it and how much I’ve changed. I’m so thankful for this wonderful experience I get to have this next week, and I would love it if you follow along over the week. I will have new posts here as well as Twitter updates and Instagram pictures.