What's in a name

Having a website to house my content and a place to tell my story has been a long-time dream of mine. I had a blog as a teenager that changed names at least 4 times over the course of my junior high and high school years. Each name was probably more cringe worthy than the one before. Down the road in college, I ran an advice column I lovingly referred to as “Ask Angela.” I’ve tried multiple times since then to get a brand going with names like “Life in a nutshell” and a journalism blog I never got off the ground called “Where you lede.”

I finally managed to make a name stick with my outdoor column for the Norfolk Daily News, “Bullets and Bobbers.” I have been keeping up with that for over 2 years, but lately with a growing family it has been harder to focus solely on hunting and fishing.

This is what led me here. The goal of this site is to be an all-encompassing place for all my creative ventures. From fun family moments, tall tales of the outdoors and stories from my career, I want to share my world through the written word.

Coming up with a title for such a project was difficult for someone like me, for whom names are so important. I’m that kid that had so many big ideas for novels that ended up as a collection of unwritten book titles.

Then I started to think about the long journey I've been on to get where I am. It has taken a lot of faith, patience and hard work, plus a sprinkle of luck. I am extremely blessed to be where I am.

That is why I eventually landed here: Gratefully Ever After.  Let the name serve as a reminder to me to always be thankful for my story.