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Have I mentioned my #blogwife (yes–I just hashtagged that) and Chicago BFF Jess before?

I know, haha. She’s come up once or twice. I’ve actually been considering rebranding this little blog and calling it “Kelly and Jess in the City.”

Thoughts? ;)

In all seriousness, though, Jess and I spend a LOT of time together. It’s awesome.

When I first started freelancing on a full-time basis back in September, I was pretty concerned about how I’d handle such a change. On one hand, there would be peace and quiet. (Hallelujah! Words can’t explain the volume level I dealt with and number of questions I received every day back in the Bronx.) On the other, I’d be going from having hundreds of face-to-face interactions per day to conceivably having none. And how, exactly, does one adapt to such a drastically different situation?

Part of me feared that I’d go into shock. ;) And another part worried that I’d like it a bit too much, and become a reclusive dog lady who spends her days in dirty sweatpants and old baseball hats. The Boo Radley of Lincoln Park, if you will.

To be fair, there are definitely days when I am Boo Radley. When I talk to no one, and I don’t change out of my pajamas until I know that Mitch is on his way home. (Maintaining good hygiene in a marriage is important, after all.) But there are also a whole lot of days when I’m not alone. When I’m doing some insanely amazing and fun things in this wonderfully windy city with Jess.

Okay. Re-reading the above paragraph sounds a bit creepy. ;) But what I’m trying to say is that I’m beyond thankful to have this fabulous friend in my life.

I’ve mentioned this before, but when I first moved to Chicago, I assumed I’d missed the prime friend-making period. That people made their best friends straight out of college, through friends of friends and first jobs.

Turns out, not always the case!

People make their best friends over the internet, too, haha. Via comment sections, e-mail chains, social media and weird promotional events.

There are ways.

Again, kind of creepy… but also funny and fantastic that Jess and I are Internet-Friends-turned-Real-Friends!

Anyway, I could go on and on about why exactly Jess is so wonderful, from how hardworking, upbeat and funny she is to how selfless, caring and humble she’s likely always been. But that’s another post for another day. (ALL the emotions this week!)

Today, I want to talk about how inspiring she is.

I love blogging. But truth be told, sometimes I struggle with coming up with fresh topics to write about, balancing collaborations and my own projects, and bringing big ideas to fruition. While it’s a lot less emotionally and physically demanding than my old job, blogging is more draining on the creative front. Like, I’ll work all day, deplete my creative juices, and yet somehow have very little creative product to show for it.

Does that make sense? Does anyone feel the same?

Jess is one of those people who keeps me going. And she’s the best company. Even when we’re not physically together, we’re at our computers, whittling down our to-do lists and talking over GChat about little goals and big goals. And it’s these conversations I have with Jess–whether in person or online–that motivate me to be a better freelancer and blogger. (And person, if we’re being honest here.)

GIRLFRIEND HAS SO MANY IDEAS AND SUCH GREAT ADVICE.

She’s seriously the only one who can calm me down when I think I’m doing it all wrong.

Here’s the thing, though. Up until now, I’ve been the only one benefitting from these insanely inspiring, down-to-earth conversations with Jess! Which is why I want to invite you to take part, and get all the ideas and advice, too. ;)

Don’t worry. You’re not going to start getting weird GChat requests. You will, however, get exclusive emails about blogging if you sign up for Jess’ weekly “Ask Jess,” e-mail list through the signup form below.

“Ask Jess” launched last week, and I’m so proud of her. Read this week’s content here, and watch the video below. But don’t forget to sign up for the emails. This will be the first and last time the content shows up on an actual site! :)

Congratulations, J! How cute are you?!