Behind the Blog
This particular post is written for those who need to know the person behind the writing. I promise, my writing will not be this engorged with details about me.
Who are you?
I was born and raised in the U.S. to Pastors Arnel and Dianette Aquino. A lot of my influence has come from them, so don’t be surprised if I reference them often.
I am the oldest of three girls and I’m a proud dog-mom to my Chihuahua Terrier – the only chihuahua I’ve ever loved and likely will ever love.
What do you do for a living?
I’m currently a graphic designer (with a BFA in Graphic Design) at an e-commerce customization company.
I also freelance here-and-there, but what I do for a “living” that is most significant to me is serving God and serving my home church family. I’m part of some amazing teams: the worship team, the young adult ministry, and the media crew. I wear a lot of hats, but it’s worth every minute.
Fun fact: I’ve never worked in the food or retail industry. My first job was during my sophomore year of college as a graphic designer for a screen printing company in Chino, CA.
What makes you qualified to write a blog?
Are there qualifications these days? Honestly, I don’t think of myself as qualified. I’ve been a self-proclaimed writer since I could hold a pencil, but I am in no way an expert. I just love to write from the heart. I like to view this blog as a public journal of the parts of my life I’m willing to share where God has worked His goodness and discipline into. My hope is that it encourages someone.
What inspired you to start blogging?
Whew – that’s a loaded question. So here’s my loaded answer! If I was asked this question a year ago, I would say I was driven by my selfish agenda to be seen and noticed, masked by humblebrags of false humility in an attempt to validate my worth – ouch. God really humbled me after that and I took a break from writing – completely. I didn’t even journal.
After the longest writer’s block ever, the deepest soul search known to man, and the most brutal heart-checks ever performed, God reawakened me to my love for writing and I finally realized that He placed this desire to start documenting my life lessons in writing not for my own gain but for His. Really, truly.
Quick encouragement insert – If God has a placed a dream in your heart that is bigger than yourself and undoubtedly impossible to do without Him, pursue it! God has divinely appointed you to be a carrier of that dream and only you can answer that call.
I’ve gone through a lot of things that have stretched me to the edge of my sanity these last several years. If what I’ve learned could help or inspire at least one person and point them to Jesus, then I’ve done what I’ve set out to do.
So, for those of us brave-hearted souls willing to put our necks on the line in the name of vulnerability to write content that could help another soul, I am right there with you, I thank you, and I resonate with that desire deeply.
Also, I want to have fun with it! I love sharing things I’ve learned whether it’s about Jesus, the highs and woes of womanhood, health, lessening our carbon footprint, etc. I’m all about it. I don’t know how long this season of my life will last, but until that day I’ll do my very best to be a good steward of it.
What do you like to do?
Travel. I want to say this wanderlust was heavily influenced by my parents who traveled across the world numerous times. I’ve been traveling to a new place every year since I turned 23!
Surf. The first time I ever hit the water on a board was on September 30, 2017. Paddling out of my comfort zone (pun definitely intended) was one of the best decisions I ever made.
What is your life verse?
Philippians 1:21