Welcome to Joyful Living with Katie Kritikos!

Bonjour!

Welcome to Joyful Living with Katie Kritikos! I am excited to write my first post and share a little bit about myself with you.

My name is Katie Chamberlain Kritikos and I love to write, travel, cook, and organize. I am also an ardent linguist and Francophile. Despite my nerd-like tendencies (I have a law degree and a masters degree in library and information science, after all), I fancy myself a well-traveled, well-heeled connoisseur of food, culture, and style. At least with my background, you know I do my research.

The Joyful Living blog is five years in the making. Mais pourquoi? Why did it take five years for this vision to come to fruition?

It was not fear of technology or the internet (because I will learn as I go). It was not fear of having nothing to say (because I certainly do, bien sûr).

It was because every time I was ready to start writing, I talked myself out it. “It will be white noise,” I said to myself. “Another dumb blog by a thirty-something white woman. Who cares? No one will read it anyway.”

Well, enough of that self-sabotage. On my thirty-fifth birthday, I bought the domain and started brainstorming. Today, I am launching Joyful Living.

I’m proud to say I produce all of its features, from photography to posts to web design (so please bear with me!). Creating this site and sharing my insights about food, travel, and organizing is an exciting adventure and I’m glad you joined me.

This blog is my platform to share thoughts and insights based on my experiences, from managing my health (IBS, thyroid disease, rosacea) to work to what I do for fun (planning trips, organizing closets, cooking). Since my 2014 diagnosis of hypothyroidism, an autoimmune disease, I have spent a lot time managing my symptoms with medication, visits to the endocrinologist, diet, and exercise.

I am passionate about trying to find my own joie de vivre (a French phrase joy in living) every day (emphasis on the try). You will find lots of information and opinions here!

Merci for reading and please subscribe and share!

Amitiés,

Katie