Well folks, it’s been two full years of blogging for me here at My Neck of the Woods! I really can’t believe that two years have flown by so quickly and that so much has changed in such a short time. My first post was on September 14, 2012. (Honestly, I planned to post an anniversary post on that day but was thinking it was October, not September. I did the same thing last year. Oops.) Nonetheless, I’m happy to report that I still love this place, and that I appreciate you for following along with my crazy life.
So much has changed in my life over the past two years. I’ve gotten married, sold a business and started a new one. Matt’s gone to nursing school (and will finish in February!). We’ve bought a house and a car. We’ve celebrated a first anniversary and a second. We’ve tackled cancer and done some traveling. Two years seems like such a short period of time, but I can assure you that I’ve done so much in those 730 days. A lot of it has been shared here on this blog, and it truly means the world to me that you want to follow along.
In addition to all of our personal changes, this blog itself has changed a lot. When I wrote that very first post, I really had no idea what to expect. Previously, I had just shared my thoughts in extremely long Facebook posts. I had really wanted to find a way to speak out for months and months, but launching a blog seemed so daunting. One day I just sat down and did it. I created a free blogger site with little to no knowledge of how it even worked. I didn’t have goals or plans…I just knew I wanted to try it. A few months later, Matthew created a more complex (and attractive) wordpress site for me, and I felt like a real blogger. My only readers were friends and family, and I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to post about. I just knew I wanted to write.
In the beginning, I thought this would be a DIY blog with lots of fun ideas and tutorials. I thought I’d post inspirational tidbits and blog a lot about decorating. My pictures were absolutely horrible and the layouts of the posts were choppy and hard to follow. I didn’t know what I was doing, and looking back at those early posts are quite embarrassing. (Feel free to take a gander through the archives if you’re brave enough.) However, the important part is that I took the step. I knew that I wanted to tell my story, and I jumped out there and gave this blogging adventure a shot. I just started posting. I didn’t spend years researching my options or learning the best ways to post. I started snapping pictures with my iPhone and posting my thoughts on the internet. I shared crappy projects and bad photos for quite some time as I learned more about the process and my goals for this space.
After two years of blogging, my photos are better (not fabulous, but better). My posts are more like me (not always perfect, but they’re me). I post more regularly (not quite like clockwork yet, but I’m getting there…they’re definitely more frequent than before).
After two years of blogging, I know more about what I want from this space. Like in the beginning, I still want to tell my story. It might not always be a thrilling, invigorating story, but it’s mine. My foremost goal for this space is to simply share my life with those around me. My second goal is to inspire. Whether inspiration be found in a project or home tour or through a post on making this world a better place, I simply want to inspire others to make their worlds work for them. I want people to find beauty in everyday life and see the possibilities that lie around them. At this point, I don’t think this blog will be the place to come for a new DIY tutorial. Two years of blogging has helped me to learn more about myself and my goals, and for now, I’m going to focus on telling my story and using this medium to inspire and encourage others.
When I really sit and think about the fact that it’s been two whole years of posting here, I feel so humbled and thankful. Many of you have read along with me since the very beginning and you’ll never know how much that means to me. For some, you’re new here and that’s just fine too. The fact of the matter is, I feel incredibly honored that you all come here and read my writing (which is sometimes more rambling than writing). You come back post after post and read along. Sometimes you comment. Sometimes you email or message me. Sometimes you mention posts in public, and no matter how you reach out to me, please know that I’m incredibly appreciative. I don’t know what the next two years are going to look like for me, but I can’t wait to see it play out, and I can’t wait to share it with you here.
After reflecting on this little anniversary, I feel like I should say this – whatever little dream or idea that you may have, it’s time to take a chance on it. Take a chance and try something you can’t stop thinking about. You don’t have to know everything about the process and you likely won’t be fabulous at it on day one. However, taking a leap of faith and just starting will be so much more rewarding that never trying. It’s better to have tried and failed than to always wonder what could have been. Chances are, you won’t fail at all. Chances are, that you’ll be able to look back in a few years and see how much you’ve learned and how far you’ve come. Changes are, you’ll look back and be embarrassed at how little you knew back then but be proud of how much you’ve learned.
Here’s to the next two years of living and learning and trying all of the new things! Thanks again for your support and encouragement through my journey.
