Happy 5th Anniversary Blog {And a Giveaway!}

Happy 5th Anniversary Blog {And a Giveaway!}

• 4.06.2014

^^Hiking the Adirondacks our first summer in New York... nearly FIVE years ago!^^

 

Exactly five years ago today I started this little blog.  Back then, Bron and I were just newlyweds.  I was working for the Eye Center and Bron was about to graduate with his Bachelor's degree from BYU-Idaho.  We were getting ready to embark on our big two year adventure in New York.  There was no way we could fathom how much would change in just five short years!  And I am grateful every little step of our life's adventure together is recorded here.  This blog is our family's journal and it is precious to me.  My family is my whole world; they occupy my thoughts, my time, and my arms.  Why would I write about anything else? 

I am honestly surprised that I've been writing consistently here in this little space for so long.  Five years ago I had no idea there were blogs out there that had thousands of followers, whose authors concentrated specifically on fashion or photography or family.  Nope!  All I knew is that I enjoyed reading my cousin's blog and a few friends' blogs as well.  Also, back then, I had no idea what kind of an obsession I was starting for myself.  Bahaha!

I love writing, always have, even as a little girl.  Some folks have complimented that I write well, and I appreciate that.  But I write for me.  Putting thoughts to paper--even if it's just to sum up our weekend--is emotionally therapeutic for me.  Everything that was once jumbled up in my mind has a place to finally rest on a (web) page.  And don't get me started on photography!  Photography is my personal artistic outlet.  I love the challenge of finding new angles, the perfect light, and learning to edit an image to reflect my mood.  Plus, let's face it, my two little boys have me wrapped around their tiny pinky fingers and I cannot get enough of their contagious smiles!  This blog just seems to be the perfect marriage of both the written word and photography.  In other words, blogging is a perfect fit for me!

Now, 569 posts later, this blog sees upwards of 150 (sometimes over 200) daily hits.  Comparatively, I know those stats aren't much, but I never imagined that so many friends and family from across the country (and even some corners of the globe!) would regularly check in to see what we've been up to.  It makes me happy that you like to read this blog!  Really, it's a huge compliment.  And I never imagined I would actually make a handful of "online friends" of fellow bloggers whom I would be absolutely thrilled to meet in person one day.

^^Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!^^

Let's cut to the chase...

In honor of five whole years of blogging, I want to give something back to you: my readers.  It's silly and just for fun, but I appreciate your checking in and your many sweet comments.  Because both my little boys love, love, love to read (and it's probably not a coincidence that the books we tend to read over and over, bring on car trips, etc. are written by the same brilliant author), I want to share with you two brand new Little Golden Books by our favorite children's author, Richard Scarry. 

All you have to do to "win" them is leave a comment telling me your favorite thing about this blog.  And if you're not interested in winning, I'd still love to hear from you anyway!  (Remember, you don't need a Google account to comment.)  I'll post the winner sometime next week.

Thank you ALL for following along!  Here's to another five years of blogging!