My One-Year Blogiversary—Highlights From The Year

Wow, it’s already been one year since I could start calling myself a blogger! Today is my blogiversary.

I think it’s important to celebrate blogging “firsts” and milestones. I had some trepidation starting this journey due to my chronic illnesses, and I wasn’t sure how much blogging I would be able to do.

I’m not gonna lie—it’s been quite a challenge to keep up, but I’ve enjoyed it so much. I’ve especially loved the connections I’ve made blogging. It’s wonderful when someone lets me know—in a comment, or in person—that they struggle with the same health problem and didn’t realize anyone else understood, that they love that book too, or that they were encouraged by something I wrote.

Blogging, for me, has been a beautiful reminder of how we can use our words to positively impact others, in spite of any challenges or limitations we may be facing.

I’ll be sharing tips in an upcoming post about what I learned over the last year. If you have questions you’d like me to answer in the post, leave them in the comments! I’ll try to answer them all.

 

Most Views Ever: Recovering from Major Events When You Have A Chronic Illness

Those of us with chronic illness know how challenging it can be to go to major events because of the toll it takes on our bodies. I’m so glad that my tips are resonating with you, and hopefully allowing you to make a plan to more quickly recover after outings.

 

Most Downloads: Easy Vegan Crisp Recipe

And no wonder! This is one of my favorite recipes, and it’s so easy to make.

 

Most Comments: Brain Fog Broke My Internal Editor

There was a four-way tie, so here’s the one with comments from people I’ve never met in real life! Brain fog is hard to understand if you haven’t experienced it, so I’m glad this post got some conversation started.

UPDATE: Since scheduling this post earlier this week, this post– My List of Little Joys—February 2019–has become my most commented on over the last year. I love to see how seeking out simple, every day examples of joy is resonating with you! 

 

First Contest/Giveaway: Listen to the Winning Song from Our Contest! + Behind the Scenes Creating the Song

I teamed up with Melissa Miles of the blog Hazel Eyed Songbird to hold a contest for our mutual subscribers. This was my first time collaborating with a musician to write song lyrics, and it was so fun!

 

First Post I Made An Affiliate Sale On: Simple Card Ideas: Playful Borders

Like me, you guys must like cute scrapbook paper! I share some easy card making ideas and how I’m not letting perfectionism interfere with my creativity. Because of my health, I’ve been trying to embrace more simplistic forms of creativity.

 

First Guest Post: Uncertainty in Fibromyalgia And Chronic Illness

Uncertainty is one of the things that makes chronic illness so difficult to manage and adjust to. I’m so glad I was able to share this post on Chronically Hopeful.

 

The Post That Tried My Patience: Some Thoughts on The Value of Patience

It challenged my patience in a good way!

 

One Of My Favorites: Like A Disappointed Butterfly

This is the kind of slice of life writing that I’ve never had an outlet to share before. I love when a moment catches me by surprise and sets me musing.

 

Thanks for joining me for this look back at the last year! Now I’m ready to start looking ahead. I’ve set some goals for the next year, and am most excited to do more interviews moving forward. It’s been great connecting with others in the chronic illness community via blogging, and I love the chance to help others share their stories. And these stories must be resonating with others because my latest interview is my most viewed post this month.

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Want to learn more about blogging? I’ve been saving my favorite articles and tips for new bloggers here.

 

Which blog post has been your favorite from the last year?

Also, what questions would you like me to answer about what I learned my first year blogging? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to answer them in my blogging tips post!