Time to Celebrate!

Source for original photo

If my blog was a person, it could go to kindergarten in the fall because today is its fifth birthday!

(Okay, technically I'm not sure if it could start this fall because of birthday cut off dates and things I know nothing about, but stick with my analogy and act like I'm right...).

A lot of things have changed in my life since June 2009. I've gotten married, finished a second graduate degree, and gotten my first dog, among many other changes!

I've learned a lot about blogging in the last 5 years. I still have a lot to learn and to improve upon, but I'm getting there! I'm also blogging more consistently, and my statistics are showing improvements because of that.

Here's how my posting consistency has changed. In 2009, I only published 1 measly post, which was my "hey look, I'm blogging now" post. I did a little better in 2010, publishing 3 whole posts. Slow down! In 2011, I published 22 posts. I was on fire! ;) I even attempted to do a 30 day blogging series, but I only lasted 16 days! I published 30 posts in 2012 and maintained a blog (Thankful 366) where I wrote an entry every day of the year detailing something I was thankful for. That was tough! Last year, I published 75 entries! I participated in 2 blog linkup series' and did my first "Blogging Through Books" series, so that definitely helped my count! This year, I have published 33 entries so far, so I believe I can easily surpass last year's total! I've got another series planned and another "Blogging Through Books" series in mind, so there's going to be a lot worth reading on here during the second half of 2014!

Enough about stats, let's get to the fun stuff! To celebrate my blog's birthday, I'm hosting my very first giveaway! I've got a $10 Amazon card for one lucky winner! To enter, leave a comment and tell me one big change that's happened in your life in the past five years (include your name and email address as well). Easy enough, right? The contest will end at 11:59 PM Central Time on Sunday, June 15. I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner and announce it here next Monday, June 16.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me during my blogging journey. When you comment here, on Facebook, or in real life, it means a lot to me. Sometimes I feel like I'm just writing for myself, so it's fantastic to get unexpected feedback! I can't wait to see what will happen in the next 5 years!