My 1 Year Blogiversary: A Year in Review
December 5. That’s the official date of my 1 year blogiversary.
I cannot believe that it’s been a year of blogging! It has absolutely flown by so fast. When I started blogging I don’t think I thought this far ahead. I mean, I knew that I wanted it to grow and take off and provide much value for many years to come. But I also wasn’t planning a year ahead either.
For me, the saying of “just start with a single step” was my motto. I was barely planning a month in advance. I planned a blog post week by week until I got into a groove and had some ideas. Then I started thinking ahead by a few months at a time and that’s where I’m at now.
This past year has been a learning curve to say the least. But I can honestly say that I have learned a lot. I’m still learning each day and with each blog post.
The Most Surprising Thing:
I think one of the things that took me most by surprise was the ups & downs of my own creative thinking. I’ve never really worked/done anything this creative for a long period of time.
I thought that you had to be creative all the time. Or that creative people were creative all the time. That it just flowed out of them 24/7.
That may be true for some people but it definitely isn’t for me.
I’ve realized that there are seasons & waves for everything: the coming up with the blog post ideas, creating the blog posts, and then resting while that batch posts each week. Then the cycle starts again.
Enough of my going on & on…
I thought it would be fun to look back at the highlights from this past year on Living Life with Meredith for my 1 Year Blogiversary. I was kinda surprised at some of my top blog posts. There were a few posts that I thought would be in my top 10 but some of those aren’t there at all.
Let’s start with a look back at my Top 3 photography blog posts here on Living Life with Meredith, shall we? We shall…
#3: Llambes Family Session
Ahhhh…the sweetest family! I loved, loved, loved this session! My first family session ever & they were all amazing. And their outfits—perfect!
#2: Robinson Maternity & Mother + Son Session
This one was special because it’s my cousin! When I found out she was pregnant, I knew I wanted to try my hand at maternity photos and take some photos of her & her first born. They turned out really great & captured the both of them during this time.
#1: Samson Sisters Session
My first photography session ever! Sisters are special and there’s nothing quite like a relationship with your sister. The Samson Sisters are the sweetest girls and I’m so thankful they let me take their photos and capture themselves as individuals but also their bond as sisters.
My Top 10 Overall Blog Posts:
#10: About Me
It was my first blog post ever posted so I’m very thankful that a lot of y’all read this one and hopped onto this blogging journey with me. It was a little weird to write a blog post all about me but I wanted to share who I was, why I started this blog, and what you could expect on my blog.
#9: Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sliders
I am so glad that these are in my Top 10. They are so good. So easy. So quick. They’re perfect for dinner, for leftovers at lunch the next day, and for game day. And you can make them as spicy as you want them and trade the ranch for the bleu cheese if ranch isn’t your thing. (But seriously though, how is ranch not your thing? It’s the best. And yes, I realize I could be getting ready to start a social media firestorm but I stand by my opinion that ranch is the best.)
#8: Dogs & My Complete 180
This just cracks me up. Hahahaha I can’t believe this post is in my top 10. I know Zoe is super cute & all so maybe that’s why it’s on this list. Honesty Hour: This was one of those weeks where I honest to goodness had no idea what to write about. I was tossing out ideas to my fam to see which one stuck & the best one was about Zoe so I rolled with it.
#7: 2 Day Vacay to Panama City Beach
Y’all. I put a little disclaimer at the bottom of this post about how everything isn’t always sunshine & rainbows like it can appear to be on the Internet. If y’all only knew some of the crazy things that happened on this trip, you’d die. For that reason, I also can’t believe this one is in the Top 10. But I realize that I view this trip through a different lens.
It wasn’t all bad, of course. There were some good moments from this trip. Like eating at Liza’s again (take me back!) & driving around our old vacation stomping grounds. But overall? Don’t believe everything you see on the Internet. (Sorry to be one of those people who says that things weren’t 100% great and then won’t share why. For me, it’s a fine line to share the good/bad/ugly while also respecting my own privacy & that of my family. Honestly, I probably won’t be discussing this trip on here anytime soon or probably ever.)
#6: Panama City Beach Vacation 2020
Okay, this trip was pretty great. Minus the massive heat wave that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced at the beach. I’m used to a nice breeze coming off the ocean. This trip you could be sitting under an umbrella and still feel like your skin was burning. It was crazy. This trip was relaxed with plenty of sunshine, good seafood, heck, good food in general, and plenty of reading. Click the title to take a walk back down memory lane with me. That’s where I’m headed now!
#5: Honesty Hour: Holidays, Traditions, & Loss
My very first Honesty Hour. It was the first Christmas after losing my grandmother and it was my first Christmas with only one grandparent left. This Honesty Hour plus the one about Closing a Chapter are my two most honest and vulnerable blog posts I’ve ever written. The holiday season is here again and I think this blog post is worth another read. Just a reminder: the holidays can be sad and happy, joyful and mournful at the same time. Last Christmas was a big lesson in that for me plus a big lesson in answered prayers and it’s one that I’ll carry with me for a long, long time.
#4: Honesty Hour: Feelings
This Honesty Hour was probably one of my most favorite one to write. I remember sitting down to write it thinking that I only had the first couple of paragraphs figured out and having no idea what else to say. I sat down, wrote out what I had & the rest just flowed out of me. It’s worth a read if you’re struggling with how to feel about your feelings, how to manage them, and if you’ve forgotten that your feelings do matter.
#3: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Ahhh! So glad that these cheesecake bars are in my top 3. I truly make these all. the. time. They are my & my sister’s favorite. At this point, I have the recipe memorized. Next time you’re craving something sweet, I highly recommend these!
#2: Baby in Bloom Baby Shower
This baby shower was so fun to throw. My sister and I had never hosted a baby shower before and for this one to turn out so great was awesome. I put the blog post together two or three days after the shower and it was so enjoyable to do and look back through the photos even though it had just happened. I’m happy just scrolling back through it! I’m glad y’all loved this one too.
#1: Day Trip to Dahlonega
I’m pretty sure this is #1 thanks to Pinterest. Haha I’m not sure why but it’s gotten popular (for me) over there. I’ll take it. This was a fun little day trip and if you’ve never been there & walked around then you should. I’m sure there’s more to do than we did but take my day trip as a starting point. 🙂
Wow! There you have it…my Top 10 blog posts to celebrate my 1 Year Blogiversary. Here’s to seeing where the next year takes me & this little blog of mine.
I see that y’all like recipes, Honesty Hours, and posts about my life/trips so I’ll work on sharing more of that in the coming year.
I truly appreciate each and every one of you that reads my posts, shares them, likes them on social media, and takes the time to comment on here & on social media. It does not go unnoticed & it means the world to me knowing that people are out there reading & being impacted by my words & my recipes.
Thank you thank you thank you.
Love,
