1 Year Blogiversary

Goooooood morning!  Today is a very special one because I am recognizing an event that only happens once in a blog’s life… the first birthday!

Over the weekend, I realized that this site actually went live last year at this time.  Housewife Glamour is a blog I merged my two previous blogs with, which is why you will see posts dated back to 2010.  I decided to include my wedding planning posts simply to provide content to those who are going through their own planning journey.

I then went on to transfer a few more recipe and post-wedding posts, but my true HWG blogiversary happened just a few days ago!

Cupcakes for everyone!

It is crazy to think that just a year ago, I was staying up late – nightly – making sure this site was ready to launch.  My to-do lists for it keep growing, and I feel like the site is still is not exactly where I want it to be, but overall I am very happy with what it has become.

There are a handful of pages I want to create and redesign.  There are so many posts hidden in the shuffle that I want to categorize and highlight.  There are little things about the layout and widgets that still drive me crazy, and if you too are a blogger, you know exactly what I am talking about.  There is always room for improvement, and even if I had an entire week to solely work on the back end, that would still not give me enough time to complete everything I want to do.

Progress, friends… patience and progress.  Slowly but surely, everything will come together and in the mean time I will continue sharing my life and everyday musings with you!

Just like the beginning of a new year, every birthday or anniversary prompts me to take a look back at the past one and reflect.  Our first year together sure has been a roller coaster full of surprises.

Let’s take a look back at some of the high points, shall we?

1 Year Highlights

Favorite Recipes

A handful of my favorite, most frequently made dishes all pulled from the Recipes Page.

• Chocolate Chip Banana Mini-Muffins

• Healthy Vegetarian Corn Chowder

• Honey Mint Fruit Salad

• Southwestern Salsa Chicken

• Lean Beef Burrito Bowl

Biggest Events

Reaching goals, fun outings, announcements, and new chapters in our lives.

• 2012 Gasparilla Half Marathon

• Becoming a Barre Instructor

• Surprise Meet + Greet with Gavin DeGraw

• 1 Year Wedding Anniversary

• Announcing Our Move to Michigan + Saying Our Goodbyes in Florida

 Favorite Posts

Just a few of my personal favorite posts, tutorials, and stories.

• All twelve Wedding Recaps on the Wedding Page.

(It is impossible to pick just one!)

• Differences Make Us Beautiful

• DIY Wedding Anniversary Gift

• Fashion Favorites

• High Bun Video Tutorial

What I’ve Learned

Oh boy… what have I learned from blogging the last year of my life away?

A lot, actually.

• Becoming comfortable with your blog takes time.

Like I said earlier, blogging is all about progress.  Nobody starts out perfectly happy with everything, and you are most likely going to be your toughest critic.  In all honesty, it took me about six months to truly feel comfortable promoting my blog to my friends and not just to readers online.

• It might take a little while to get into your writing style and groove.

Coming from straight from the mouths of a panel of successful bloggers, it takes a good two years to fully get into the swing of blogging.  Sure, you can rant and rave and write just for you… but if you have any intentions of making it a business, it can take some time.  Allow it.  Give yourself a few months, or even years before you judge the progress, while working towards what you want the overall tone and focus you want to have.

Make sure you are comfortable in your writing, and that your blog is a true reflection of you.  Ask yourself, “Would I would actually read this?” and if the answer is yes, then you are on the right path!

• Blogging can be be a fun hobby, and it can also become a part or full-time job if you commit to it.

I started Housewife Glamour as my “serious” blog.  I began blogging as a hobby, mostly to share my wedding planning process with my close friends and family.  That soon turned into a love for writing, and I knew once all of the wedding and newlywed hoopla was over, I wanted to start sharing content others can actually get inspired by.

Today, I use this blog as an outlet to share recipes, workouts, reviews, events and every day happenings with you.  It is still a hobby, but has also helped me gain other blogging and freelance writing gigs.  The harder I work on content, the more opportunities for future work pop up, and that can eventually lead into a career.

I am very pleased with where I am, but also strive to gain more freelance work in the future!

• It is important to turn “off” every once in a while.

In the beginning, literally everything was a subject to write about to me.  My camera and phone were maxed out with pictures, and I really had to pick and choose what I wanted to write about.

As much as I want to share and look back on every memorable event, outfit, or date night, there are times where it means just as much to “turn off”.  I learned this at about the six month mark while on a date with Scott.

For the few of you who actually care to see what the bread, salad and lasagna looks like at the Italian restaurant we happened to go to, sometimes it is more beneficial to not blog about it.  As much as Scott appreciates the attention my blog gives him (ha), he appreciates when I put the camera away and spend one-on-one quality time with him even more.

Keeping up this blog has taken a lot of hard work, but at the end of the day it is just a blog.  My life and keeping the people in it happy comes first!

(But I still love you guys!)

Whew! I know I could keep going on about what I have learned since that first scary moment of “it’s live” happened last year.  I am sure I will have plenty to look back on for the next blogiversary, and in the mean time all I can say is a big THANK YOU for stopping by!

Without the encouragement and support I get from you guys, I would not have the level of motivation I do to keep HWG up and running.

You, my friends, are what inspires me to share my life and stories with you, and I could not be more grateful.

Here’s to another year! 🙂