In a year of blogging.

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A year ago today, I started blogging.  That's if you don't count the post where I started this blog and then didn't do anything with it for seven months, which you don't.

I started blogging because I got married to a medical school student.  After the wedding planning was over, I had nothing to do with my time and he had too much to do with his.  Blogging was my way of feeling like I had something I needed to do that I enjoyed.  I have loved it so much and am so glad I stumbled into this corner of the internet.  To celebrate, here are three things I've learned in the past year:

At the end of the day, the only opinion of your words that matters is your own. 

Yes, it feels awesome to have people agree with you.  Yes, it feels super awkward sometimes when people disagree with you.  But if you're not proud of what you're writing and saying, neither one of those things matters.

Believing in other people inspires belief in yourself.  

One of the coolest things about blogging is getting to see snapshots of other people choosing to go after their dreams.  It can be so encouraging.  Reading about someone deciding to move across the world or quit their job and pursue their dream is beyond inspiring.  Reading their stories makes me want to believe in my own.

Blogging inspires creativity. 

Or writing inspires creativity, or painting inspires creativity...fill in the blank however you like.  The point is, sometimes if you're needing or wanting to be creative, the best thing to do is to just force yourself to be creative.  Pretty soon that fake creativity inspires real creativity which just inspires more creativity.

And now, I will leave you with some of the search terms that in some strange, bizarre way have lead people to my blog this year:

-"Triple D girl flashes chest in publix accident." <---HOW did this lead you to my blog?  How?

-"How to be happy if you hate your mom?" <--- Can't help you with this one.

-"Why am I so happy all the time?"<--- When you figure it out, I hope you come back and let me know your secret.

-"Pictures of girl I hate" <--- Well.  Alright then.

-"How do I make Chelsea write me a letter?"  <--- You can just ask.

-"Why should I be a pirate and not something else?"  <--- A lot of reasons, really.

 Thanks for reading my words for the past year, you guys.  Sometimes I have no idea why you do, but nonetheless, I'm extremely thankful.

Happy one year to thegirlwholovedtowrite.com.  And cheers to many more.  xo