First Blogiversary Day 4: The Year In Review

Before I dive right into the year in review post, I want to remind beg you all to take 30 seconds to take the survey I posted on Monday!  The survey will close tonight because we will be sharing the results tomorrow! Thanks so much for helping a girl out!

Now, let’s get into the good stuff! This has been such an incredible year. Walker and I have gone beyond getting settled in our apartment and have really established an amazing life together in cohabitation. Our relationship has thrived and I am grateful every day for finding such a beautiful love in this big, scary world. I watched my awesome brother graduate from high school/start college and have enjoyed seeing my parents flourish as empty-nesters. I stood by my best friend’s side as she married the love of her life and celebrated with two other couples we love as they also tied the knot! I sadly mourned the loss of my Papa and my grandmother but felt closer to my extended family than ever before because of it. I enjoyed my little puppy-companion’s antics and watched Walker and Bo become best friends! And most of all, my family and friends are happy and healthy… what more could you ask for?

When I started up this little blog, I only had the intention of using it as a creative outlet and to keep in better touch with my friends & family on the East Coast. However, it is a year later and I could never have imagined the effect it would have on me. Obviously, the biggest thing I have taken away so far was the discovery that I am capable of and passionate about pursuing a career in interior design, which I talked about in detail yesterday. I blabbed on for long enough about that already, so I will move on. Perhaps the accomplishment I am most pleased with is that this is one of the only hobbies I have actually stuck with for an entire year! I tend to throw myself into a new activity and then drift away once the novelty has worn off.  Not with the blog and I love that! I am giving myself a pat on the back! The blog has also allowed me to develop existing creative skills (painting, crafting, building, writing, etc.) as well as branch out into new creative skills, such as photography and web design.

Another really awesome thing I didn’t see coming at all was meeting a bunch of incredible blog friends from all over the world! There are even a few of them I have become so close with that we are attempting to find some time next year to actually meet in person! #Ohio2013! I feel like I have found my little voice out in the big world of the Internet and that makes me proud. I am by no means a big blog on the block but I am blown away by how many of you lovely readers are out there!

So enough sappy stuff and more about you, my super awesome readers! I thought it would be fun to showcase your favorite things from this year!

Your favorite project this year was the California Love String Art, with 1,015 of you reading that post! WOW!!

Coming in second was my $7 DIY Plant Stand & Outdoor Bar with 757 readers!

And in third place is the Mason Jar Hand Soap Dispenser with 484 readers!

With the exception of the day I entered the Apartment Therapy Homies, the post with most same-day hits (363!) was my recap of the “Breakfast in Bed” bridal shower I threw for my best friend Laura back in July! Woooo!

My personal favorite post (other than my big announcement yesterday) was the Centennial post, partially because it contained an excessive number of Bo pictures and partially because it gave me a chance to tell you a little more about myself!My personal favorite project was the $14 DIY Basket & Twine Pendant Light because it changed the entire vibe of our living room!

Most of you found me through Google, Facebook, Apartment Therapy, and Pinterest (my top referrers) but there are some people that landed on my page by searching for some pretty odd stuff on search engines.  Here are a few of my favorites:

treasure hunting in Nebraska – YES PLEASE!
bad bathroom paint job – haha okay… this one makes sense.  The world will never let us live this one down!
bathtub of guacamole – mmmmmmm where!?
dog potty area in backyard – for us it’s called the backyard…
catskill sexy – you mean like the mountains? This one creeps me out.
pomeranian birthday – yippee! Puppy party!
cartoon lion sitting down – hmmmm? Sorry, I do not have one of those.
little gross adorable – ouch… I hope they were taking about Bo.
where is erika? – right here you dingus! ;)

And of course, no yearly blog recap would be complete without the grand total of the yearly pageviews. Of course, the stats are only as of Sunday since they take a few days to process so I will have to come update this official number once stats through yesterday become available. The grand total (as of Sunday) is 31,765 pageviews! HOLY MOLY! THAT IS INSANE! It makes my head spin just thinking about how incredible that is. All of you readers are so unbeliveabley awesome… I am so grateful for all of you and wouldn’t still be posting if it weren’t for you. xoxo

Because you are all so wonderful, I will have a little something special for you in tomorrow’s post, as well as a recap of the survey results and answers to all of your questions! In addition, I will be touching a little bit on moving forward and my blog goals for next year.  See you then!