15 Year Blogiversary + Giveaway

Three significant things happened in 2005 that shaped my life:

1. I met my husband.
2. My dad was diagnosed with his first bout of cancer (and kicked that one’s butt).
3. I pressed publish on my very first blog post. And here we are today, celebrating my 15th “blogiversary.”

Side note….do people still call it a blogiversary, or am I showing my age?

What fun is a blogiversary without a gift for someone?!

I’m giving away some of my favorite things…but you have to keep reading to find out what it is!

Did you know that this blog almost ceased to exist? You might have heard this story before, but about seven years ago I had a “friend” tell me I wouldn’t keep blogging after I had kids. I already had a six month old at that point, and we were anticipating more in our future.

Her words stung, but instead of heeding her horrible advice, I vowed to never stop. (A little extreme, but I really don’t like it when people think they know me, and can tell me what to do.)

So here we are today; several states, countries, deployments, babies, hundreds (thousands?) of trips to coffee shops, and 15 years later…still blogging, and still loving it.

Take that, “friend.”

Why I love blogging…

This place is, and always has been, my outlet.

I love sharing my life with you—with strangers, friends, and family. And I get that some people may find that strange, but if I can help one person feel like their not alone in their grief, or share one tip that might help on a future vacation, deployment, PCS, or maybe create one meal that at least one person in the family enjoyed, I feel satisfied in all the work I’ve put into this site.

A Hobby and Work

And oh, is it work. It’s definitely harder now than it was more than a decade ago.

Because blogging isn’t just about writing a post. It’s taking, and editing photos; it’s making social media posts, and creating pins; it’s figuring out how to get this site in front of new eyes, and improve my ways for loyal readers. It’s figuring out code, and SEO, and, reworking the backend of the actual site so it looks pretty and flows well.

Blogging is about trying to be original, by consistently putting out fresh, new, relatable content, all while trying to stand out like a teeny little fish in a really big ocean.

Growth has always been a goal of mine, and even though it’s seen different paths—valleys and hills; growth and lulls—I’m really excited and happy with the direction it’s going right now.

Giveaway Time

Congratulations to Dena Kircher; the winner of the New Mexico box!

Whether you’ve been here from the very beginning (hi, mom!), or you’re a brand new follower, I just have two things to say: THANK YOU.

Would I still do this if absolutely nobody read it? Absolutely. But knowing your eyes are reading my words makes this hobby so much sweeter.

So I’m here to thank you.

Thank you for clicking my post. Thank you for sharing a post that resonated with you. Thank you for telling your friends about this site, and coming back again and again.

I’m also thankful I’m living in my home state again. Them military will move us soon (more on that in the near future), so for the time being, I’m soaking this state up.

And because of that, I want to thank you with some love from New Mexico.

One person will win this sweet New Mexican gift basket I’ve put together with some of my favorite things for you to enjoy…including an Amazon gift card for $20, so you can get a little something for yourself, too.

What’s in here? So glad you asked!

• Salsa (medium) from El Pinto
• Red chile sauce from Garcia’s Kitchen
• Sopaipilla mix by Valencia
• Local honey (for the sopaipillas!) from B’s Honey Farm
• a green chile air freshener from Seraparito Supply Co.
• Raspberry red chile jam from Heidi’s Raspberry Farm
• “Christmas” lemon pepper jerky from JR’s Jerky Company
• Lavender lotion and lip balm from Los Poblanos
• Red chile chocolate and almonds from the Chocolate Cartel
• Flavored NM coffee from the Chile Addict
• Biscochitos from Celina’s Biscochitos (not pictured…because someone’s three-year-old son took them out of the box. No cookies were harmed in the taking of these pictures.

Enter to win here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rules (aka “fine print”)

This giveaway is open to anyone with a US address (APO/FPO allowed). This giveaway is only sponsored by Jessica Lynn of Jessica Lynn Writes, and closes on February 19 at 11:59pm MST. Winner will be picked at random, and announced in the giveaway post, via email, and on my Instagram stories by February 21. Winner must claim their giveaway within 2 (two) business days, otherwise another winner will be announced.