Blogiversary!

Wow, guys. I can't believe this day is here and I'm here to blog about it. Two years ago today, on January 16, 2012, I made my first real post on this blog. What about? My love for Downton Abbey. Some things never change.

I spent some time at the end of 2013 thinking about whether I wanted to do some kind of year-in-review deal, or maybe talk about exciting plans for the year ahead. Neither of those felt quite right. I took some pretty gigantic blogging breaks in 2013 - in fact, last year on my first blogiversary, I didn't celebrate or even notice because I was away from the blog. So, I decided that, today, I'd just share with you my thoughts and great big smile about where I've been so far on this blogging adventure that apparently began on January 16, 2012.

I've decided to use this occasion as a chance to look back on the adventures that have come to me in the last two years. I've blogged about tons of craft projects, especially knitting and jewelry making. I've written about eating Paleo, and of course, not eating Paleo! I've told you about painting my nails and shopping for light bulbs. I jumped in a bounce house. I took a trip with my family to Duluth. I had several shopping adventures and explained some wild finds. I got to share books, movies and music with you - a lot! And by that I mean, I watched 30 Rock and would not shut up about it. I did some decorating projects in my apartment and even entered it in Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest, though it was not selected. I volunteered for a weekend at summer camp, and had college friends come stay with me during Advent. I tried crazy needle crafts, like needle felting, punch needle and embroidery. I went to the Ikea crayfish party twice. I knit two blankets. I hosted two parties to ring in New Year's Eve, and two book clubs and more than two birthday parties. I wrote a novel. And I wrote 305 posts on this blog.

It hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows and trips to Forever 21's jewelry-only store. My life was changed forever in August, 2012 when I learned that my health was in fragile shape. I never would have imagined, when I began the blog about seven months before, that I'd wind up being forced to take a break because I was in the hospital. And I never imagined that I'd need two big surgeries, and that after each one, it would take months for me to feel enough like my old self to return to blogging again.

It's a little crazy to me to look back over these lists, the good and the bad, to see all of the things that have happened in the last two years. Sometimes I think my life is boring, though this quick survey reminds me that couldn't be further from the truth! When I was recovering, it would have been easy for me to stop blogging. Walk away and not look back. Instead, those breaks solidified for me how much I've come to love Marvelous Minnie, blogging and you guys! During the breaks, I realized that I wouldn't actually return to feeling like normal until I was doing what had, by then, become normal: blogging. Because I'd come to love this forum. When I'm doing whatever it is I'm doing, if I'm going to blog about it, it's as if you're with me. Whatever boneheaded adventure I dream up next, there you are. Even if the next one turns out to be a dud, I know you'll be there to read about it and the one after it too.

This was the cupcake birthday cake that was presented to me at my last birthday. It was awesome and I wish I could share a piece with you now to celebrate these two years. They've been great and have me looking forward to what the next two will bring!