happy 3rd birthday!
After reading Joanna’s post today, I realized I forgot my blog’s 3rd birthday yesterday! I started my blog on April 24th, 2004 with this post:
the beginning…
well here goes nothing! i have so many random thoughts… i thought it would be fun to try out this “blogging†thing. maybe i’ll even get people to read it, that would be cool. i know at least beth z will read it :-)
My address at the time was twentysixcats.blogspot.com, which I used until around Christmas of 05. I also had a Xanga blog, and for a while I posted on both until I decided to go with Blogger (and I don’t regret that decision!). My posts started out really short, usually only a paragraph or two. They also started out without titles (which I added later) and without comments (since Blogger didn’t support those). I used Haloscan‘s commenting system until I switched to WordPress. One thing kinda funny as I reread those old posts is that I rarely capitalized or used complete sentences. I didn’t realize that I naturally am more grammatically correct now. :-)
This blog has had three addresses -> Blogger, then I moved to my own server and using WordPress at ashleydesign.org. Recently I changed it to the domain name twentysixcats.com. All the posts are here; however, the comments are only saved back until Christmas of 05 (when I moved to WordPress). I wonder how many comments I got back at the beginning? I do remember one anonymous commenter (gotta love them!) who left a nasty comment on one of my firsts posts saying I should do some nasty things with a spoon. I was quite shocked, but fortunately I really haven’t had much trouble with those kinds of comments.
A few stats: This post will be #663. The next person who comments will have the pleasure of being comment #1500!! There are 24 categories – too many in my opinion; I’d like to someday pare them down and perhaps make the categories more broad. I’ve never kept tabs on the traffic I generate to this blog, so I can’t tell you anything about that… Although I’d love to know some of the Google searches that bring people here. :-)
This blog has covered a lot of really major life changes. I think it’s neat to have a record of these. Some of them I don’t go back and read because it’s too hard, and others make me smile. For example:
Three humorous posts about my blogging addiction, and gives a good picture of the life I led in college
Paul proposes with a ring in a tulip
My graphic design internship, which was very much a learning experience
The engagement is off (these are the posts I can’t reread…)
Hurricane Charley hits Orlando
In my opinion, one of the best posts I’ve ever written – about the broken engagement
My second job interview – and my first post-college job :-)
My first post about a controversial current event – I’m not good at these, I take things so personally!
My first car (well the first one I bought myself, that is)
My graduation ceremony (yeah can’t reread that one either)
My first dinner at the Garrisons (this is very significant because… well they were and are my second family here in Georgia, and that meant sooo much to me especially before Paul arrived)
My first time decorating for Christmas on my own
Getting engaged the second time around
Paul quitting his job and moving to Atlanta!
Was it only a year ago? This event really shook me up
A million posts about wedding plans, including starting a separate blog for them
Getting my second car, and my first car payment
Starting another blog with my best friend
Having trouble with persistent migraines
Trip to New England to see the in-laws and meeting the Millers for the first time!
Adopting a little beagle puppy
Paid off our first of our loans!
That’s about it for now. :-) I enjoyed rereading some of those old posts again. Ah, memories. Thanks for being a part of my blogging experience. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon because I certainly do enjoy it. I have enjoyed all the wonderful friends I’ve made since blogging, and being able to keep in touch with old friends.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!