Thanks for following along for the countdown to 20 years of blogging! This was my first post, on April 7, 2006. So today, exactly 20 years later, here we are. To celebrate, here are a few highlights and facts from the last 20 years.
1. I started off writing about travel, but then at some point I just had fun writing! One of my favorite fun for me posts was this one I wrote about trying to save the environment. It is funny to look back at my mind 20 years ago, but also our figurative environment and to see what has changed since that post!
2. When I first start training for my first half marathon in 2006, I documented it, as we do, and I wrote this post on my 4th training day, where I asked myself, "is this going to get any better, or will it only get worse?" Hah.
3. I was also a financial guru from the get go. Like in this 2007 post where I talk about trying to balance spending and saving. PS I opened my first brokerage (non-retirement) account in 2006.
4. Including this post, I have 1,208 published posts, or an average of about 60 posts per year.
5. A whopping 22% of those posts were all in one year, 2011, where I published 265 posts. The reason for this is because that is the year I did a round the world travel trip for about 12 months.
6. My three most popular posts in this time are one I did about the funny signs in Thailand, one I did about how to make cake pops, and a guest post by Mr. Lovely about why Nepal is better than India.
7. In 2008, I was traveling in South America for most of the year, and I even did a Dia Normal (DITL) post about one of my days there.
8. In 2019 I only wrote one post, and it was this best of books post. These posts have been a regular occurrence, even in the lean years! However, I did not even do the Money Pie!
9. In fact, I had a bit of a slump in a four year period, with total published posts per year of 3 in 2018, 1 in 2019, 11 in 2020 and 6 in 2021. I also skipped the Money Pie at the beginning of 2020, but luckily, it was back in January of 2021!
10. My top three labels in order of most to least are Lists, Travel and Running.
11. While blogging, I have lived in (and blogged about) the following cities: San Francisco, New Orleans, Santa Cruz.
12. In 2022, I decided to get back in the game, so to speak, and I upped my number to 17! I also started cycling longer distances for the first time, and I wrote a post about that.
13. In 2023, I talked a lot about decluttering, as this was when I had decided to sell my house and all my things and hit the road again.
14. Since I started this blog, I have read roughly 1,700 books and blogged about many of them. I even created a bookshelf with some of my favorites.
15. Like many of us, I went through a food phase, and took photos of food etc. I even created a recipe page.
16. I only did NaBloPoMo once, in 2024, and I probably will not do it again. It was fun but I can't keep up with other people's blogs as diligently as I would like when I am doing it.
17. In 2024 I took several weeks off from posting to race my bike from Canada to Mexico.
18. I also had many great blogger meet ups over these years, including places as far away from home as Poland and Wales!
19. 2025 was another great round the world adventure, mostly in the European region.
20. Next up, the world. Here's to 20 more years of fun, community and learning new things! Cheers!
Happy 20 years! My blogging frequency has taken a big hit since having children - but that's ok. I think some readers are probably happy to only have a few posts/week to keep up with on my blog since many other bloggers are quite prolific! 1-2 times/week is the sweet spot for me. I also feel like it's harder to blog when you are married and/or have kids because not everything is mine to share and I have an intensely private husband so keep that in mind. So I feel like my posts are mostly more surface level than they were before I got married. But it's just the reality of married/parenting life. And now I'm in a weird spot where there are things happening related to the fire incident that I can't talk about - and there was a lot I was going through in the fall related to the fire that I couldn't share because of the lawsuit, which also required me to make my blog private. It's a good thing I don't pay attention to stats because surely they are severely down. But the lawsuit is too important to risk weakening our case so my blog will stay private until it resolves which is probably a year+ away from happening.
ReplyDeleteOne of the posts I'm most proud of is my book review of "Traveling with Pomegranates" where I wove in the story of my experience with depression. ( https://lisasyarns.com/2009/12/30/book-review-traveling-with-pomegranates/). Another "raw" post was the one about my decision to break up with the guy I was dating at the time (https://lisasyarns.com/2011/01/04/why/).
I don't really look at stats either and am actually surprised to see some posts get attention. I do wonder if it's real or spam though at times! The lawsuit is definitely more important!
DeleteI think I've read both of those posts but will definitely go back for a reread!
Happy 20 years!! Isn't it fun to look back and have such a great record?!
ReplyDeleteI've definitely had blogging slumps. There was a noticeable decline when I broke my leg and couldn't do anything for months and months!
I don't know if it's my best post, but look at this photo of BABY ZELDA: https://ngradstudent.blogspot.com/2011/10/coup-dkitten.html
It is fun to look back! When you broke your leg, you would think that having time would mean more posts, but I do think not being in the right mental state can affect you a lot! Holy crap, baby Zelda is so cute!
DeleteHappy 20th! Next year your blog will be old enough to drink!
ReplyDeleteIf you look at my posts per year, you can tell that I finished my master's and got my CPA in 2014. I wrote a whopping three posts that year. Writing slumps are the norm and not the exception for me. Writing is always hard, and yet we do it anyway.
Yup, it wanes and waxes! I don't feel like 2019 was specifically busy, although I was studying for the CFA then so maybe I'm lying! Actually I think I am...I don't know why I didn't see that. Next April, I'll take the blog out for a drink! Hahah.
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ReplyDeleteHappy 20th anniversary! Did you ever think you'd be writing here for that long when you started?
ReplyDeleteI get into slumps frequently. I'm not a disciplined writer, so I often wait until I'm either inspired to or ashamed not to write a post (hence my last-minute, 31 March entry).
It's hard to find a best or favourite post, but I feel like this one is fun. I don't think anyone else has ever written about the topic the way I did.
Here's to 20 more for you! I'm glad I found you (or you found me, or whatever, it doesn't really matter).
*Sorry about the deleted comment. I messed up the coding for the link to my post.
I did not have any idea that it would still be going strong twenty years later!
DeleteHahah! I read your Jesus post and it's funny. I did not even think about that, but you're right. Jesus is hot!
Twenty years! Congratulations Kyria! I think we only got to know each other in maybe 2023, so I will have to look back on some of your old posts.
ReplyDeleteI have not been in a blogging slump! And I have like 1500 posts so it's hard to choose a favourite - I generally like all my posts. But I'm going to submit this one: https://girlinaboyhouse.com/2024/10/in-it-together/ I also like this one from 2014, where I go through the Lutheran Ladies' Family Favourites cookbook: https://girlinaboyhouse.com/2014/01/truly-upsetting-recipes-of-the-lutheran-ladies-family-favourites-and-puffy-pirate-shirts/
African Chow Mein! I love it. That is a good post. I am cracking up over here. I definitely have had my share of weird Jell-o salads, as we used to have a weekly Saturday potluck with all of the snowbirds, who stayed at my parents campground every summer. I would guess the average age of the pot luck crowd to be roughly 65, and there were lots of molds and plenty of mayonnaise.
DeleteCongrats on 20 years! Wow. That's awesome. 1,700 books? I'm in awe. I've done a few years of NaBloPoMo, but not sure I'll do it again. It's rough, but I've met great bloggers thru the process. I think that might've been when I started reading your blog. I don't know that I've ever struggled with a blogging slump. Some days (lately mostly), I think about calling it quits. I feel like my time might be better spent doing other things. One of my favorite blog posts still makes me laugh http://www.nosmallfeetblog.com/2020/08/mirror-mirror-stay-on-wall.html
ReplyDeleteI loved that post! I was laughing so hard at the part with the butt cheeks! Haha. I do not remember figuring that process out and I don't think my Mom helped me, nor would I have wanted her to!! However, my friend has two daughters and they talk about everything and would totally be just like you and Curly!
DeleteI sometimes feel my time would be spent better too, and sometimes that is why I slump! Other things come up! No worries about that though, as we all go through that feeling sometimes (I think!)
Congrats on two decades of blogging! That's such a massive accomplishment. Isn't it so fun to be able to see the trajectory of your life through all your posts? I really enjoy that part of blogging.
ReplyDeleteI can get into blogging slumps every now and then. Sometimes I just don't have anything on my mind to talk about and sometimes I just need a break! I usually take 1-2 weeks off blogging when that happens, and then I come back refreshed.
I think that is a great way to tackle it. Sometimes you just don't feel like it and putting pressure on yourself is probably not the greatest solution! I think that is a very healthy way to look at things.
DeleteCongratulations!!! I went back and read your first post- it's always fun to see where someone started out. You have done a LOT in these 20 years!!! Thank goodness you started blogging so you have a record of it all. I kind of feel like a "baby blogger" compared to you guys- I only started six years ago.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite posts that I've written are probably my race recaps. They all feel like epic adventures- and the rest of my posts are meanderings about cats, books, and mundane things like that. I definitely go through slumps, but then I just read a lot of other people's blogs and usually get inspired again.
I am glad that other blogs can inspire you! I sometimes do the same, or sometimes I just need to take a step back and be busy with other things, and not feel guilty about it (I am still working on this!) I think November is a good time to take a month off, as NaBloPoMo can be so overwhelming, even when you are not posting!
DeleteCongratulations on 20 years of blogging! That's really amazing and wonderful, and I'm so glad I found your blog. I think it was right after you sold your house, so I've been along for many fun travel adventures in a short amount of time. I enjoy blogging, but I had a hard time getting started, and many so many slumps. I did NaBloPoMo last year, and it really helped me get over myself, and I've been blogging weekly so far during 2026. That's my happy place!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that blogging is giving you the outlet that you need! I think that is why I started doing it, but as an upholder, I sometimes have too high of expectations of myself, like I "have to" keep going even if I am not feeling it that week! I am glad that NaBloPoMo helped you to get out of your rut, and that you have been consistent ever since!
DeleteCongratulations Kyria. How amazing to have 20 years' worth of posting. I started blogging in 2007 on a different blog, but then went into a bit of a slump towards 2018. In 2019, I ended up stopping and making that blog private because it had a lot of posts involving the kids. So I had a break until I started my new blog in 2022.
ReplyDeleteSo you basically have 20 years also, just not in a continuous place. That still counts though! I am sure looking back on the ones about the kids are fun now that they are all grown up! I am glad you started again, with your new chapter in life!
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