My blog just turned four years old!

I get excited by each milestone and like doing these reflection posts each year.

There’s been quite a few changes between last year and this one, but most of them have been personal.

Of course there was the biggest change: getting married. And all the stuff that comes with that: adjusting to having a husband, sharing money, living together, etc.

There was also some big changes in my family life. Previously my siblings were a big part of the blog. We ate out together at least once a week, I deposited my sugary creations to them so that I wouldn’t eat them all and get diabetes, and we lived together. Shortly after I got married, they up and all moved out of San Diego within a span of a few months. My parents have wanted us to all move back to the Bay Area and they successfully convinced two of their kids to do so. They are still working on me. But I really love San Diego.

My youngest brother, often referred to as Baby Brother on the blog, left San Diego for the East Coast. If you haven’t yet heard from my mother or him, he got into Harvard Dental School. Even though we are all pretty proud, having him move so far away has been a big adjustment. My parents had successfully kept us all in one state until now, so it’s been a big change having him all the way on the east coast.

So most of my family has left San Diego and I’ve lost the weekly family dinners, which is a little sad. Though my wallet is much happier since it took quite a dent to take out my siblings and their significant others every week. I also lost them as an outlet to deposit all my baked goods. Luckily I’ve found other sources. I have twin cousins in San Diego and some college-aged friends who don’t need to watch what they eat.

On the blog front, I’m continually surprised and happy to see more and more people finding the blog and sharing it with others. I’ve met and made new friends, reconnected with ones I lost touch with, strengthened existing friendships, gotten some great opportunities to work with various companies, seen a few of my posts go viral on the internet.

I hope to see the blog continue to grow, but at the same time, I want to always stick to what is important. A wise man recently reminded me what was important and it’s a moment I tried very hard to ingrain in my memory forever. We were sitting at a party he had invited me to, surrounded by all his close friends, all of whom I learned that night he had actually met through his blog. And while I’m paraphrasing here, he basically told me: this is what it is all about. He might not blog forever, but he’s made lasting friendships. And of course, I realized he is right.

Sure, there are some cool perks that come with the blog, but the biggest thing I’ve gotten out of it are the friendships. I’ve made dear friends- people I never would have met if I didn’t start my blog. My blog might not last forever, but I hope these friendships do and they are what I take most from this blog experience.

When I look back on my old anniversary posts, I can read and feel the enthusiasm I have for the blog in each one. And I have to say, I feel just as enthusiastic now as I did last year and the year before.

I often get asked, why I blog so much or why I don’t get sick of it. Honestly, for me, the blog is my outlet. I hate my day job. Anyone who meets me knows that. I chose a career path I wouldn’t choose again if I could redo it. But with the blog, I’m doing something. I’m not saving lives or anything significant, but I’m making some sort of difference and reaching people I would never be able to in person. I like knowing when I go to sleep each night that even though my day job is very unfulfilling, I did something else that day that hopefully made a small positive difference in someone’s life. Which is why I get such a thrill when I receive positive comments. Hearing someone made a recipe that pleased their whole family, that they found a new favorite restaurant from my post, etc, really makes my day. So that’s what keeps me going and keeps me wanting to constantly post. It’s why I like to login my blog first thing after I turn on my computer screen in the morning, so I can see what people have said about something I published the night before.

I don’t know what to expect in this next year for my blog. I’ve learned not to have expectations and just let things flow. With each year, I do feel a bit wiser and feel like I’ve learned from some mistakes and learned to  make adjustments with the blog, but I know there will be other mistakes to learn from so I hope you will be patient with me. I know it will continue to change, hopefully for the better. I know I can’t please everyone, but I hope most of you will continue on this journey with me. And to those of you who have discovered me these last few years, read my ramblings, silently followed my blog, commented on posts, alerted me to restaurant openings, shared tips and recipes to me, thank you.

My previous anniversary posts:

Third Year

Second Year