Monika Blogwell

As it turns out, one year later I have 86,000+ hits — and none of them are the result of me hitting refresh over and over again (except in the rare event that the site was down).

Today is the one year blogiversary for MonikaBlogwell.com. This thing is still just a baby, but amazingly enough, I’ve kept up with my little pet project. A year later, I’m still learning from my blogwell and still getting a few kicks out of it along the way.

A year later, my own life has taken on a new shape as well. I continue to learn and grow each day, figuring out that I’m a happier person when I take simple steps each day. Steps like remembering to moisturize. Steps like cleaning the kitchen. Steps like telling my parents how much I love them.

I’m still just as crazy as ever and still just as flawed. I set off smoke alarms when I cook, I fret about whether or not I left my hair straightener unplugged, I complain about my thighs. But it’s learning to laugh at my own imperfections and finding ways to accept them them that makes me stronger.

This blog has been such an incredible outlet for me, and it means the world to me that my friends (and even some people I’ve never met before) visit it.

Each day, things happen in our lives and the lives of others that we wish we could change. Sometimes I feel bad about not bringing to light the things that are really on my mind here, but I try not to burden you. I hope this space can serve as a respite from reality from time to time. You can read about Patrick’s brown pants. when the truth is we’re all thinking about the latest deadly disaster or political scandal. Thank you for letting me use this space to try to inject a little more positivity into the world. You keep me honest. You keep me searching for new recipes. You keep me from sitting at my computer hitting the refresh button.