My blog anniversary came and went with a whimper. Or a whisper, maybe. Certainly not a bang. I suppose that’s appropriate though, since my very first blog post was barely heard. It was on December 31, 2012, and was creatively titled, “Welcome to my Blog.” Don’t even read it. I just introduced Kiss my List to the handful of people who I told about it.
My next four posts had two comments each, one of which was mine. Then, on January 24, 2013, my world changed. My mind was blown.
I joined Finish the Sentence Friday for the first time with my “Holey Red Tights, Batman!” post. Sixteen bloggers commented on that post, including Janine, Kristi, Stephanie, Kenya, Julie, and Emily – ladies who I consider bloggy friends almost a year later.
What a year it’s been. Let’s take a walk down memory lane while also looking ahead to what 2014 holds.
In 2013, I had over 6,000 comments on my blog. Half of them were from me, because I make it a point to respond to each one.
In 2014, I will continue to foster the relationships I’ve developed with so many of the people who comment on my blog. And if you read and don’t comment, don’t be shy! I don’t bite (hard).
In 2013, I attended a conference and met Angela, Kristina, and Kristi in person.
In 2014, I will attend at least one conference (Blog U for sure!) to meet more awesome people. Oh, and to learn something too. And I will have a lunch date with Kristi, one Friday very soon.
In 2013, I learned how to create my own website, and then I redid it a bunch of times.
In 2014, I’m going to try to leave my design alone.
In 2013, I vlogged for the first time. It was much harder than I thought it would be.
In 2014, I will vlog at least once. I’m thinking my lovable dorkiness will endear me to my readers. Right?
In 2013, I was a contributor in two books. They’re over there on the side bar. Scroll up a little. If you’re reading on a phone, scroll to the bottom.
In 2014, I would love to contribute to another book. I think 2013 was beginner’s luck, though.
In 2013, I started posting three times a week, and tapered off to two times most weeks.
In 2014, I will continue this schedule, even though it drives me nuts that I don’t have regularly scheduled days. But I don’t want to lose my momentum and burn out, so I will try to go easy on myself. I’ll also try to eat less chocolate, but I’m pretty sure neither one of those things is going to happen.
In 2013, I wrote a kitchen remodel series and started a Disney series. My how-to posts became less and less frequent as I started writing just because I like it.
In 2014, I will still occasionally write a post that may actually be helpful or useful to my readers. Just occasionally, though, because I don’t know very much helpful or useful information. But my practical posts bring more search traffic, so someone googling “diy stair fail” may stumble on my blog and decide she wants to stay awhile. Go figure.
In 2013, I guest posted in a few places. I’m most proud of my guest post for the Our Land series – it’s here.
In 2014, I will swap guest posts more often – maybe once a month. Except for this month, when I am guest posting for one awesome blogger and trading guest posts with two other awesome bloggers, so stay tuned!
In 2013, I started writing for Mommy Hot Spot as a monthly contributor, and reading for Red Letter Reads.
In 2014, I will continue these collaborations, and look to establish other relationships as well.
In 2013, I joined the SITS girls and met blogging friends like Tamara, Michelle, The Dose Girls, and Catherine. And they are just the ones I know I met through SITS – I’m sure there are many more!
In 2014, I will finally have my turn at being the SITS featured blogger of the day. This month, probably. I will hopefully have many new visitors, but I hope my bloggy friends will stop by too so Kiss my List looks like the place to be.
In 2013, I started writing a blog because I thought it would be cool.
In 2014, I love my blog and I love writing. I’m gonna keep doing it.
I still can’t believe how far you have come in such a short time!!! Amazing really- and it’s because you are who you are- so wonderful in every way.
CHEERS to a new year and your sights for 2014 look AWESOME!!! Can’t wait to have you over!!! (Any minute now!!)
DANA! i totally adore how you structured this: giving a nod to last year, then also to your intentions for 2014. so creative and thoughtful. and wow…i am so honored to be mentioned. i love the SITS community. i admit i follow a lot of bloggers, but truly, you are one of my very faves!
The feeling is mutual, Catherine. You have a unique voice and I’m so glad we connected last year. Here’s to a great 2014!
Happy, Happy, Happy Blogiversary!! What a year it’s been!! (and by the way there are so many comment here I almost sprained my thumb scrolling down to the end!!)
Meeting you is one of the highlights of our SITS experience! You are going to LOVE having your SITS Day this year! Yay!!
Love your blog and love you, Dana!! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us for 2014!! I am one of Kiss My List’s biggest fans!! MWAH! –Lisa
Thank you so much, Lisa. You and Ashley have been so supportive over this first year – I’m so grateful we’ve found one another!
hahaha, I started about the same time as you with blogging and I think I went a whole three months before I had anybody comment on a post. I was all, “Am I doing this crap right?” Lol. I had no clue about tags and then I finally started reading and commenting on other blogs and it worked out for me in the end so whatever. Ha, the vlog was nice work too!
I luckily stumbled on a few link ups – I had no clue what I was doing either. But now we are both pros, or pro-ish, anyway.
I love your list and your goals. I think they are perfectly you.
Well thank you, Kerri. Being perfectly me is something I do excellently. 🙂
You’ve made me laugh with your “creative title” reference and being one of the two commenters on your blog initially. It’s amazing how much you’ve (deservingly) grown in just one year. I am always good-jealous of the amount of comments you get 🙂 I’m so happy to have met you and so good-jealous of Kristi and you for meeting each other. That’s awesome. I’ll hope to one day cross paths with you at a conference.
I would love that, Katia. Honestly I’m more excited about meeting other bloggers at Blog U than I am about actually learning something!
Grats on a great first year. Sounds like you have a solid plan for your sophomore year.
I hope so, but I’m going to try not to let plans stress me out. I want blogging to be enjoyable, and if it’s not – something’s gotta give.
Happy blogiversary! I can’t believe you are in two books- that is so awesome!
Thanks, Kate!
Oh your SITS Day is coming?!! I can’t wait!! So glad I met you in 2013!! And I am heavily leaning towards BlogU…Kristi gave me the info yesterday because I couldn’t find the link. 🙂
Yay! I’d still like to go to Bloggy Boot Camp in Philly, but I don’t know if that weekend will work for me. So I’m so glad at least I’ll get to go to one conference.
I had no idea you were a newbie back then. Dang, I didn’t know I had been participating in FTSF that long either. Anyway I marvel at how clueless I was when I started blogging. How did you find a blog hop community in less than a month? I just went back and re-read my comment to that post. I just posted that picture on my personal FB page back on my birthday last month. Are we friends on FB? Anyway totally off the subject….
I giggled at the blog design part. Me too and me too! PLEASE let me leave it alone for a year. Let’s see what happens.
Kenya – I think I googled blog hop and found FTSF -total luck. And no, we are not friends on Facebook – we should fix that! Let’s try very hard to leave our designs alone, ok?
LOVE this post!!! Your goals are Fab just like you!!! XO & cheers to a fantastic 2014. 😉 ~A~
Cheers back at ya, Amber!
Hey! Thanks for commenting on my blog a while back. I can’t believe you’d seen Wicked 8 times! I haven’t made it through all of the Sookie novels but I will eventually. They’re still good right now but I’ve heard that they aren’t so good at the end from a few other people too.
Yes, but I still felt like I needed to finish them. At least they are quick reads! Thanks for stopping by, Christine – happy new year!
I like your resolutions! They’re manageable and ones that I would do for myself. May steal a few. 😉 Great LOBS contribution!!!
Thanks, Kristen. I try not to make resolutions unless they are doable. Why set myself up to fail?
Wow – that’s a year! I like that you just want to have fun. That’s why I started my blog. It IS so much fun. Good luck. I love reading your blog. I’m so glad you’re going to continue, and I hope you never burn out.
Thanks so much, Mandi – I hope I don’t burn out either! If it becomes unfun, I’ll just back off a bit. Hope blogging continues to be fun for you in 2014!
Happy anniversary!
Thanks, Jessica!
You have had such an amazing year! How did you get involved in writing for the books? I keep hearing about SITS but I really need to check it out. I’m very glad I found your blog this year. From a fellow list maker, Happy 2014!
Definitely check out SITS, Sarah – I’ve met some great bloggers through them. In fact, I met Crystal through SITS, and she contacted me about contributing to the Mother of All Meltdowns book. The HerStories book is a compilation of stories, any of which (like mine) were originally guest posts on the HerStories website. I met Stephanie, one of the editors, through Finish the Sentence Friday. Happy new year to you too, Sarah – I’m happy we found one another!
My first post on my current blog was creatively titled ‘a long time coming’. LoL
I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I love the new blog design and graphics! Isn’t Rosi amazing?!?
She is – and she was very patient with me! I’m really happy with my design; thank you (to you and Michelle) for recommending her!
Hooray! What a great look back AND forward. You’ve accomplished a lot, here. 🙂
Thanks, Natalie – it’s been a great year.
wow – you did have a great first year! I think I follow SITS on twitter but never followed through and joined them. I’ll have to check it out!! Sounds like a great place to meet new bloggers. And now I have a friend that will show me around ??? (hint, hint, nudge, nudge)
Love your post and all your goals. I’m doing a few guests posts soon, too. My first! Should be interesting and slightly terrifying. 🙂
You should join – if you decide not to do anything that’s ok too. And I’d be happy to show you around. I hear ya about guest posts – I’m a bit nervous myself. I’ll show you some love so you’re slightly less terrified – but I’m sure yours will be awesome.
Congratulations on a wonderful year! I joined FTSF a long time ago and only once and that’s how I met some of my favorite bloggers too!
I’m glad we met through whatever bloghop we first met Dana, 2013 was a great blogging year was it? Although like you, I don’t know a lot of useful stuff but knowing that I made a few people smile with my posts is enough 🙂
Wishing you more success this year!
I feel the same way, Jhanis – bringing a smile is a worth it any day. So glad we met too – I think it may have been during a SITS sharefest. Hope this year is a fabulous one for you!
I don’t know how I found your blog (maybe SITS?) but I’m glad I did!! I love your posts because I LOVE your sense of humor!!!
You had a big year blogging for sure and I feel certain that 2014 is going to bring many great things your way!!
Thanks, Kim – I’m glad I found you too! I think it was through SITS or someone else from SITS…Allie maybe? I found Allie through Joi’s mini blog challenge. Who knows – the important thing is that we connected!
I loved reading this combination of retrospective and goal-setting, and I felt a little misty and nostalgic when you mentioned your first FTSF last year! Has it really been a year? Wow. You have much to be proud of, and you are right about one thing: (ok, more than one.) Your lovable dorkiness is most definitely infectious. 🙂
Aw, thank you Stephanie! I got a little nostalgic too. I remember reading your comment and the others, and thinking – wow, what nice gals out there in the blogosphere! I still think that even after sticking with all of you for a year 😉
It can be so hard for a blogger to figure out his/her “groove” when it comes to how frequently to post and the type of content that he/she wants in the blog. I found long ago that my groove is posting once a week, and that schedule fits perfectly into my life. I can work, spend time with my family, travel, work out, and do everything I want to in a day while still having time to focus on my writing–which is a huge passion in my life. And it’s set to a schedule–I know I’m posting on Fridays. I may not seem like it on my blog, but I’m a huge Type A personality. I love me some schedules. 🙂 So I’m glad you’ve found your goove, too, Dana. I found mine several years ago with my first blog, and I’ve loved it over the past year with Trashy Blog, too. Here’s to another great year!!
You seem to have a great balance, Shay. And I always look forward to your Friday posts, even though I don’t always get to them until a few days later. I do want to spend more time writing and less time doing all the other stuff that comes along with blogging, so I’m working on that. Happy new year, my fellow Type A-er!
Please vlog more. Your loveable dorkiness is VERY endearing 😀 As is your ‘You’ness.
And your writing too, natch 😉
Your plan for guest posting sounds good.
But SITS terrifies me. Hope you have fun there 🙂
I will try to vlog more – it’s just very time consuming because I’m super critical of the way I look on camera.
Why does SITS terrify you? I visit the featured blogger everyday and sometimes make a new friend.
Pfffft! You’re lovely on camera. I tried to tell you that chez Chris’s the other day, but I don’t think she moderated the comment yet.
ANYWAY.
SITS is just so BIG! That scares me. The bigness.
But it’s big like Bloppies is big. You end up running with the same core group. And I love when you call me lovely – thank you 🙂
Really? Bloppies is manageable.
And same core group as Bloppies? That’s cool.
And you *are* lovely. It merits saying 😀
It’s only been a year and you’ve accomplished so much? Surely not. Surely it’s been the five or six years that I absolutely previously believed. Whoa. Well done you. I am looking forward to reading more of you in 2014 adn yes, I too, am loving your “new look!”
Why thank you, Kelly! I guess this blogging thing suits me pretty well. Glad we connected in 2013 – here’s to a great 2014!
Sounds like you had a VERY busy and productive year! Wishing you a slightly belated Happy Blogiversary. 🙂
Thanks so much, Chris. I think you were one of my first commenters through FTSF. It’s nice to see you back here every once in awhile!
I try to keep up. It’s just that some weeks, the post really doesn’t apply to me for whatever reason.
Holy re-design! So freaking awesome! And congrats on your first year of blogging! I’m glad I found you in 2013 and have had a chance to get to know you and your blog. Here’s to another amazing blogging year!
Thanks, Kim! I’m hoping my second year of blogging is a little calmer, now that I kinda now what I’m doing. Glad to connect with you this year, too!
What an amazing first year of blogging for you! Congratulations on a successful year! I enjoyed being a part of The Mother of All Meltdowns with you, and I think you should vlog more! I loved your New Year’s resolution!
It sounds like you had an amazing first year! I really enjoy your blog, especially your wit and sarcasm…two of my favorite superpowers! Looking forward to what’t next but you should stop kidding yourself about cutting down on chocolate. I tried once….it didn’t work out well….for anyone.
Congratulations Dana on a fabulous first year of Kiss My List! Looking forward to what 2014 will bring!
BlogU is on my radar if I can come up with the funds. EEEP, how fun would it be to finally meet some of my newish friends! Here is 2014, may you live these goals!
Happy New Year Dana! Love this look back and focus forward! I look forward to each entry you make to your blog! I love your writing style and wicked sense of humor! Keep up the great work!
Dana, I love your new blog design! I keep tinkering with mine. But this is definitely one of the things that I’m proudest of with blogging: learning how to design a website. I’m not exactly a technological natural, and I loved figuring out Genesis and other themes/frameworks. Congrats on all your successes this year!
Thanks, Jessica! I love figuring out the technical stuff too, but then I get sucked into it and I don’t have time to write. So I’m going to try to focus on content instead of appearance this year. I have to stop tweaking design – it’s addictive!
I love the way you did this – looking back and forward at the same time. I need to vlog more – I only did it once for our MOAM resolutions and it felt so weird. Maybe people would find my Southern drawl endearing as well (or at least hilarious enough to sure it with others!). You have certainly had a great year. I’m so glad to have connected with you and can’t wait to hang out at the BlogU conference!
Me too, Lisa! I think your Southern drawl would certainly endear readers, but I know what you mean – vlogging doesn’t come easy to me either. Here’s to a great 2014, roomie!
Wow…I can’t believe it’s been a year. But you write as though it’s been forever. I love tuning in and reading your posts- they always make me laugh, smile and sometimes even THINK. ha ha. So proud of you for doing what you said you were going to do…you will be our writer one day when we decide to publish this book. I feel lucky to own the two you have been featured in! I love the new look…and if it is not new to this post then damn the damn holidays for not letting me check in sooner.
Great goals…achievable goals- that is what I am excited for you about. New Year’s resolutions can be so f’ing stupid.
Me…slowing down.
Me…making cooking a viable business. We’ll see about that one.
Love you and feel so very fortunate that my “love song” channel twinnie is in my life.
Dana, you are the best. You have been one of my biggest supporters and I am so grateful for your comments, your praise, and your friendship. You can achieve your goals – I know you can! And if you want to set up a website for your cooking business, I’m happy to help!
I am so impressed that you had blog comments from the beginning! It took me months and months to figure this whole thing out and I think went a good 90 days without a peep in my comment thread. I also admire your organization and consistency about blogging – but I wouldn’t expect anything less from a consummate list maker!
Finding this link up was a huge blessing for me, Ilene. I’d still be flailing around out there alone if I had found it. So glad I found you too!
I can’t believe you’ve only been blogging for a year! You’re a pro and have a great presence. Congrats on all the success. Your 2014 goals sounds great too. I’d love to make it to a conference this year. I wish I had known about the Erma Bombeck one before it filled up.
Thank you so much, Nina. It’s been quite a year!
Congrats on a fabulous first year! I’m so glad we met through the MOAM and hope we have a chance to meet IRL this year. I’d love to attend a blogging conference too. Will definitely check out Blog U. So excited for your SITS day. You deserve all the love coming your way! And beyond thrilled about our guest swap this month. Yay!!
I’m thrilled too, Nicole – meeting you has been one of the bright spots of 2013!
Wow, you started with FTSF so long ago. I was going to mention in my post that this was our one year anniversary of FtSF and I forgot. Crap. Too tired to get out of bed now. You’ve really accomplished a lot in the past year. I should probably look back at my accomplishments, it’d probably make me feel good. I can’t wait to meet you in June!
I didn’t know I got involved so early on; I googled something (blog link up, maybe?) and FTSF came up – pretty sure it was your blog too. So you are responsible for all good things that happened last year – thanks Kate!!!
What a great year, Dana! You are clearly in the place you should be. Thanks for entertaining, informing and supporting me and all the other bloggers who cross your path!
It’s been my pleasure, Mo. Did we meet through SITS too? If we did, I’m sorry I left you out of the post. However we met, I’m so glad we did!
Wow, Dana! So many awesome things happened for you in a year of blogging. You always make me chuckle with your sarcasm and jokes about yourself 🙂 I love your new blog design by the way. Not sure if I told you that. I also have started reading your Herstories Project book and I am liking what I am reading, lady! I need to get through it because I would love to talk to you about what you wrote! 🙂
I’d love to chat anytime, Brittnei! Thanks for your kind words; you always make me smile with your comments. So glad we connected this past year!
You do not have beginners luck. You are self disciplined about your writing and you are good. So there. 😉
Yes ma’am! I love when your teacher persona comes out and you put me in my place. I need that sometimes!
EEEEPPPPP!!! I got to meet you already! And then? You changed the lighting to make me look less bad. You are awesome rocking forever ever, and I just signed up for BlogU today!! Um, still too lazy maybe for SITS. Signed up but I think they will skip me!
SITS is great but remember your post? Just be you – if you’re too lazy that’s ok. I’ll just meet great people and introduce you 😉
I can’t wait for your SITS Day!
By the way, love the new design.
By the way also, this comment may jump around.
I’m touched that you mentioned me. You were a gem of my 2013. Can I crash your lunch date with Kristi?
I think 2014 will be the year that many of us meet.
You were a gem for me too, Tamara, and I would love to meet in person this year. And yes, you can definitely crash our lunch date!
I must say, your first year of blogging will be hard to beat. You had a fabulous year! But, you ARE an awesome writer and a great connector with readers, I’m sure ’14 has lots in store for you. 🙂
That’s so nice of you to say, thank you Kate! I’m going to try to just focus on enjoying myself and not trying to do better than 2013.
I am so glad bottom line you are going to continue to keep logging, because I truly love you and your blog Dana and look forward to your posts when you publish them! 🙂
Thanks, Janine. I appreciate your support and all your positive comments – it’s been a pleasure getting to know you over the past year!