2 Year Blog Anniversary: The Blogging Origin Story
So… a big thing happened last week. Endless Distances turned two years old!
When I first started this blog, I really did not foresee it becoming what it is today. Blogging exploits of yore (I’m looking at you study abroad blog) all pointed to the conclusion that I would eventually get bored of blogging. Quite the opposite has actually happened. Over the last two years, and especially the last eight months or so, I have invested a lot into Endless Distances.
- I’ve regularly posted.
- I’ve met other bloggers.
- I’ve branded and made social media (hello instagram)
- I’ve learned basic html coding
- And most importantly, I’ve kept my writing skills sharp…which was the original goal.
PRETTY COOL RIGHT?! (*pause for nerdy web developer moment*)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT9UFiZhyJy/
When I started this blog, I wanted to record my life for family and friends who lived far away… but I also didn’t want to plaster my private self all over the internet. It was a huge dilemma for me. One of the things I’m most proud of over the last two years is how I’ve managed to maintain my privacy and integrity, whilst also finding the balance of writing honest and genuine posts. And looking back over my posts from the past two years, it is slightly emotional to see how far I’ve come…geographically, but also personally. SO much has happened, both good and bad, but overall I feel an overwhelming sense of gratefulness at all the opportunities I’ve had over the last two years.
Let’s take a quick look back…. *time machine sound effect*…. at the Endless Distances Origin Story
Back in 2015, a Midwestern girl (that’s me!) graduated with an English and Creative Writing degree. She played croquet with her literary journal coworkers and Jenkins the dog to celebrate…
And sold her final paycheck to the internet gods for a space on the internet to call her own… she creatively named this website after herself and wrote a guide to Ohio which somehow was supposed to sum up three years living there…
She tossed her cap and gown and jumped on a $30 flight (a deal she’s clearly still proud of) to Miami…where she cruised the Bahamas with her best friends from college…
And in the process she wrote her most successful blog post on Nassau, Bahamas which is (almost completely) unrelated to what she posts about now but somehow went viral on Pinterest…
She returned from the Bahamas with a tan and no life plan.
Drinking all day in the Bahamas became a distant dream as she enrolled in Anatomy & Physiology summer school and worked two jobs in a restaurant and food truck…
Blogging fell by the the way side but her love of travel continued, as she gave her visiting British boyfriend the ice cream tour of Midwestern America…
^^Chicago icecream
^^Michigan ice cream
The British boyfriend, satiated with ice cream and pizza, left and she rolled up her sleeves to deal with the British bureaucracy…
The ONLY Gluten Free Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago: Chicago’s Pizza
Also known as applying for a UK visa.
This involved many stressful events including a 1am post-12 hour shift Megabus to Chicago. She slept on her friend’s futon and had her biometric information taken in a sketchy area of Southside, which she was escorted to by an uber driver who was scared for her wellbeing.
Then came the wonderful yet ill-timed family vacation (to Portland, Cannon Beach, and Seattle) whilst her visa was being expedited in New York, a mere week before her flight to the UK.
^^Running is good expat-stress relief
But all was well and the visa arrived! She packed her bags and flew to her new home in the UK! She became an expat and… a blogger!
^^BYE AMERICA
She arrived in a rough-around-the-edges seaside city, was woken up by seagulls each morning, and started her MSc!
She also ate lots of scones…
And found some new friends from all over the world…
She made it her objective to live life adventurously. Which she did by swinging through treetops (and also writing about feelings on the internet).
And she traveled… a lot.
She traveled with her dad…
She traveled with her mom…
She traveled with her boyfriend…
She traveled with old friends…
She traveled with even older friends…
She traveled with British friends…
And Indian and Spanish friends…
She traveled to cities…
And mountains and sea and desert and field…
In summer, winter, fall, and spring…
She traveled home…
And she traveled to the homes of friends she had met on her travels…
She gradually fell in love with her little seaside corner of England.
And all the while…. she WROTE!
My Most Popular Posts in Two Years of Blogging
- A Day in Nassau Without Cruise Excursions
- How to Find the Secret Mews of London
- Why (And How) Travelers Should Support Refugees
- Gluten Free Prague
- Hello Reverse Culture Shock
My Favorite Posts in Two Years of Blogging
- An Expat Chat
- The Expat Who Saw La La Land
- The It’s Going to be Okay Poem
- Grateful (Post-Election)
- What I’ve Found by Not Staying in Hotels
And finally, most obviously, I’d like to thank you all for reading along. I love reading your comments and connecting with you. You have inspired me not only to keep writing but to to be more open, more genuine in my writing, and all of that has carried over into how I live my life!
Here’s to another year of blogging and Endless Distances.
Sarah xx
As per, I’m linking up with Lauren of Lauren on Location, Van of Snow in Tromso, Isabel of The Sunny Side of This, and Marcella of What a Wonderful World for Wanderlust Wednesday.
Aw what a sweet post! Happy blogiversary!!
Thank you!!
How sweet is this post, and how cute are you, Sarah?! Happy blogiversary! I love reading your blog (as you know) and hope we get to meet IRL one day! xo
Hehe thank youuu, and yes I hope that’s something we can do in my year three of blogging!!
Congratulations! Two years of blogging is no easy task. Thank you for sharing your story with us, and it is so great that you’ve found the right balance of authenticity and privacy. I know how hard it can be sometimes when you want to share your struggles or pain but sometimes it is just not quite there yet, I’ve been there as well. But by the looks of it, it seems that that same balance has kept your spark going and it shows through your words!
Thank you for your kind words Isabel <3 I'm so glad that it comes across!! And I'm hoping for more authentic posts in the coming year 🙂
happy 2 year of blogging!:)x
Thanks so much Tanja, thanks for reading along for such a long time!!
Congrats on 2 years! I’m so glad I recently came across your blog. Also, I don’t think I realized that you were from Michigan as well…I’m from Traverse City! 🙂 So I loved just reading your post on Sleeping Bear Dunes!
Ah yay I’m glad you did, too! I LOVE Traverse City. Probably one of my all time favorite cities in Michigan but it’s too bad it’s so far from a major airport (struggles of the traveling life haha)!
Seriously!!! Our local airport (Cherry Capital Airport) is getting better routes (NYC, Denver, etc.) but it is SO EXPENSIVE. Occasionally, I’m able to fly all the way home from Europe (where I’m now living) but most of the time I have to fly into Detroit (I refuse to fly into Chicago!). The price difference between flying into Detroit and TC can also be doubled with the latter!!!
Yes!! TBH even detroit is expensive compared to some other airports. I’m from near Lansing so it’s already a trek to get to Detroit much less driving all the way from traverse city!!
Happy bloggiversary! I think that it’s a huge that you’ve stuck with blogging for two year! I know that there’s not a ton of people out there that stick with anything for two years. I hope that you continue to have many more adventures and fun documenting them in the years to come!
Yeah I was pretty shocked when I realized how long it had been as well!
Happy Blogiversary! Here’s to many more years to come 🙂
Yay, I sincerely hope so! So glad I found your blog this year 🙂
Happy blogiversary!!! I think you’ve done a great job being authentic and sharing the things you love. I’m not going to lie – the Bahamas pictures are some of my favorites, too!
Ohh thank you Sara! Haha yes that seems to be the general consensus… those posts are almost 2 years old now but def among the most popular! I don’t blame ya tho… wish I was back in those clear blue waters!
Happy blogiversary! It was great to catch up on your story… it’s clear I need to read more into your archives for all the details!
Hahaha yup, the details are all there… lurking in the archives!!
Hooray for your brilliant blog ?
Hehe thank you <3
Happy Anniversary! I love this post as it really captures everything I love about your blog! I’m so glad we met and I’m excited to see where the next year takes you. Lots of love xx
Yay I’m so glad! Yes I do love the recap post style haha. So happy I found your blog this year 🙂
I love this post! It reminds me so much of the reasons I started my own blog last year – especially the bit about not having a life plan! I’m honestly so glad I found your blog through Wanderful Wednesday, you’ve quickly become one of my favourites to read and I can’t wait to read everything you post from here on out!
Aww yay I’m glad you found it too!! Thanks for your kind words 🙂
Happy 2-year bday! What a coincidence that your 2nd bday is around the same as Wanderful Wednesday’s first! So glad I got to know you and your blog this year! I’ve loved following along on your adventures and watching your blog grow. Can’t wait to see what year 3 brings 😀
I know I noticed the same thing – great minds think alike clearly!!
This was so interesting! I’ve only read your blog since last year I think so the recap was much needed 😉 It’s always great to look back to where things started and I’m so happy that your expat journey turned out so well 🙂
Ahh glad I could update you on the history of le blog haha.
Happy blog birthday! This is a lovely roundup and such a great introduction to your blog for new readers. As for me it helped fill in some back story as well 🙂 Congrats on keeping up the blog for 2 whole years, here’s to many more!
Thank you!! Glad I could fill in some gaps ;P
Awww this is a super post! You’ve managed an impressive amount of travelling in two years 🙂 I’m really enjoying reading your blog so happy anniversary and can’t wait to read more!
Yes, I was actually a bit surprised looking back how much traveling I’ve managed to squeeze in between work!
Happy, happy blogiversary Sarah!
Happy blogging anniversary. Well done on find a balance between privacy and honest online :).
And there was me thinking you were from Plymouth!