5 Years

5 Years

Today marks 5 years since I started this blog. You can see my very first post here, which is super embarrassing. In fact, all my posts at the beginning were embarrassing, but feel free to peruse! 

I started this blog when I was living in NYC. I remember vividly sitting at my kitchen table and typing up my first post (no space for a desk in those little NYC apartments; my kitchen table was my desk, my dresser, you name it), being so excited, toasting to myself with a glass of wine, and the rest was history.

Given how much I had always loved writing, but wasn’t currently doing such in my day job, I knew I needed to find a way to write. For those of you who don’t know, I had a blog before this blog for about 10 or so months. It was an anonymous blog all about dating in NYC, and since then, it has, as many of you know, turned into a book. The reason I stopped that blog is because I was getting serious with a boy (my now husband), and I didn’t think it was appropriate to be writing about my escapades with men in NYC anymore (so I decided to put them all into a book, which now sits on my husband’s coffee table ha!). However, I knew I didn’t want to stop writing altogether. Hell no. I LOVED writing. SO, I decided why not write about all the things I love in the hopes it brings inspiration and happiness to others. And, thus, ‘from prosecco to plaid’ was born. 

I chose that name because, for starters, I thought it sounded good and fun, and secondly, I knew I was going to eventually be moving to Texas, so I was trying to think of a name that had to do with a New York gal moving down to Houston. The ‘prosecco’ was the NYC part, and the ‘plaid’ was the Texas part. It’s silly when I think about it now. However, plaid is, and has been for a while, one of my favorite things to wear, and I have never met a glass of wine I didn’t like (ok that’s a lie, I don’t like ALL types of wines, but you get my point).

Fast forward to this past year, and I really just felt like I was growing out of that name. The blog has evolved so much over time (it’s gotten a few facelifts…speaking of…I really think I need botox, guys…getting older is no joke!!, the design has changed, the content has shifted, and the biggest of all…I changed the name). It was bittersweet getting rid of the name ‘from prosecco to plaid,’ but I knew it was time.

Blogging to me has always been such a passion of mine. I love it. Writing is one of my very favorite things to do and it makes me smile every time I click ‘Add a new post.’ I’ve met some of my VERY best friends from this blog, and for that alone, I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I’ve been grateful enough to have some great opportunities come up from this blog, and I’m so thankful for that, as well. 

If I’m being totally honest, I don’t make a ton of money from this blog. It is very far from my full time job. I really refer to it as a hobby at this point. I am not a ‘top blogger’. But you know what? That’s ok. That’s perfectly ok with me. Blogging is still such a new industry. Even though I’ve been blogging for 5 years, and some of the big time bloggers have been blogging for longer than that, it’s still new. It’s still being defined and navigated. I may never be a top blogger, I may never have 100k Instagram followers, but I LOVE this blog so much, and I would never give it up. For anything. There might not be a million of you out there, but the followers I do have are loyal, authentic, and supportive, and I couldn’t ask for a better audience. 

I hope that this blog has brought inspiration into your life, a smile to your face, and happiness into your days. I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I enjoy putting them together. I want to thank each and every one of you so much for following along. It’s been a fun ride, and it’s not stopping anytime soon. So, THANK YOU. Here’s to the next 5!

xo Julie

P.S. Be sure to check back this afternoon as another gift guide is going up! 

Photo by Kyle Weber