I’m admittedly writing this post after a few cocktails but holy shit guys… I sat down and wrote my first blog post ever six years ago today.

Each year this blogging anniversary rolls around and seems to surprise the hell out of me. How many years has it been? I’m instantly taken back to being 23, having just recently moved back in with my mom after a breakup left me with an apartment that was too expensive to afford on my own and feeling both totally lost and totally excited. I had no expectations for this little blog of mine and no idea what a transformative year I had ahead of me (I made the move to Chicago a few months later) but blogging was something I felt so passionate about and hitting publish on that first post truly changed my life.

With six years of blogging and over 1,000 posts under my belt, all expectations have been exceeded (but let’s be real, back in 2011 there weren’t many for blogs!) – this blog has been the catalyst of some huge transformations in my life, from meeting so many incredible people to having the courage to take big crazy risks knowing I had a community and creative outlet to help back me up. It’s helped me grow within my career and is even what introduced me to the company I now work for (more on Collectively coming soon – I’ve gotten a ton of questions about my role and our agency so you’ll get an entire post dedicated to it in a few weeks). It’s been six years of growth, not only for me as a blogger, but for me as a person, with countless pinch me moments along the way and thank you for being a part of this important chapter.

Whether this is the very first blog post you’re reading or if you’ve been there since day one… thank you. Your questions, your support, your comments and your feedback along the way all mean a ton to me, especially as the blogging industry has grown and I know there are countless other sites out there that are very worthy of your precious time. We all live such crazy busy, on-the-go lives and I truly appreciate you taking a moment out of your day to check in here. Connecting with you all is my absolute favorite part of blogging and no matter how many years go by, I don’t think the thrill of getting an email from a reader will ever get old.

To celebrate six years and to help gather some feedback for the future, I’ll be launching a reader survey in the coming weeks paired with a really big giveaway as a small token of my appreciation. Although that is still in the works, I couldn’t let today go by without a little party so be sure to keep your eye on my Instagram for some fun over there today!

Cheers to six years and to having an excuse to eat cake for breakfast today ;)