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10 Year Blogiversary: A Walk Down Memory Lane

Today is a big day for me. It’s my 10 Year Blogiversary!

On this day 10 years ago, I took a leap and started my own blog on WordPress.com. I published my very first post about “The Thinking Closet” of my early childhood where I would get lost in a creative project for hours.

I ended that first post with an invitation to whomever was out there–whomever might be listening–to “come on in!”

And to my surprise and delight, YOU DID!

But you didn’t just visit The Thinking Closet, you cozied on in and made yourself at home. You listened to my stories, read my long-winded tutorials, some of you even tried them out, too. You giggled at my cheesy jokes, updated me on your life through our virtual coffee date emails, and left me the most encouraging comments.

Without a doubt, it has been the steady support of my Thinking Closet community (ahem…that means YOU!) that has kept me going all these years–that has kept me writing, creating, and sharing in a rapidly-changing blogosphere and as my own passions have shifted.

You all have been the wind beneath my creative wings. {Cue the dramatic power ballad because that’s just how grateful I feel right now.}

To mark this momentous day, I thought it would be fun to track the circuitous path of The Thinking Closet over the last decade. And to even invite you to mark your arrival on the journey.

Do you remember when our paths first crossed? Who introduced us or what post you stumbled across? I’d love to hear the story in the comments if you care to share!

The 30 Second History

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, click HERE or on the video below to watch the 30 second Instagram reels take on my blogging history over the last decade…set to one of my favorite 70s hits, “September,” by Earth, Wind & Fire.

A NOT-SO-BRIEF HISTORY

2012: Soon after moving from Ohio to Florida, I launch The Thinking Closet blog as a creative outlet for sharing my crafts & home projects while teaching theatre part-time. I figured my family would read my posts…but what an incredible surprise to discover a vibrant community of kindred spirits around the globe with whom to connect! I fall head-over-heels for blogging and learn as much as I can, as fast I can. I even borrow Mark’s DSLR camera to up my photo tutorial game. A few of my posts start gaining traction on Pinterest!

2013: My hobby blog starts to grow into an online business, and I seek expert help to migrate my blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org as well as hire a designer to create an official logo for my site! I start my own Facebook Group called The Silhouette Challenge where we offer troubleshooting support and do monthly blog posts together. I also attend my first blog conference, Haven. It’s such a surreal experience to finally meet so many of my online friends (and heroes) in person. This is the year where I dive into a bevy of collaborations with blogger buddies (like The Friday Five) and with brands (like Silhouette America and The Home Depot). I realize that blogging is way better with friends.

2014: I publish what will become my most popular blog post of all time, The Beginner’s Guide to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. and relish in my delight with puns by hosting a blog series called Scarf Week during (you guessed it) Shark Week. I attend two blog conferences: Haven and Florida Blog Con, after which I form a Mastermind group with two other Florida bloggers, Kalyn Brooke & Michelle Hickey. We start meeting weekly on Skype to share our goals and encourage one another…a ritual that continues to this day! I tackle a big item off my bucket list and write a book called Thinking Outside the Gift Box, which I self-published and first launch in eBook format.

2015: This is the year I discover the wonderful world of Bible Journaling, and Mark and I and start taking a weekly Sabbath day of rest, which we continue to do eight years later. I write a blog series on my sister’s DIY wedding and dabble in the new medium of live video on Periscope with Monday Night Dance Parties playing “Name That Tune.” I also re-release Thinking Outside the Gift Box in paperback book format & launch a FREE video email series called The Gifter’s Holiday Toolkit: 5 Day Challenge to set up participants for a stress-free season of joy-filled giving. My alter ego of Rhonda Tangelo makes her first appearance in the Day 1 video (this felt noteworthy to include, ha ha).

2016: I start documenting our days using the 1SecondEveryday app as we anticipate the arrival of our first-born daughter Juniper in June. My community of blogger buddies send so much love my way by surprising me with a Virtual Baby Shower in Blogland. That October, we add our third musketeer into our annual punny costume tradition, dressing up as “Ice Ice Baby,” which will end up in the Facebook feed of any and everyone I’ve ever met for Halloweens to come (our internet claim to infamy). Along with the joys of motherhood come my struggle with the limited time I have for blogging in this new season, as well as my unchecked to do lists…something I wrestle with (even still). But it’s been such a good growing process for a productivity-lover like myself to find my worth not in what I accomplish but in who I am as a beloved child of God.

2017: I enter a new season where Juniper has a loving caretaker two days a week, so I can set up my on-the-go office in local coffee shops and dive into focused time on creating content for The Thinking Closet (but also, let’s be real: some days are just about breathing deep and reconnecting with myself again). As Juniper turns one, I enjoy adding birthday party posts to my blogging repertoire. And I create a second Instagram account @LaurensPlannerPages dedicated to my newest obsession, bullet journaling.

2018: I document my journey of reading through the gospels in my Journaling Bible and have the incredible opportunity to collaborate with Illustrated Faith on a “Permission Pages” digital devotional kit, which releases in August. I also attend a workshop led by Shanna Noel herself and get to meet the amazing founder of the Bible Journaling movement that has revolutionized the way I meet with God in His Word. #FanGirlMoment This is a year of great sadness in grieving my grandmother’s passing, and also of celebration as we buy a house here in Orlando and get pregnant with our second daughter! I take great joy in decorating for Christmas and finally feel cozy in our new home.

2019: I have the incredible opportunity to teach an in-person Bible Journaling workshop on “Permission Pages” at a local church here in Orlando. And our family of three makes magical memories at Disney World before welcoming baby Pepper into our arms in May! That summer is a blur of sleepless nights and long days…but we survive and even thrive with creative play activities for Juniper. I celebrate my 1000th post on Instagram because oh my, that’s A LOT of captions where Lauren maxes out her character limit. And we start some new family traditions like St. Lucia Day & our Delivery Driver’s Treats Station, which will become mainstays for holiday seasons to come.

2020: I create a FREE 7 week Lenten Devotional email series inspired by my word of the year, “enough.” We navigate the challenges of a global pandemic and host Pepper’s first birthday party on Zoom. I try the new medium of Instagram Reels with Musical Appreciation Monday videos, dancing with my daughters to my favorite Broadway showtunes. Our reel dancing to “Ease on the Down the Road” goes viral with over 1 million views (say, what?!). We incorporate Hamilton musical parody songs into our 9th Annual Punny Halloween Costumes! And my alter-ego Rhonda Tangelo returns in a series of Instagram reels that bring me (and a small group of super-fans) much-needed giggles after a crazy year.

2021: Pinch me! I get to partner with Rodgers & Hammerstein on an Instagram campaign where the girls and I rock shirts from their new Sound of Music line of apparel…and I feel like I can now retire from blogging. But I decide not to, tee hee. I do, however, take a break from our 9 year streak of punny Halloween costumes in order to give myself space to grieve some hard changes at our church. I am grateful for God’s presence with me in the valley, as well as a revitalization of my creative energy through creating Instagram reels of our family’s Sabbath bike rides and Christmas decorRhonda, too!

2022: As my vision for The Thinking Closet expands to being a space where women can find support in developing rhythms of soul-rest, a major site redesign & rebranding is in order! Readers can now explore my archive of nearly 500 posts through three avenues: REST, CREATE, & CELEBRATE. I am currently working on a beta course on Sabbath rest to launch this October. And I celebrate 10 glorious years of The Thinking Closet on September 6th. Here’s to the next decade…and the new adventures in store for us all!

MY LOGO HISTORY

Let’s revisit the three different logos that have greeted visitors to The Thinking Closet over the years:

Does anyone out there (besides my mom) remember the WordPress.com look of September 2012 – March 2013? I had erased it from my memory but now it will live on infamy. #WeAllGottaStartSomewhere

THANK YOU!

Thanks so much, dear friend, for your companionship on the journey…with all its twists and turns. On this 10 Year Blogiversary, I count your listening ear in this online space as the greatest gift to me.

I always aim to be a force for encouragement and inspiration in your life. Know you have been in mine!

This is Lauren, signing off.
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15 Comments

  1. Congratulations Lauren.
    I always loved your blog writing style. There is such a warmth to it.
    Cheers to many more years.
    ~Jyo

  2. Ah congratulations on your 10th anniversary!! I remember exactly when I “found” you! It was back when I was in Medical School. Your 12 pre-planned dates post- I have been hooked ever since.

    1. Thank you, Suravi! So very fun to hear how you first found me…and what a different season of life that was for us all. I’ve been so grateful or your loyal friendship ever since. Virtual hugs!

  3. What a wild ride it has been! I loved taking this journey with you down memory lane and seeing how all of your passions fit together. So grateful our paths crossed at that conference! Congrats, my friend!

    1. Oh, I am, too! A friendship for the long haul. And I cannot WAIT to see you and Michelle in person tomorrow at Disney World. Bring on the magic!

  4. Fist of all, Congrats on your 10 yr. Blogiversary. i have thoroughly enjoyed the sharing
    of your creativity.. reading all of your tutorials. I love seeing pictures of your family. You are truly a blessings to many. I send love, hugs & blessings to you & your family. Give your girls a hug from this grandma. I look forward to many more visits. joan

    1. Aw, Joan, your comment brings a huge smile to my face! I’m so grateful for the love you have sent to me and my family. What a gift. Sending a virtual hug back your way! Thanks for your presence here and your support.

  5. Already ten years???? Times flies aways when having fun together!!! I think I found your blog around 2013 and read your emails since then. Many projects done and seeing forward for each of them and your emails. Big hugs from a fall-ish Sweden.

    1. Oh wow! You’ve been here since the my own “stone age” of blogging, Marie. Grateful for your companionship on the journey, for tackling projects I’ve shared, and for opening my many emails. My Swedish grandmother would smile to know a Swede with her same last name (just different spelling) sent me a hug! Back atcha!

  6. Congratulations on 10 years! I have enjoyed being a tag-a-long, popping in now and then for encouragement and inspiration – thank you!
    Not sure HOW I found you but WHEN I found you? During your migration from .com to .org. I was getting ready to do the same and you were so gracious to take time to answer my questions!
    I definitely remember your menu planning board, and the tree skirt! You introduced me to the Silhouette and to Scarf Week 🙂 Love your gift book, I use it every year! Your very punny costume post, of course are memorable not to mention hilarious!
    Visits to The Thinking Closet always bring a smile to my face and my soul – thanks so much for sharing yourself with us!

    1. Oh Linda, it gave me all the warm fuzzies to read your comment here (and so many others that have come before it). I have been so blessed over the years by your loving words and our email correspondences. I still remember your willingness to read and offer feedback on some of my book’s early drafts. Ha ha, the menu planner and tree skirt remain favorite projects of mine. What a treasure of a soul you are, and I’m so grateful our paths crossed out here in Blogland!

  7. Happy blogiversary, Lauren! I haven’t commented much (or maybe ever) but I’ve been following you for a long time. Juni was either brand new or not much older than that. Pretty sure I found you when I was looking for info on bullet journaling.

    Here’s to you, and many more years for The Thinking Closet!

    1. Well, thank you for that loving comment (with which you made my heart skip a beat). Bullet journaling was such a joyous discovery for me and I still create weekly and daily task lists in my planner a la bullet journaling. Glad that brought us together when it did! Thanks for the cheers. Raising my cup of iced coffee your way, Kate!

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