5 Year Blogiversary!

On this day, five years ago, I wrote my very first blog post.

It was an unforgettable post.  Life changing, really.  Smile

So good, in fact, I have to share it with you now…

March 20, 2009

Hello!

I’ve decided to be a blogger. Mainly because I have been so inspired by the ones I have been reading non-stop for several days now. I love all things “home” and “family”. I am married to an amazing man, Cy, and together we have four (yes, I said four!) amazing boys. I’m sure I will have many stories to post about their boyish antics. They keep me on my toes, for sure!

I hope to post some of the projects that Cy and I have been working on around the house. We are always up to something! We have lived in many “fixer-uppers”, and we love to put in a lot of “sweat equity.” I’m working on re-doing some chairs I found at Goodwill, and I can’t wait to share the transformation with you.

There will be other posts about this or that, and the journeys the Lord is taking me on, and whatever else lies…BENEATH MY HEART.

 

Yep.  That’s it.

The very beginning.

Here is what my header looked like..

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And here is what my little family looked like 5 years ago…

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I was amazed to look back at pictures of my boys in my first few posts.  Check out how much they have grown!

Jonathan was 9, and now is 14.

jonathan

Luke was 7, and now is 12.

luke

Adam was 5, and now is 10.

adam

And little Eli was 2, and now is almost 7.

eli

Can you believe how much they have grown?!!

And some of you have been with me from the very beginning and have watched these sweet boys grow up.

What a blessing to have their little lives documented here on my blog.

 

Little did I know that this blog would be the beginning of so many wonderful and amazing things in my life.

I remember hoping that no one would find out about my blog.  For months, just Mom, Cyndi, and Cy knew about it.

I wasn’t sure who I was writing to, but commenters came.  Back in the day, blogging was much more community-oriented.  We would spend hours hopping from blog to blog and leaving each other encouraging comments.

Readers don’t leave comments like they used to.

But honestly, I don’t visit blogs as much as I used to.

Sad smile

I miss it.

But the face of blogging has changed drastically in the five years that I have been at it.  People used to blog for fun, and now many bloggers start blogging for the business/money making side of it.

And I don’t blame them.

I feel like I have the greatest job on earth!

I get paid to do what I would do for free.

I’ve made friendships with amazing ladies all over the world.  Some of which have become the closest of close friends.

I’ve traveled to places and participated in events that I never thought possible.

And I have connected with so many amazing readers who have lifted me up, encouraged me, prayed for me, and inspired me.

 

 

Thank you for blessing my life

in so many ways!!!

Won’t it be fun to spend another five years together?! Smile

In five years, Lord willing, I will have a son in college, two in high school, and one in elementary school.

Cy and I will have been married over 20 years.

I will be scary close to half a century old.

I wonder where this blogging adventure will take me over the next five years?

I cannot wait to find out!

And I cannot wait to share it with YOU!

 

God bless you, friends!!!

46 Comments

  1. Congrats!
    I have read your blog for *almost* all five years…I was drawn in because your 4 little men are about the same age as my 4 little men. Then, I was hooked because I simply love what you do!
    Here’s to many more years!

  2. Congrats on 5 years! Love your blog. Your boys are growing up. I remember how you kindly responded to me when I wrote to you almost 3 years ago as I was expecting my 4th boy. You were an encouragement to me! :)

  3. I loved reading your first post from your blog. I have been wavering on how to begin a blog and feel such trepidation on how to get started…. vulnerable in fact! But I am very happy for you and it sounds like you are a very blessed wife and mother most importantly! Look forward to your posts.

  4. Wonderful post!! I have been following your blog for some time…at least years. Thanks for sharing your growing family and the then and now photos! I especially enjoyed seeing your first post too! As for commenting, I don’t do it all the time, but if something gets my attention and I really need to say something (like right now!) I do comment. Looking forward to your future posts!!

  5. Congratulations of Five Years of Blogging!! I have been reading and enjoying your Blog for many years. I love your style and love to see what you and Cy can make a home into. Your darling boys have grown so–your heart must be swelling with love and pride for your family…

  6. That was fun. I haven’t been into reading blogs or writing them but I’ve thought about it. I was inspired a bit by your page here. I might try it some day. :)

    P.S. you have a lovely family!

  7. Happy Blogiversary!!!! I have enjoyed getting to know you (and your family) and come away from each new post feeling like I got to sit and chat with a friend. Now if only we lived close enough to get to know each other in person! Thx for all your investment. I’m so looking forward to seeing and reading what comes next!

  8. Happy Blogiversary! I wish I would have found your blog 5 years ago and not 1! Your blog is such an encouragement to me, whether you are posting about a new DIY project, your family, or what The Lord has been teaching you. Thanks for sharing :)

    Kate

  9. Happy blogiversary!!! I’ve been reading you for a few years now…the first blog I ever got hooked on and still the first one I read in the day! Thanks for all the inspiration to get up off my derriere and do something in my house. I have always had the skill and know-how I just needed the push and encouragement you gave. (And the knowledge that I could do these things so cheaply!)And I so appreciate how you responded directly to some of my comments. I felt so honored!!!

    You still look exactly the same! CTD

  10. Congratulations! I have been reading for almost 5 years!! Your boys have grown so much and they are all adorable.
    I love reading your blog I will try to leave comments more often.
    Kelly

  11. Wow! Amazing! I think I have followed you pretty much from the beginning! I always think about the time I saw you at Lowe’s here in town and was so shocked because I thought you lived in Western Ky. That was so funny. I’ve enjoyed meeting you on your blog and in person. What’s interesting is that I actually started my blog a couple months before you. You sure have passed me up! My first post was in January of 2009. I didn’t even realize it had been 5 years until your post. I have been inspired many times by your posts and look forward to continuing the blogging journey with you. Who knows, I might have a little more to show on my own blog by then.

  12. Love your blog…congrats on 5 years….think I have been reading it for at least 2 years now if not longer….your family is so darn cute….many blessings for the next 5 years….and beyond.

  13. I’ve been following your blog for about 3 years and I will hopefully be following you from home at your next 5 year anniversary because I plan to retire in 4 years. I have loved reading stories about your boys, and I feel like I know your sweet mama. I just had the one year anniversary of my mama’s death two weeks ago and it was very hard, but to make things not so hard on that same day, I met my daughter at the doctor’s office and got to see my grandson on ultrasound who is due July 21st. I thought of the scripture “To everything there is a season.” Thanks for sharing your life with us.

  14. I have been following for about a year. I read when I can and I enjoy your posts! Congrats to you on five years and hope the next five will be great for you and your family!

  15. Traci, I have been following your blog for 2-3 years and love it. Don’t think because people don’t comment as much as they used to that they aren’t following you. They are. I believe this is my first comment after 2-3 years. Please keep up the wonderful and interesting work!

  16. I love your blog, and although I’m new, I hope to share time with you for many years to come!
    Keep on blogging…Lisa

  17. Congrats Traci ! Amazing how time flies. I enjoyed your blog & seeing how the boys have grown, in person & in photos. Keep on blogging :-). Rhonda

  18. Happy Bloganniversary! Congratulations and thank you for sharing and all your great ideas! Thanks for brightening our days!

  19. Congratulations Traci!
    Wow, and to think, I had never heard of blogging until clicking on pinterest (2years ago). Then one click led to another… Now, well I’m totally hooked! My emails keeps me reading and learning.
    I love your a southern belle, and we have things in common from having a sassy fun sister to losing our momas,. And just being women of faith.
    Keep up the good work and I LOVE receiving my email every day! :))

  20. Don’t thank us because we thank you for a wonderful ride. I hope have a great time at the opry. It would be nice if you could take us down memory lane and share all of the houses you and Cy have made into a home. That would be fun.

  21. Congratulations !! I am looking forward to the remarks and pictures from you and your sister re the trip to SF. Your 4 boys are so attractive and joyful looking in all their pictures. How are the chickens doing or did I miss something about them since we have not heard about them in quite awhile.

  22. About 2 years when we were planning on building our new “old” craftsman style home, I Googled “farmhouse sink” and found you!
    That was a lucky day, because I have enjoyed you and many of your blogging friends ever since. Congrats, and thank you for the inspiration.

  23. Congrats on this milestone Traci!! I love reading your blog- and have “borrowed” some of your ideas over the past few years! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, and your life with us!!

  24. Oh sweet Traci! How precious to look back five years ago! I remember you first starting out and how inspiring you were and still are!!! God’s blessings and looking forward to the next five years:)

  25. Congratulations Traci! I have followed Beneath My Heart for about 3 years and I just love it. You have blessed me with your writing. Thank you!

  26. Congratulations on your anniversary! I’ve been following you for several years and really enjoy the blog. I keep hoping I’ll run into you at Lowe’s or a yard sale somewhere in Richmond! lol

  27. Happy Blogiversary, Traci. I’m so, so glad that you started this journey and that I found your blog nearly 3 years ago. You are a blessing!

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