I'm Carolann! I'm a military spouse and new mom currently calling the DC area home. Finding Ithaka is all about the journey and about finding yourself.

About me

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Popular lately.

Sorry. No data so far.

search this blog

Search for:

Things I write about…

beach Big Island blogging books budget California Christmas coffee date currently deployment family fearless Finding Ithaka finding me food friends hawaii hiking holidays honeymoon kauai kayaking lifelessons marriage lessons marriedlife militarylife military life moving New York newzealand northshore oahuadventures offthebeatenpath PCSing pillboxtrail rainyday thankful thanksgiving the gratitude book travel travelhacks visitors waterfalls whalewatching wine

My blog is 3 years old!

I feel like I have written so much about blogging lately, but I couldn’t let this day go by without celebrating my blogiversary.

(This picture is from our wedding anniversary photo shoot and I didn’t really have any other pictures for this post so this works!)

Having a blog was something I wanted to do for a long time. I had a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30 and starting and keeping a blog was one of them. I didn’t get to most of the other things on that list, but I did start a blog.

3 years ago, I started blogging because I had quit my job as a writer when I moved to Hawaii with Nick. I was worried that without something to hold me accountable, I would lose my writing skills. I also wanted to keep my friends and family back home updated about everything Nick and I were doing in Hawaii — and maybe entice them to get on the plane and come visit us once they saw all of my pictures.

I had started a different blog about 6 months beforehand and only wrote one post before deleting it. I felt weird writing into what felt like a vacuum. A bunch of friends and family kept encouraging me to start. Then I said to myself, if I can’t start a blog while living in Hawaii, where there is so much to write about, when will I ever start one? So The Two Year Honeymoon was born. I came up with that name in two seconds because one of my coworkers said moving to Hawaii right after getting married would be like a two year honeymoon. I wrote mainly about the adventures that Nick and I got up to in Hawaii.

After we left Hawaii, I found myself in Connecticut in the dead of winter. I lived on top of a huge hill and I couldn’t bring myself to leave my house any time it snowed. So again I turned to blogging. Without beautiful beaches to write about, I let myself open up more on my blog and started finding more bloggers to connect with. I finally felt like I found my voice as a blogger and changed my blog to Finding Ithaka (you can read the story about that change here).

Blogging has done so much for me. Blogging has given me an outlet. Blogging has given me confidence in myself and taught me to be fiercely me. Blogging taught me that it’s a good idea to break the rules.

Through blogging, I’ve met some other incredible bloggers who have taught me so much. Whether it’s advice, support, or book recommendations, other bloggers and everyone who reads this blog have all given me so much.

No one wants to feel like they are alone. Although blogging is a solitary act, it’s also pretty intimate. Sometimes writing lets me express things I can’t find the words for when I’m talking. When someone comments on my blog posts or tells me in person that something I wrote resonated with them, they make me feel like I’m not alone.

And, it’s so interesting to get inside the heads of other bloggers. I’ve met military spouse bloggers who understand what I’m going through. I read posts from expats and felt like they are kindred spirits. I read bloggers who are completely different from me and learn how to see the world from a new perspective. I read bloggers who live in different countries and give me a glimpse into their life there. I read bloggers who have experiences I will never have and I feel like I learn so much from them.

Blogging has made me a better writer and although it’s a hobby, it has even helped me get freelance jobs.

Blogging has given me an excuse to get out and explore wherever I am. While I am 100% opposed to doing something just so that I can write about it for my blog, having a blog to update and post pictures on has definitely given me a little extra motivation.

It honestly feels like I’ve been blogging a lot longer than 3 years. At this point, I can’t imagine not having a blog. So here’s to the past three years and here’s to wherever this blog takes me in the future.

And finally, thank you to everyone who reads. You are seriously the best and I appreciate it so much!

How long have you been blogging? How long do you think you will keep it up?
Would you ever start a blog? Have I convinced you?

 

Photo by Basia Ambroziak