This Friday, February 26, 2021, marks my 10 year blogiversary. It all started with a post about my puppy, Uncle Jesse.
In case you’re wondering, he’s doing well.
In 2011, after years in a beige-walled cubicle, I needed an outlet for my creative writing background. You know, something my mom could read for a chuckle. I didn’t expect that, within a year, I’d meet some of the most influential people in my life – creative, kind-hearted, hilarious humans who I’m lucky enough to call friends to this day.
Not sure what they’d call me…
This blog has seen me through divorce, dating disasters, job losses, career changes, a cross-country move, countless sweat-fests, ethical epiphanies, and more than a few woo-woo experiences. Most importantly, it documents my keen eye for talent.
I dare you to search “Darren Criss” (a.k.a. “Second Husband”) on this blog. …And noooo, I don’t find it all cringe-y that I jokingly called him “Second Husband” for two years and then ACTUALLY GOT A DIVORCE…
I originally called this blog “Go Guilty Pleasures!” and wrote light-hearted posts detailing my many (many) embarrassing obsessions. The presentation was silly, but brewing beneath the surface was my aching desire to help others feel at home in their own skin. No trolls, bullies, or bigots allowed. It wound up being fantastic training in diplomacy, improv (answering every comment with, “Yes! And…”), and memoir writing.
In fact, even after years of studying writing in college, I didn’t find my voice until starting this blog (at age 28).
A lot has changed over the years, and most of the old readership has faded away, but having this port to dock my creativity, during stormy and sunny seasons alike, has brought immeasurable joy.
But what have I REALLY gotten from having this blog? The bittersweet reminder that some things never change.
AUGUST 2011:
FEBRUARY 2021:
What I lack in posting consistency, I like to think I make up for in character consistency.
Thanks for sticking around.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Go Jules Go 
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time, definitely not 10 years (what the heck was I doing with my life)! But you’ve definitely inspired me to blog and showcase more of myself in my writings! You are hilarious and I admire your courage to start your life over (whether it was with your relationship, going vegan, quitting your job and moving across the country)! 🙂 congrats on 10 years!!
That is a spectacular compliment if ever I’ve heard one! And I’ll check back in once you’ve memorized my archives. But seriously. THANK YOU!
Congrats on the decade, Jules. Always great fun sharing your adventures. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much! I don’t know who this is, so I am forced to assume it’s you, Darren Criss. Let’s have pasta for dinner tonight, K?
It’s been quite a journey and I’m so glad I’ve been there through most of it. You’re still making me chuckle (at the very least!). Hope you continue to inspire, engage, and…wait. What the heck did you do to your hair this time?
Me too! As for the hair… apparently my roots are darker than I thought they were… That Plant-Based Point beanie came just in time!!
Congratulations on your anniversary. I celebrated my 10th in January. I know what you mean about finding your voice, but I’m glad that you did and sorry that we didn’t meet until this year. In some ways it’s the nuttiness of the journey that makes blogging worthwhile. What fun would it be if you knew what you were doing from the git-go?
Congrats right back to you!! That does make it seem surprising that we didn’t cross paths until recently! Has blogging changed a lot for you, too? For me, I think it’s largely because 95% of the bloggers I used to comment back-and-forth with have stopped blogging, so there’s less of that “high school musical” vibe.
Ditto. It’s an ever changing group of commenters which is cool, but save for two bloggers it’s not the gang I used to hang with which was so easy. However I continue on, wondering what’ll happen next. Curiosity is what got me into this blogging mess to begin with. 🙄
I started my blog to deal with my divorce and caring for my dying momma who is now on hospice care… I can relate!
Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear. Have you found that it’s helped you process?
Yes very much so
I for one am glad to have met you virtually through IHE! And have stuck around ever since. (And hey, you post more often and consistently than I do!)
Likewise, Terri!! I *almost* didn’t eke out a post today, and then, cue: Follicle Foible a.k.a. Blogging Gold. (And kudos to my business partner and fellow IHE alum, Robin, for inspiring the blogging connection to my hair disaster!)
I don’t even know when I started blogging since I hopped from site to site as they burned down around me. Yahoo 360, MASH, Multiply…. if I blogged there it was a sure sign of their imminent demise. Been here since summer of ‘18 and it’s by far the best. I mean hey, I met you didn’t I?
👍
Ha! YES, and (see what I did there?), this is sooo interesting to hear since my only blogging experience has been right here on WordPress! They used to have this blogging homepage (“Freshly Pressed”) where they’d feature select posts and highlight bloggers in certain genres, and that helped drum up a lot of traffic. It was SO exciting to wake up and see an insane spike in stats/comments and realize you’d been featured. What do the kids call it these days? Going “viral”? 😉
Wish they still did that. My stats are all over the place. Some days everyone loves me, the next I’m like leftover fish. Lonely and pushed to the back of the fridge…
😉
Huge congrats!
Thank you so much, Beth!!
Congrats on a decade of fabulousness. That’s even longer than Facebook thinks we’ve been friends!
It’s a miracle we haven’t broken the internet yet. MUAH.
Firstly, I love you, in spite of you. I would be most titillated if the wife and I could ever have a drink or dinner with you sometime. Secondly, the neighbors who moved in next door have two doodledogs. TWO! It’s awful. Lastly, I’m embarrassed to tell you how long I clicked your youtube picture trying to make it play dammit. Glad you’re well. Carry on, my friend. I saw that wordpress says I’ve been around for 9 years myself. Pretty good runs we’ve had.
Ya’ll are ON for dinner, and I may or may not slip an invite to the doodle dogs. Ooh, sorry for the YouTube fake-out; the video wouldn’t have made sense out of context, so I just used the still!
Happy Blog-a-versary!! Good for you for keeping it going. I’ve enjoyed your missives and your humor, and recently discovered through our mutual friend Darla, that you almost made it to a Brian Weiss class with her. And yes, I too clicked on your YouTube photo thinking it would play. Thankfully, I didn’t tear my computer apart wondering why it wasn’t working right, before realizing I was looking at a photo. Here’s to another ten (or twenty) years of creativity!
Thank you so much (and sorry for the YouTube video tease! The video wouldn’t make any sense out of context, but I see now that it was a tad cruel to use that still, LOL)! Maybe one day the three of us can meet up at Omega or the like!!
This is awesome. And impressive! And, I think we have something in common, because I wrote a story that won a Murrow Award called “Guilty Pleasures” about my love of horrible reality TV!
WOW! Now THAT is impressive. I’m pretty sure the only thing I’ve won from talking so obsessively about my guilty pleasures and Darren Criss is a possible restraining order. …I swear I’ve stopped hiding in his bushes.
Hahah. You’re hilarious
10 years! That’s a serious accomplishment, even if you weren’t serious while you were doing it. Congratulations on time well-spent. Here’s to keeping your voice…and/or evolving it! Whatever you want. It’s YOUR blog, after all.
Ha! So true. THAT might be the greatest part about it, as adolescent as it sounds – it’s miiine, ALL mine, and I can do whatever I want!!!! Like use all the exclamation points (like you know I do)!!!!!
If it weren’t for this blog, we never would have met!! So grateful to know you Jules! Cheers to future adventures in Bend! ❤️❤️❤️
Also, congrats on 10 years!!! 🙌🙌
Proving my point x 10!! ❤ When I first started, blogs still carried a lot of 'creepy blogger in the basement' stigma, but I have yet to meet any creeps. (I hope I didn't just jinx it.) Online dating on the other hand…
So far so good on the blogging front too! knock on wood! dating, well, yeah, that’s guaranteed….but the stories are soooo good – lol
Ah such memories!!! I still giggle at that pic of us and Peggles. I look like El Chapo. I fondly remember our first bloggy interaction. I thought, this girl is way too fabulous to waste time on this old lady. And look at all the adventures we’ve had since! Love you and your blog, Big Sis!
As if! Meeting you – and getting to call you FAMILY – has been a highlight of my life ❤
Congrats on 10 years of bloggy fun. I too remember the old days of Freshly Pressed and even called Pegoleg one time to tell her she’d been pressed. Those were the days and what fun they were. All the best as you journey forward! 🙂
Thank you so much, and right back at’cha! 🙂
BTW, as a subscriber of your blog, today’s post, Uncut: 564, was “password protected” so I could not read because of course I don’t know what password they speak of. FYI, thought you’d want to know.
Gahhh, thanks for letting me know! I was testing out a feature and no one was supposed to get notified *doh*
Is “Uncle Jesse” a reference to “The Dukes of Hazzard” or am I just showing my age?
Good guess!! It’s actually from “Full House” – John Stamos’s character. LOL