Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my blog, Unbound Roots. I received a nice little message from WordPress, the content management system I use to run my blog. It read: Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com! You registered on WordPress.com one year ago. Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging. Looking back, I published 53 posts over the past year, which is roughly one post per week, and I’ve enjoyed each and every one of them. Not only because I love research, writing, editing my photos, adding the photos to my stories, and everything else that goes along with publishing a blog post, but because I have found that interacting with my readers and others who write brings me just as much joy as writing does. Thank YOU for the time you’ve devoted to reading and commenting on my posts, thank YOU for your support, thank YOU for your friendship, thank YOU for your advice, and thank YOU for making this past year one of my favorite years yet. I am truly grateful for you. I have to give a special shout-out to my husband for being my editing partner. He has read and re-read every single one of my posts, whether he wanted to or not. He has been a constant support, and he has allowed me the time to write, edit, and interact with others. Thank you, hubby – I love you! I also wanted to give a special shout-out to Angela, writer at You Are Awesome. My husband worked with Angela, and connected us just months after I started Unbound Roots. Angela introduced me to a wonderful blogging group, Big Up Your Blog, where I have met some wonderful writers and friends. Talk about people who inspire you to write! The people in this group faithfully support, critique, and share each other’s writing multiple times each week. I have learned more from this group in one short year than I ever could have imagined. Thank you, friends, for all you do! Angela was also the one who urged me to submit my cross-country ski post to WordPress Discover – the gold standard of blog publishers. The morning that I got the email from a Discover editor that my post would be featured on Discover, I texted Angela to notify her and thank her. In all my excitement, she was nothing but supportive again. Thank you, Angela, for being a guiding light throughout my first year of blogging. To top off my year of writing excitement, I also received another notification on my first writing anniversary – my blog, Unbound Roots, had been nominated for an award through the Annual Bloggers Bash Awards (held in London every year). Eek! The nomination is for “Hidden Gem” which is described as: Have you stumbled upon a blog by chance and discovered useful information or thought-provoking content? Is there a blog that doesn’t get the notoriety they deserve? Maybe they have such an original style you can’t help but read their posts. A blogger who you believe should get the limelight for a change is who deserves the Hidden Gem award. The nomination in itself was a gift on my one-year anniversary. If you have enjoyed my writing, I would love your vote. You can vote HERE. Voting closes on April 30th. Be sure to check out some of the other writers in all nine categories – there are some wonderful bloggers in the list of nominees. I want to leave you all with one last THANK YOU! Each and every one of you have positively influenced not only my writing, but my entire journey into the wonderful world of writing. Thanks for helping to make my first year great!