blogiversary | But I Smile Anyway...

The Best Things In Life Are Three! – #BlogParty #Blogiversary

25 Nov 2017 229 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: 3 Years, Blog, Blog Party, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, blogiversary, share the love

Well hey there Peeps!!!

I hope you are all fine and dandy on this wonderful Saturday!

And today, I also celebrate my third Blogiversary!

Just got the WP congrats in too!

And what a crazy ride these last three years have been!

Starting as a total novice, not even knowing what blogging was, to learning technicalities, such as what HTML was (still a little clueless!), then slowly teaching myself (and being helped by others) the ins and outs of blogging, and introducing Social Media.

Initally, a lone Blog Rider, with no clue as to what to write about, to making connections, creating a Blogily, developing friendships that are truly precious.

At first, rambling on about nothing (okay, so I still do that!) to finding some sort of pattern, (Jill of all trades, master of none!) where my madcap thoughts, and creativity found a home!

And from zero to nearly 5000 WordPress followers, and a whole extra heap who chose to follow me on various Social Media!

From dreams of writing a book, to being a published poet, with a WIP that was stagnant for over 16 years, to something that is finally nearing completion!

A newbie who, in three years has accomplished so much, including the Best Blogger Award, in 2017 at the Annual Bloggers Bash.

And it’s all down to you, Peeps.

Seriously, I wouldn’t still be here, beavering away, with belief in myself, if it wasn’t for the support of everyone who reads, likes, comments on and shares the posts I write.

I wanted to express my gratitude in the form of a Blog Party where I invite you to bring your favourite drink, and party nibbles, suggest a song, and the link to a post you’d love to share!

So, please, come along and enjoy!

Remember to tell us/bring along all:

your favourite drink
your party nibble of choice
a song suggestion
a link to a post that you would love to share

Then, mingle with the other guests! Visit their posts, meet some new folk and generally enjoy!

And if you are able, please share the love, share the post, let’s get this party started!!!!!

So here’s my starting contribution!

1} I’ll have a Barnamint Baileys!

2} We need pretzels!

3} My song for today is Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long!

4} I invite you to have a browse, since you’re here anyway!!!

PARTY ON PEEPS!

Love Y’All!!!!

2 Year Blogiversary

25 Nov 2016 95 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, blogiversary, Thankful

Searching my archives, I came across my first post. Checking the date, I realised that OMG! It’s my 2nd Blogiversary!

Two years!

And how apt that in this week I also managed to gather my 2000th follower!

That’s an average of 1000 Peeps clicking follow each year!

Little did I know that when I tapped out that first post, 2 years ago, how much this whole WP community would come to mean to me!

I have ended up with an amazing network of international friends, and my blogily, those ‘sistas from other mistas’, and ‘bruthas from other muthas’!

(I even rewrote a classic, We Are Blogily, and sang it, here!)

I have been encouraged to stretch my creativity. This resulted in me releasing my first poetry anthology, Poetic Rituals, available on Amazon.

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Just click here…

myBook.to/PoeticRITUals

So many amazing reviews from you all!

I’ve learned new skills, IT based and otherwise! I take part in regular challenges, I write, unabashed, about things that strike a chord.

And the best thing?

You read them!

Earlier this year I was even blessed to have come second in the Best Blog Award at the Annual Bloggers Bash Awards in London!

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And I was able to meet a whole host of like-minded bloggers who were just as lovely in person as they were online!

The encouragement we get from each other to write, to push ourselves, is just phenomenal!

I am often asked why my blog is called But I Smile Anyway…Well this little quote sums it up perfectly. I hope my blog is a ray of positivity in an increasingly negative world. Everything seems a little easier to handle when you have a smile on your face!

I want to take this time to say “Thank You!” to each and every one of you that has followed my journey. I hope to be here for many more years to come, and hopefully finish at least one fiction project too!

Cheers to the first 2 years, cheers to the weekend, and here’s to many more smiley years to come!

Wow! You Put Up With Me For A WHOLE Year!

25 Nov 2015 93 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Anniversary, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, blogily, blogiversary, one year

Today marks my blog’s first anniversary, my blogiversary.

What a year! I honestly can’t believe it! How has it already been a year?

To think, it started with just a silly little post, and slowly it grew, and grew, and grew!

I managed to kickstart my creativity again, write fiction and poems, air my views, give you an insight into my life, and the crazy members of my family… And my cat. Don’t forget Sonu Singh!

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I learned how to build my own blog up, with so much help from other bloggers. I even learned some html, to Hubby Dearest’s amazement!

Special thanks here to Dr C , Tom , Chris and Doug , to name a few!

I found out about challenges, and became a regular participant in poetry chalke gets, like Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku challenge, and fiction, like the Flash Fiction Foray, by Matt, The Book Blogger, and more recently, Ronovan’s Friday Fiction challenge, and Hugh’s Instagram Photo Prompt challenge.

I put my novel, Wedded Stress -a work in progress- online to get some very encouraging feedback too!

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I created some regular features, like Spidey’s Serene Sundays, and the Kids Logic run of posts, which seemed to tickle your fancy too!

I have been awarded so much love in the forms of awards, passed onto me my various bloggers, who made my day so much brighter by even thinking of me!

But the biggest thing… It’s my blogily. All of you. The community that we have here on WordPress.

I have to give special mentions to some bloggers who have given me so much love, and have become part of my daily life, My true Blogily! My blog sisters Erika and Judy, and my blog brother Rich. And Rib Rob, Sue, Linda, Geoff, Sandra, Tonya…. to name but a few!

If I missed anyone’s name specifically it is not that I forgot you, I would just end up with a post full of links and names… but you are all special to me! ❤

Reading what you write about, responding to comments, having conversations… I feel I know some of you better than some of my actual family!

So can I just say here, thank you so much for being here on this journey with me, accompanying me over this year, and here’s hoping this experience lasts a long long time!