Anniversaries

I'm weird about taking sick days. Usually I feel like I'm dying in the morning (no joke, I was actually in tears as I tried to get ready this morning), but by the afternoon I'm usually feeling human again. Today is no exception. I still feel crappy, but at least I'm no longer curled up in a fetal position, whimpering softly while my cat gives me the most concerned look a cat can muster. (Yes, that happened today.)

Anyway, I've just been sitting here in bed with my laptop, and I realized something. I forgot my own blog-iversary. Now here it is, two days past my two-year mark, and I don't even have an outfit post in reserve to celebrate. How sad is that? Well, in the grand scheme of things, I guess it's really not sad at all. But in bloggerworld, where #bloggerproblems rule, it's pretty pathetic.

Fun fact: April is officially my month of anniversaries. My two-year blogiversary was on Monday, and my one-year work anniversary is at the end of this month. Also at the end of this month is Matt's and my five-year anniversary of dating. Wow.

And me being me, anniversaries tend to make me go all retrospective and nostalgic. So in lieu of an outfit post, you guys get a whole lot of words. Woohoo?

Two years ago, I was still a semi-new college graduate. I had finally landed a job I enjoyed, and was comfortable enough in it that I was ready for a new hobby (which is how this blog came about). I knew I would never be able to limit my blog to just one topic, so I embraced my tendency to get easily distracted and started chronicling my adventures in the worlds of personal style, food, home décor, DIY, and (eventually) personal finance. One of my first posts proposed a toast: To success, be it self-discovery or Internet semi-fame. I'm no blogger sensation, but I think I've definitely achieved the self-discovery succes in pretty much every area.

Style. When I started this blog, I had no real sense of style; I just wore slacks and whatever shirt my fingers touched first when I was getting dressed. Some days I mixed it up with a black skirt. My wardrobe was boring and I was bored with it. Now, there are still days that I just throw on whatever's easiest, but there are more days when I try to create something. My shopping habits have gotten a lot better, too. I used to buy whatever caught my eye, or items that I thought I was "supposed" to have in a professional wardrobe. (Seriously, who needs eight bajillion button-down Oxfords?) Now, I consider potential purchases, weighing them against what I already own, thinking about remix possibilities and longevity.

Food. Oh man. I've tried a lot of new recipes over the past two years, though at the moment I'm working with a six-week rotating menu of Matt's and my faves. I don't know if I'd say I've really "grown" in this area, though I certainly do eat a lot more veggies than I did a few years ago. So, improvement?

Home décor. This was a hard one, mostly because decorating a home, even if it's a tiny apartment, takes money. Which as you all know, I don't have a whole lot of. But my landlord recently complimented my decorating skills (in the most misogynistic way possible, but I'll overlook that), and I've definitely noticed a maturation in the way I approach our living space. Our first apartment featured white walls and posters hung up with sticky-tack. This one has a few painted rooms, framed art and a general color palate. When we move again in August, I'm hoping to convey a more cohesive palate and a real sense of who Matt and I are through decorating. So consider this a disclaimer: There will be a LOT more décor-related posts in the second half of this year :)

DIY. I've completed a few projects, and some of them actually turned out pretty well. (Framed Ikea-inspired art, homemade curtains.) Others turned out horribly, but they were great learning experiences. With the recent opening of a sewing co-op near our house (where you can rent sewing machines by the hour), not to mention a new, larger apartment to decorate, I expect to be able to accomplish many more DIY projects in the coming months/years.

Money/personal finance. Surprisingly, this is the area I feel where I've grown the most. I say "surprisingly" for two reasons: First, it wasn't an initial angle I intended to pursue here, and second, I've had a major spending problem for pretty much my entire life. In just two years, I've evolved from someone who spends money the second she gets it and then keeps spending to create outrageous amounts of debt, to someone who budgets a year in advance, plans all major purchases and hesitates to plunk down more than $50 on anything, ever. I stopped impulse-buying by forcing myself to sit on any non-budgeted purchase for at least 48 hours. I have a savings account! With money in it! Not enough to cover me for three to six months of living expenses, but enough for at least one month, or one major car repair. I went from being thousands of dollars in debt to being just six months away from having no debt at all. (Fair warning: When I do send in that last payment in October, expect a long, celebratory, rambling post about how excited I am. Whether you actually read it or not is up to you.)

Speaking of rambling, I'm kind of going off here still. I guess I'll stop giving you all eye strain, if you've even read this far. And if you have, thanks! You're a real trooper. Here's a gold star.