It's My One Year Blogoversary!!!

Guess what everyone?! Today is my One Year Blogoversary! Yay! I'm so happy and excited, proud and surprised I actually stuck with blogging this long. It's been a great journey so far and I plan on sticking around for quite a while yet. Blogging and becoming friends with all of you fellow bloggers and authors has made me a happier and better person; there's no chance I'll be giving up on something as good as this anytime soon.

Now I started book blogging basically on a sheer whim. I noticed a lot of my BookMooch friends, including The Story Siren, had these things called blogs. One day I finally decided to take a look at one of them. Oddly enough the first one I looked at was The Story Siren's. Go figure, right?

Well, I thought to myself, "I write short reviews on the books I read. Maybe this would be something fun for me to do." And that was it folks. With barely any idea of what I was doing, I started my book blog. Most the stuff I learned as I went along; thankfully I quickly learned how to use the HTML coding and gadgets but with some stuff I did require some help.

When I first started, Tina from Fantastic Book Review was a HUGE help to me. You have her to thank for the fact that my blog has three columns. If I had questions she had answers and I'm sure I annoyed the crap out of her at times. Honestly, I don't know that my blog would be where it is today had it not been for her help. So thanks Tina, if you're reading this. :D

A few other people I would like to thank are my very first blog buddies! Without them, things just wouldn't have been the same or near as fun and I might have gotten bored and quit. Who are they, you may ask. Well I'm about to tell you. They are Eli from The Tainted Poet, Sandy from Pirate Penguin's Reads, Taschima from Bloody Bookaholic, Shayla from The Book Explorer, Briana from B.A.M. Book Reviews, and Laina from Laina Has Too Much Spare Time. Ya'll rock! Also a big thanks to all of my other current/newer blog buddies! I'd name you all but there's a lot of you and I'm typing this at 6AM.

Now, everyone, for some fun facts and stats about my journey so far as a book blogger.

Blogging Firsts

1. My first review -please don't hate me- was of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Pure coincidence I swear!
2. First commenter was lilly.
3. First author to follow me was Suzanne Young.
4. First author to comment on my blog was Becca Fitzpatrick.
5. First contest was my 100 Followers contest for a copy of Ballads of Suburbia.
6. First book won from a blog was Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow from The Compulsive Reader.
7. The first author I ever interviewed was Suzanne Selfors.
8. The first blog tour I ever participated in was for Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors.
9. First Guest Post was by C. Lee McKenzie.
10. First Noteworthy Passages was done of Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.

Post Stats

1. Including this one, I have written and posted 321 posts.
2. I have posted 58 reviews.
3. I have done 16 Author Interviews.
4. I have done 4 Blogger Interviews.
5. I have posted 4 Author Guest Posts, 1 Blogger Guest Post, and 1 Character Guest Post.
6. I have posted 16 Noteworthy Passages posts.
7. I have held 18 different contests, 8 of which were in the last month for my celebration.
8. I have done In My Mailbox 38 times.

Bits of Randomness About My Blog and Me

1. I have managed to acquire 606 Followers in the year I've been blogging.
2. I used to participated in memes such as Waiting on Wednesday, Teaser Tuesday and occasionally Friday Finds but now only participate in In My Mailbox.
3. I created and started a new feature strictly for my blog on January 7th, 2010 called Noteworthy Passages.
4. The layout/design my blog has right now is the one it has always had. (Well except mine started with one sidebar. Tina helped me add a second.)
5. I designed my header and page buttons. The background image is one I photographed.
6. I have yet to participate in a Read-A-Thon. I know, sad right?
7. I started a challenge last year but didn't finish. I am currently participating in 4 this year.
8. My reviews are drastically improved from the vague, short ones I used to write before blogging.

Well that's pretty much it everyone. This past year has been awesometastic and I have loved getting to know and talk with all of you. Stay tuned because tonight I will be announcing the winners of all my Blogoversary Countdown giveaways. Hope you are all having a terrific week and thanks for supporting me by being a follower!