Belated Blogoversary + #MyFirstPostRevisited

Adventure Awaits turned three at the end of March, and I promised some kind of party, didn't I? But I've arrived so late, even my wizard status can't excuse my tardiness. Gandalf is ashamed of me. As they say, "better late than never," so here we are! Help yourself to angel food cake and strawberries, because that's what I just ate, and we're going to happily live in the delusion that I can offer you a slice via the internet.

 

Blogging is a discipline I'm so glad I started. Sure, there are weeks (like this one) when getting a post up in time is a struggle. Life gets busy and sometimes I run out of inspiration. But I love sharing my heart here. Yet what I love even more is YOU. All of you who read, comment, and keep coming back--you're the reason Adventure Awaits exists! I hope your own journey has been impacted, even in some small way, by mine. Because life is story, after all, and we're all living epic tales of our own.

 

In the fashion of last year's blogoversary, let's kick off the party with some quick stats! Measuring growth is fun, right? It's like penciling in your height on the pantry wall.

Stats

 

• 161 followers across Google Friend Connect and Bloglovin' (It was closer to 140-150 at the time of my actual blogoversary, I think . . . which is about double what I had last year . . . Anyway, I'm so grateful for every single one of you!)
• 204 posts
• 216,678 pageviews

Top Ten Countries

Most of those pageviews come from . . .

1. United States
2. Russia
3. Canada
4. France
5. Ukraine
6. Germany
7. United Kingdom
8. Netherlands
9. Australia
10. Ireland

It shocks me that this little place has grown at all in the past year, what with me going off to college and being less consistent here than I'd like. Here are some wild and wacky (and some predictable) ways people have found my blog:

Search Results

-larryboy and the fib from outer space (what? why???)
-rooglewood press (makes sense)
-josiah dyck (oh, look, that's my brother!)
-a girl who walk alone on the road (. . . this girl who walk alone needs to get better at grammar)
-allison tebo the reluctant godfather (why yes, I was part of her blog tour)
-adventure award wise counselor (ah, good times)
-five enchanted roses: a collection of . . . (it cuts off the end of the phrase, but I know which book that is, and it's excellent)
-rooglewood press contest (not like I entered any of those, LOL)
-adventure awaits blog (very sensible search result)
-Tracey (oh, so we're on first name basis now, Google and I?)
-summer book haul (always a good thing!)

Top Ten Most Popular Posts

I'm always somewhat bemused as to what gets a lot of pageviews and what doesn't. Whatever the reason, here are my most-viewed posts of all time! Numbers 1, 3, and 9 are some of my personal favorites.

1. Realm Makers 2017 Recap
2. Sunshine Blogger Award
3. Retellings - Love 'Em or Hate 'Em?
4. Beautiful Books - Writing Goals
5. Subplots and Storylines - November 2016
6. Book Review: Five Enchanted Roses
7. Subplots and Storylines - October 2016
8. Silmarillion Awards - Wisest Counselor Nominations
9. Why Fiction Matters
10. Problematic Opportunities and Opportunistic Problems

 

#MyFirstPostRevisited

 

Over half a year ago, the ever-creative Victoria Grace Howell @ Wanderer's Pen tagged me to participate in #MyFirstPostRevisited. Thanks, Tori! I thought it'd be fun to incorporate this into my next blogoversary! The rules of the tag are as follows:

 

 

• No cheating. You must highlight your first post. Not your second post, not one you love… the first post only.
• Link back to the person who tagged you (thank them if you feel like it or, if not, curse them with a plague of ladybugs).
• Cut and paste your old post into a new post or reblog your own bad self. (Either way is fine, but NO editing.)
• Put the hashtag #MyFirstPostRevisited in your title.
• Tag five (5) other bloggers to take up this challenge.
• Notify your tags in the comment section of their blog (don’t just hope they notice a pingback somewhere in their spam).
• Feel free to cut and paste the badge to use in your post.
• Include “the rules” in your post.
• Completely silly rules that I’m making up as I type:
• Write your post while wolfing down your favorite dessert.
• Do 10 cartwheels after you hit “Publish.”

 

Well, I did just eat cake. But I'll neglect that last rule, because if I attempted a cartwheel, I would break something. Like my head. Or a piece of furniture. Or my pride. Let's have a look at my very first post from March 31, 2015!

 

Welcome!

 

Well met, fellow travelers!

 

I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Tracey Dyck, and at the moment, all the clever ways I planned to succinctly introduce myself have scurried out the back window and left me with a blank page. So let’s start with the basics, in no particular order.

 

I am:
-19 years of age

-Canadian

-a homeschool graduate

-a writer

-a God-chaser

 

And now for some random facts.

 

I feed on words. The smell of spring is hope to me. My bookshelves are congested. I have awesome parents and three awesome younger siblings. I live in the Prairies. I read and write pretty widely, but fantasy is my homeland. I write because I need to, and because I hope that someone else needs me to. New notebooks call to me. I take pictures of shadows. I sketch. I am a slayer of evil dragons and a friend of good ones. I am an introvert. My space is organized chaos. I love the colors of the Caribbean, of watermelon, and of new leaves. Please take me to Narnia because I left my heart there. I love children. Dark chocolate trumps milk or white. Captain America is, without a doubt, my favorite Marvel superhero. Apparently my personality type is the same as Batman’s, though I fail to see many similarities. I laugh easily and cry easily. I am a paradox because a sunny optimist and a cynic coexist in my brain. I adore humor. I am a girl of strong convictions. Jesus is the difference in my life; He is my anchor, my shield, my fortress.

 

Now, what should you expect on this blog? Good question. Even I’m not entirely sure. But I think you’ll find a mix of the big and the small, the important and trivial. A blend of life and faith and anything story-related. I aim to post about once a week, but that schedule may change as I settle into it and find out what works.

 

Life truly is a grand adventure! I sincerely hope that this place will be a rest stop where you can brush off the dust of your travels, warm your hands by the fire, and find stories in the coals. I hope that this is an armory where you can sharpen your blade, shine your armor, and stock your quiver. Here is where our quests intersect. Let’s swap tales, remind ourselves of the light, and look for the story the Author is weaving in each of our lives. To the wanderers, the wayfarers, the voyagers—I bid you welcome!

 

* * *

Surprisingly, that actually wasn't as cringey as I expected. I still hope this place is a rest stop for questers on their journey, I'm still looking for the heart I left in Narnia, and my bookshelves are more congested than ever!

Thanks for celebrating with me, friends! I appreciate each of you immensely and feel honored to spend time with you in this space. Next up is that vlog I'm working on! (Hopefully. Somebody send me a bottle of Extra Time, please.)