10 Years

I started this blog exactly 10 years ago today. Happy birthday Crazy for Crust!

I honestly don’t even know where to begin this post, so I’ll just dive right in. If you’re taking the time to read this, you probably have been around for awhile. Maybe you’ve been following me since the beginning, or maybe you’re new-ish. Maybe you’re another blogger or maybe you’re a mom or a grandma reading this from your couch with your coffee on a Sunday morning.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, thank you. Without YOU, the die-hard fan, the one who reads my words and the recipe, are the reason I’m sitting here writing this love letter.

You probably already know how this blog started, how I didn’t know what blogging was but wanted to do something for myself, how I created a site and posted recipes on a whim, and learned how to blog and do all the blogging things as I went along.

I’ve spent the last few months looking back at old posts, old designs, and taking stock of who blogging has helped me become and really, when I look at 2010 Dorothy I don’t even recognize her.

2010 Dorothy was a stay-at-home mom to a 5-year-old, unhappy in her SAHM-ness, itching for something else, something bigger, something that didn’t involve crayons or Barbie or carpool.

She was a woman with anxiety but didn’t know she had anxiety, someone without the confidence to make a decision or speak her mind or make close friends. She was shy, and timid and nervous, and let people railroad over her whenever they chose.

I’ve often said that deciding to start a blog was the one and only time in my life that I have had a spiritual moment. Maybe it was God, maybe it was the psychic part of my brain, I don’t know, but something or someone whispered in my ear that I needed to start a blog, so I did.

To say that doing that was out of character for my 2010 self is an understatement. That girl didn’t take chances, or do anything not known or planned. That girl would never have started something that would have become…THIS…but she did.

Moral of the story: listen to your gut.

Would I have become the person I am today without blogging? Maybe. But I don’t think so.

While I am not perfect, and I still suffer from anxiety, and depression, and I still struggle with confidence and self-esteem, I know who I am now. I know what I want, I know what is important, and I really owe that all to that moment I decided to push publish on my first blog post.

Every Accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

Unknown

That is one of my favorite quotes because it’s SO true! Before blogging I was afraid to try, afraid to be me, afraid to do what wasn’t expected of me.

Over the last 10 years I have tried and succeeded, tried and failed, and tried again. I feel like on a daily basis I make decisions for my business that make me question myself – but in a good way. Trying and sometimes succeeding has given me the confidence I always longed for earlier in my life.

If I had never had the courage to publish that first post, and to keep going when no one was reading, I wouldn’t be here today. I remember so many times being upset about my lack of following, or a lack of shares on a social post, or being frustrated because no one understood my job or thought I actually worked, when I was working 14 hour days. But never once did I think about quitting – I knew that THIS was what I was meant to do.

What’s the best part about blogging?

That’s a question I get asked a lot and it’s funny because I don’t have just one answer. I mean of course, I love being my own boss. I love making my own hours. And at the core of my job, the work is pretty fun: I make dessert and take pictures. When it’s safe, I get to travel and work with brands I love. It’s a pretty cool gig.

There is a lot I don’t like about blogging (social media, never really getting a day off, mean commenters, the drama that sometimes happens) but the things I do love are the things that have made the biggest impact on my life.

Internet friends are real friends

Unkown

I first saw that on a meme around 2012 and it really resonated with me. Back then it was weird to have “internet friends” and believe me, my friends in real life gave me quite the looks when I’d talk about all the people I met online.

One of the best parts about blogging are the friendships I’ve made.

As an adult I struggled with friendships. We moved a few times, and I am shy, and it’s really hard for me to open up to people. Blogging allowed me to talk about myself and be who I really was, something I struggled with in real life.

In real life I was a mom without an in-person job, so all my interactions were because of my kid. If you’ve done the mom-group or school-friend thing, you know what I mean. It takes time and effort and a lot of patience to find a group of people who you can really open up to – and even then you’re lucky if you can weed through the sea of them to find even one person who can be the friend we all need.

One of the best things about blogging was that all I had was time. We weren’t working around playdates – we could text and message each other whenever and that was normal.

Over the last 10 years I have met several women that I consider family. Sisters, even. As an only child, I replace siblings with friends, and I’ve found some really good ones. We are friends outside of blogging; we travel together and celebrate milestones with each other.

Through blogging I truly found my people, my circle, the people that love me for me. And that is probably the best thing that’s happened to me, because through them I’ve managed to find myself, and that is priceless.

I’m not going to name names, but I’m pretty sure they all know who they are, and if you’re reading this then know I’m sending you hugs and kisses.

Never underestimate the influence you have on others.

Laurie Buchanan

It would be remiss if I didn’t mention all of YOU reading this too. Knowing that I’ve reached people of all ages, all over the world – there’s something amazing about that.

I’ve written posts about anxiety and about fertility, and those are the ones that have resonated with so many people. Knowing I can open up about how I feel and have it help someone – that is empowering and inspiring.

When I get DMs or emails from people with snapshots of my recipes they’ve made, and comments about how their dad/mom/child loved it – those make my day. I love knowing that my cakes and pies and brownies have held candles for birthdays, been given as gifts, and put smiles on so many faces.

10 Years of Learning

Kind of like that kindergarten poem, I’m going to end this with Everything I’ve learned about life, I’ve learned through blogging:

Listen to your gut – it’s rarely wrong.

Don’t be afraid to fail; failing is just part of trying. If you’re not failing, you haven’t tried.

You don’t have to be perfect at something to start. Just start – then work on working up to perfect. (Also: nothing is ever perfect!!)

Be yourself. Be authentic, always.

If someone doesn’t like you because you’re being yourself then let them go. They aren’t worth your time or energy.

Celebrate the milestones and the accomplishments – big and small. They’re worth it, and so are you.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey – readers, bloggers, friends, family…I couldn’t have done any of this without you.

xo,
Dorothy