Happy (Belated) 10 Year Anniversary, Blog!

10 years... a decade... holy cow! When I started this blog, as a recently reverted 22-year-old, I didn't know what the journey back to the faith would entail or how even how long I would keep writing.

10 years ago, I decided to open up the blog because (at that time) there weren't any Catholic bloggers I identified with. Yes, there were blogs that inspired me but there was virtually nothing for young Catholics, let alone young Catholic women. There were certainly no Catholic blogs talking about things such as anxiety and depression (that's where the majority of my traffic came from; people searching for Catholicism and anxiety together). I was head over heels for someone at the time (though I've never publicly written about any relationships), my father was still alive (pre-final cancer diagnosis), and I was battling with a terrible sin that I've (thankfully) since kicked the habit of falling into.

10 years later, there are so many more talented writers and bloggers who are much more open about things than I am; bloggers who still inspire me. There's a Catholic blogger for every imaginable topic and niche. Obviously, I'm 10 years older (and loving it!). My father has been gone for a little over 8 years now. I'm no longer head over heels for the young man I was crazy over a decade ago (though we're on good terms when our paths cross).

Some things never change: I'm still trying to figure out my way on this adventurous journey we call life. I'm still trying to learn as much as I can about the faith. I still don't think I'll ever be too open about my relationships (yes, the joke that I will get married and have a child before anyone finds out is still around, 10 years later) but I will say that I'm in a good place about my (future) vocation. I'm happy. I'm getting healthier. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings.

I was going to write a sort of "best of"/"favorite blog posts" list but I knew it was going to be too hard. I've published 1,054 (this is post 1,055) posts in the past 10 years. Instead, let me share with you the most popular (non-novena) posts.

1. St. Joseph of Cupertino is Awesome (Prayer Included!) - Published September 18, 2009
2. CINO (Catholic in Name Only) and Double Majors - Published October 25, 2010
3. St. Jude is the Reason I Reverted - Published October 28, 2010
4. A Day with Anxiety: St. Dymphna, Pray For Us! - Published February 9, 2012
5.  A Late Rebellion? - Published January 27, 2011
6. Working with My Phlegmatic-Sanguine Personality - Published August 25, 2012
7. Well, I'm Not Stopping - Published February 29, 2012

The other 3 (out of the top 10) were for novenas so I didn't include those.

To all the readers who've read this blog -- 586,059 times (!!!): Thank you! Thank you for stopping by and reading. Thank you for the words of encouragement, the prayers, the friendships (I've met some of my best friends through this blog), the love, the support. Some of you have been around since the beginning, some of you are new (hello!). The ups. The downs. You've all made this journey an enjoyable one and I look forward to sharing the rest of my journey with you. 

Here's to another 10 years (God willing!)!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D