Four Year Blog Anniversary

Today is my Four Year Blog Anniversary! It feels like just last year I was hitting the publish button to make the site go live. I remember the day so well. I never had an intention to write a blog, but after returning from Paris and moving back to Chicago I was homesick. I was missing the connection to France in my daily life. There were small ways I was bringing Paris home from the way I ate, shopped, decorated, and lived and I wanted to share that and connect with other Francophiles around the world.

I was wide awake in the middle of the night tossing and turning and the idea came to me. I quickly ran over the computer to see if www.everydayparisian.com was available for purchase, to my surprise it was! $12 later, I owned a domain. It took months of brainstorming with friends before the idea came to life.

I wasn’t a “blog reader” before I started my own blog and I had no idea how much work went into writing one. It took a lot of time and preparation to launch the blog and then understanding what my readers wanted and how often I was going to write. It takes a lot of commitment to writing a blog. If you told me how much work was involved before I started, I may not have pushed the publish button. Content creation, promotion of blog posts, and my newsletter are all a big part of my work week.

I will also say, the driving force behind starting a blog shouldn’t be money. I have only had a handful of sponsored posts in the last four years combined! I really thought this would be the year that I started partnering with brands more and then Covid hit and brand budgets went out the window. I really use the blog as a platform to share more about my life and my love for Paris and in connection with The Print Shop

In the last year, the blog has been read in over 99 countries. Holy cow, that is amazing!! I am so proud of this little baby of mine. The blog will continue to grow, evolve, and change over time. I have really enjoyed learning the ins and outs of blogging and connecting with readers through email, DM’s on Instagram, and in-person events.

In this coming year, I will be moving from the apartment where the blog was “born”. It seems a little bittersweet to say goodbye to this place but I am excited about the next chapter in my new place.

Successes

I have really enjoyed helping so many of you have a great and enjoyable trip to Paris. I am happy you value my recommendations for not only places to eat and stay but my fashion and beauty favorites. I always dreaded Sundays, but over the last few years, I have looked forward to Sunday morning with anticipation to share my favorite links I have read with all of you. I know so many of you feel the same way ❤️

Struggles

My sister says one of my biggest strengths is that I am able to pivot and reinvent myself. Over the years, my blog has become a resource for Paris tips on where to eat, where to stay, and what to do. A lot has changed in the past few months with travel and Coronavirus and I have had to adapt. I have accepted the fact that I won’t be back in Paris this year because it just isn’t safe. I don’t feel comfortable being so far away from family if I were to get sick in a foreign country. I have had a major shift in content over the last few months and it will likely be that way until there is a vaccine and we can start traveling again. The Frenchify Series has been so fun and refreshing to bring the original idea of the blog back. Thankfully, the series has been a huge hit with readers.

I don’t know what year four will look like but I am excited to see how the blog evolves. I hope this space continues to bring you as much joy as it brings me. Thank you so much for being here and for all your continued support!

I am always open for valuable feedback, if there is something you loved (or didn’t love) or something you want to see covered on the blog, comment below.

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P.S. You can read last year’s three year anniversary post here.