I’m co-hosting the Wellness Wednesday October 9th link up with my blogger friend, Leslie. The optional prompt is Gratitude. October 10th marks my 3rd full year of blogging so this is a 2-in-1 post to say happy three years of blogging to me and to express my blogging-related gratitude in no particular order 🙂
I’m Grateful For…
- Free templates on Blogger and WordPress: I can try something new without spending money up front. Without the free templates, I probably wouldn’t start blogging in the first place. I started on Blogger in October 2016 and moved to WordPress in June 2019.
- Easy-to-use blogging tools: I find both Blogger and WordPress easy to use. The move from Blogger to WordPress is simple. I’ve been using the WordPress block editor (Gutenberg) for all my blog posts from June to date without any issue so far.
- The digital nature of a blog: It allows me to write and keep a digital record which is a lot lighter in weight than a paper journal. Less paper used, less physical storage needed, less to dust. Win, win, win.
- The first comment that I received on my blog: It came from a blogger in February 2017, four months after I started blogging. We’re both still blogging and linking up. Do you remember the first comment you received on your blog?
- Friends who blog: I started reaching out to meet up with bloggers in my third year of blogging. It was a pleasure to meet Ann, Joanne, Donna, Sue, and Jude in real life. Have you met a blogger and started a new friendship?
- The link-up hosts: Especially the hosts who reply to comments on their blog and visit linked-up participant’s blog to comment. I appreciate your time and efforts. You’re building a blogging community and I think that’s cool.
- The readers who leave comments on my blog: I appreciate your time and thoughtful comments. If you have a blog, I try to visit it and leave a comment, too. Your kind comments brighten my day and enrich the blog conversation.
- The time to blog for leisure: Every blogger knows that blogging is time-consuming and time is one of our most precious resources. I’m grateful to have a small chunk of time to blog for leisure and at my own pace.
- The freedom to blog: How wonderful is it that I’m free to type and publish my thoughts? My blog is a canvas where I create, edit, save, share, and connect with people across the miles. I’m enjoying the journey!
I hope you have a wonderful week. Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my Canadian friends and readers!
Click here to join in on the Wellness Wednesday link-up.
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Natalie the Explorer 
Nice post and congratulations. Keep em coming.
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Thank you, John and Susan, for your comment and for contacting me. Your comment went through, hooray.
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I agree with everything you wrote about the unique joy of blogging… and congrats on your 3 year anniversary! I absolutely remember my first “real” follower and commenter. I was over-the-moon with excitement that my words actually reached someone and that they enjoyed what they read enough to reach out. We continue to follow each other and, although I haven’t met her IRL, I consider her a friend.
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Thank you, Janice, for your comment. Firsts are memorable, aren’t they? I hope to meet my first commenter and follower IRL one day.
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Happy blogiversary Natalie. Look forward to reading your post for May years to come. I love your blogging gratitude post
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Thank you, Jennifer, for your visit and comment. If anyone told me in 2016 that I’d still be blogging in three years, I’d find that hard to believe.
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Congratulations on your 3rd blogoversary! It is a pleasure to follow your blog…and to know you in person!
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Thank you so much Donna. You’re one of a kind and a true friend. I treasure the time and the conversations we had on Vancouver Island. I’m glad to follow your blog and always look forward to your post and comments.
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Happy 3rd Blogiversary! I bet those years seem to have flown by and so much learnt about the blogosphere during that time. How wonderful to have met up with other bloggers and so exciting you met Sue and her hubby just recently. I have only just realised that it was my 7th year blogiversary in September. I can’t believe how the years have flown. I look forward to many more years of reading your blog Natalie! xo
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Thank you, Min, and happy 7th year blogiversary to you! I learned a lot from reading blogs written by experienced bloggers like you and Sue. Keep writing 🙂
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Thank you Natalie – you’re so kind! That means so much to me. I’m visiting again for Lovin’ Life. Hope you have a wonderful day. xo #TeamLovinLife
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Thank you, Min. I hope you feel better day by day and be back at 100% soon.
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Congrats on your third year of blogging. What a great accomplishment. #MLSTL
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Thank you, Patrick, for your kind comment. I greatly appreciate it.
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Congratulations Natalie. Time sure does fly with blogging I have found. I started back at the end of 2010. My understanding of how to blog has changed but the “why” has not, and that is to connect. Thank you for finding my link up each Monday and today, inviting me to join yours. Warm wishes
Denyse x
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Thank you, Denyse, and congrats on nine years of blogging. I learned a lot from reading blogs written by more experienced bloggers like you. You’re also a great role model as a link up host.
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Happy 3rd Blogiversary Natalie and I loved your gratitude post – I’m also grateful for all those things – especially being able to blog for free (saves me selling my soul to try to pay for it) and for all the friendships and encouragement that blogging has brought into my life – absolute gold!
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
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Thank you, Leanne, for hosting and sharing. I learned a lot from reading blogs written by more experienced bloggers like you and Sue. You’re both great role models for link up hosts, sharing your thoughts and providing meaningful comments to the link up participants. Have a wonderful week!
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Hi Natalie,
Congratulations!
Blogging has immense benefits. It’s a good platform to not only express our thoughts but also to connect with like-minded people anywhere in this wonderful world.
Looking forward to your posts.
Keep writing!
#MLSTL
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Thank you, Pradeep, for your visit and comment. I enjoy the benefits of blogging that you mentioned. I’ll visit your blog shortly.
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Great work (and fun) isn’t it having a blog? Congratulations and I am so pleased you found my little blog and link up in Australia! Happy Blogoversary.
Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek. Next week the optional prompt is 41/51 “Your Choice of Prompt” 14/10/19. Hope to see you there, Denyse.
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I’m glad I found your blog, too. Thank you, Denyse, for hosting the weekly link up. I look forward to it. Have a beautiful week!
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Congrats Natalie! I love that you can remember the first comment you received, I’ve been trying to think but can’t remember that far back!! You gratitude for blogging and bloggers really resonated with me as I feel much the same. So glad you met up with Sue and Donna. I love meeting blogger friends all over the world 🙂 #mlstl
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Thank you, Deb, for your comment. I’ve learned a lot from reading blogs written by experienced bloggers like you. Meeting Sue and Donna in one location was wonderful. The digital nature of a blog makes finding the first comment (with date and time) easy 🙂
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Congrats on 3 years! I had not recalled my first commenter… but went to look. It’s from the first blogger I started to follow as well! I did recall that she was my first blog to follow… and we still follow each other today. Thanks for prodding me into looking at the first comment! I agree with all your points about blogging, especially the special-ness of comments I receive. Comments really do make the community!
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Thank you, Pat, for your comment. It’s nice to be able to find the first comment on the blog without wading through pages of paper, isn’t it? The blog comments really create global and social interactions without leaving home.
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Congratulations Natalie, three years is quite a milestone. I love WordPress and the ease with which it operates. I used to keep a paper journal, but no longer feel the need since I am able to conveniently capture my thoughts in cyberspace. I enjoy interacting with other bloggers and find that although we are very different, we have much in common; mainly being positive and looking forward to the future. Thank you for your contribution to maintaining that atmosphere.
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Thank you, Suzanne, for your comment. I agree with you that we bloggers have much in common. I used to keep a journal, too. I’ve learned about places that I have yet been to and seen stunning photos through your blog. I’m happy to contribute to a positive and forward-looking blog atmosphere.
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Happy anniversary! I hit 10 years this year but I appreciate all of those things you mention – especially the blogging community. I’ve dipped in and out as I’ve cut back on blog reading and commenting and moved from diet-related stuff to book-stuff to more general blogs over the years but I like that I see familiar names and faces pop up all over the world.
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Thank you, Deb, and congrats on your 10 years of blogging! A nice thing about blogging is we can change what we blog about as we change. I picked up a few books after reading your reviews and I like your thought-provoking general blog posts. Keep writing 🙂
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Only three years, Natalie? You are an inspiration to me. You seem like a seasoned blogger with a wealth of wisdom. I am still very cautious about changing or adding anything on WP. I did not know anything about the comment/response part of blogging when I began and I find it a very rewarding part of blogging. I just started (like a lot of bloggers) with a youtube how to video and threw myself into cyberspace. I LOVE your phrase, “unique and together.” You summed up well many of my feelings, too, Natalie. Happy Thanksgiving to you, Natalie, a shining light in my day. #MLSTL and I have shared on my SM
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Thank you so much, Erica, for your kind comment which brightens my day. The comment/ response is like having a dialogue or a conversation. I find it rewarding, too. Happy Thanksgiving!
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I’m grateful that you blog & that I’ve got to know you, virtually speaking, as a result. Happy 3rd bloggy birthday.
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Thank you, Jo, for your sweet comment. When I make it to Australia, I hope to meet you IRL. I admire how you do all that you’ve been doing, with a positive outlook, while holding a full-time job.
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awww thanks… I hope we get to meet someday too.
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When there’s a will, there’s a way 🙂
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Look at all of the great gals who stopped by to wish you happy anniversary! Happy to be among your followers. Have enjoyed ‘accompanying’ you on your globetrotting adventures and your journey to improved health and wellness. Looking forward to continuing into the new year.
Very impressed that you are using Gutenberg and without issue. I accidentally tried it once and thought it required me to think more than I felt comfortable doing!! Ha!
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Thank you, Leslie, for joining me on this blogging (and wellness) journey all this time. I hope to meet you IRL one day and maybe we can go out for sushi 🙂
When I moved from Blogger to WP, I started using the block editor in WP right away so I didn’t have to adjust to the change from classic editor to block editor.
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Happy Anniversary on three years! I hope there’s many more.
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Thank you, Jennifer, for your comment. Here’s to another fun-filled year of blogging!
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Hi Natalie. Congrats on three years of blogging. Now that I’ve had time to experience your blog on two platforms, I have to say I liked the Blogger platform better for two reasons. 1. Your blog on Blogger remembered me, whereas I have to type in my full credentials every time I comment on your WordPress blog. 2. Your WordPress blog has a lot of ads, which can be a bit intrusive.
Jude
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Thank you, Jude, for your feedback. The requirement to log in before commenting is kind of similar in both Blogger and WP. Basically, if you’re an existing account holder on one platform and log in to your account, it recognizes you. When you cross the blogging platform, if you are not an account holder on the other platform, it will ask for credentials. The blog administrator can turn on or off options to comment.
As far as I know, my Blogger blog “remembers” you because you’re also on Blogger and likely have logged in to your Blogger account before commenting. If you didn’t log into Blogger, it would require you to enter Name/ URL, or log into Google, or comment as Anonymous. Since I moved to WP, I turned off the Comment options on my Blogger blog.
If you have a WordPress account and log into it before commenting on a WP blog, it would not require you to enter your credentials every time you comment. You can create a WP account without creating a WP blog. I think this is what some commenters do. They use their Blogger account to comment on Blogger blogs, and WP account to comment on WP blogs.
I usually tune out of ads that I see on both Blogger and WP sites. I’ll look into the ad-free plan in WP one day.
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I found you via the Senior Salon. Interesting post, you’ve nailed all the reasons that keep me going, though I’ve yet to meet another blogging friend face to face – phone calls don’t count, do they? 😊
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Thank you, Clive, for your visit and comment. I think phone calls count 🙂
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That’s good, I feel better now 😉
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Happy Blogging Anniversary, Natalie!! … and Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Thanks for the shout-out. The friends we develop while blogging is certainly the icing on the cake that none of us anticipated when we first started out. I think it’s the real reason we keep coming back 🙂
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Thank you, Joanne. I agree with you that we keep coming back to blogging because of the friendships we develop from blogging. I’ll send you an email soon for a second meeting date, hopefully Deb would be available, too.
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Happy 3rd Blogiversary, Natalie! Glad I discovered your blog at #SeniSal.
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Thank you, Jean! I’m glad to discover your blog, too. I know to consult your blog for delightful and healthy recipes.
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