A milestone is defined as a significant event in your life. Often a milestone marks the start of a new chapter. For example, the day I graduated from high school was a milestone in my life. The day I received my Distinguished Toastmaster plaque was a milestone in my life. Some of the synonyms that can be used for milestone include: anniversary, event, and turning point.
Using one of those words, this week marks a milestone for me. Friday is three years since I was officially hired at Giant Eagle, and today was five years since I started my personal blog. Over the years, I’ve written a lot and posted some content I’m really proud of.
My blog, simply named Stylish, was birthed on an overnight trip in November of 2019. It didn’t start out as Stylish and went through several name changes before I chose the present name. It preceded COVID by just a few months. I had big plans for the blog in 2020 and they were dashed for obvious reasons. Everybody starts small and that’s what I should have done. The pandemic and all that came with it eventually humbled me and put me in my place.
Some of my best work on my blog includes my restaurant reviews. I started these in the summer of 2021 as I reviewed a few places in Ligonier. I still want to get to a few places in town that I haven’t yet (The Kitchen on Main). I’ll be in Hershey this weekend to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra and look at Christmas lights. I’ll document my trip. Wherever I eat I may also give a review.
One of my favorite blogs that I still look at is one of my first and that was about a workplace crush from my old job. This was the Fall of 2019, and everything was still normal. We were on an overnight trip and we were all staying at a nearby Red Roof. One of the girls wowed me with her fashion sense (she was wearing a cute pink sundress) and it soon became an innocent crush. A few months later, I told our friends about it over dinner at Bud Murphy’s.
While it’s cheesy to talk about, this was a cute story for me to share. Five years later, I try to keep it relevant in my life as it also sparked my fashion journey.
Another blog post that I enjoyed writing was about Friendsgiving. I attended it twice, once in Johnstown and last year in the South Side. The first year included Cards Against Humanity and pie as well as a walk to the incline in the dark, looking over Johnstown. The second year included a charcuterie tray that I brought from Giant Eagle, and learning about some of the hip places in Pittsburgh’s South Side.
I didn’t blog very often in 2022 due to a rash of issues (lack of technology, nothing interesting to talk about, second guessing myself over some decisions made the year prior). I was getting used to a new job and missing all those people in my life who understood me and in felt like I had nothing good to talk about.
Despite the lack of content, the fire was still burning and I knew one of the best decisions that I made in ’21 was paying off. I still did some restaurant reviews as well. I got a boost from my cousins when they gave me a used laptop for Christmas in 2022.
In five years of blogging, what are some things that I could do better? My homepage could stand out better, for those who want to view my content. One thing I also could have done to get folks through the pandemic would have been to write one encouraging post a week, to let people know that it’s OK to be scared in uncertain times. I came into the year with a lot of things planned for the new year and new decade, unaware of what was to come and unaware that I was just starting out.
I’ve challenged myself this year by posting a lot more content than I had in recent years. As I get older and stress the importance of taking care of myself, one thing I could also do is talk about is taking charge of my health. Just some food for thought (pardon the pun).
Stylish 🍒 