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I began DC Girl in Pearls in May 2011 as a creative outlet. Although I love politics and could watch the news all day long, I have a lighter side to me and wanted a venue for that energy. The name DC Girl in Pearls came to me and I knew I had to snap up the username asap.

I began writing and my blog grew beyond my wildest expectations. I have met so many great people and had incredible opportunities that I never would have if not for DC Girl in Pearls.

There are days and times when my non-blog life can be very overwhelming and the last thing I want to do when I get home and flop onto my couch is write a post. However, I love writing and by the end of the post when I hit “Schedule,” I feel reinvigorated..and then ready for bed.

In honor of my 500th post, I wanted to share with you my favorite parts of blogging:

Blog Community

I went to several blogger events, with the first being “Blogger Blitz” last winter. I love meeting other bloggers to swap experiences, share tips and just chat. Each blogger has such a unique voice and a reason for writing, I love hearing all their stories and meeting the people behind my favorite reads.

Readers

I love my readers who take the time to visit DC Girl in Pearls and send me sweet comments, tweets and emails. There have been times when I was having a rather hard day but then I would get a tweet from a reader saying how much they enjoyed the day’s post. This note instantly brightens my day and for that, I am truly grateful. I cherish all your comments and notes, you are really just the best.

Every so often, an online friend becomes an “IRL” friend. Although it can be tricky explaining “How did you meet?,” I met several wonderful people whose paths I might not have crossed without social media.

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

When I first started writing DC Girl in Pearls, it was the ultimate trial and error. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about, how should I go about it and how to find my inner voice. Over a year and a half later, the DC Girl in Pearls you read recently is the blog I wanted to write all along. It was a Candy Land-esque maze of a path but I feel my blog is on the track to where I want it to be.

Out of my shell

The other day at work, I mentioned to my boss how I used to be extremely shy as a child. He did not believe me. If you know me in real life, you know I am outgoing, a bit snarky and love to just talk to people. A good conversation is my fuel throughout the day. That was not always the case. A combination of being surrounded by adults from an early age coupled with a “What do they think of me?” anxiety, I was not exactly super outgoing. I think I definitely blossomed in late high school, early college when I (finally) got over what others thought of me. My blog has also helped me on this issue. Every day, I put a piece of myself out there for the world to see. My blog pushes me to consistently put myself out there.

Inspiration

Because of my blog, I feel more active and involved in my environment. When I hear of an event or a friend suggests an outing, I think immediately, “That would make a terrific post!” Instead of putting off going somewhere and trying something new, I remind myself about its value as a blog post and I give it a whirl. To go full circle, thank you, readers, for pushing me out my pink comfort zone to “take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” as Mrs. Frizzle would say.