On Hundred Posts Later

This is my one hundredth post!

I didn't even realise it until last week that I was so close to 100 posts. It really crept up on me. I was thinking of letting it go by without really acknowledging it but then I reconsidered and decided that even though it may not be that big of a deal to some, to me it's a milestone that I'm really proud of and wanted to share with you, my wonderful readers.

I started this blog on a bit of a whim just 8 months ago. My friends and I were talking about setting up a collaborative blog where each of us would have a specific role, but that never really happened. I had been reading blogs for about 6 months and I really wanted to start my own but every time I thought of doing it I lost the nerve and decided against it. What did I have to offer? My blog would never be as accomplished as those I read on a daily and weekly basis. Then one day in June I just decided to go for it. What I had to offer was me. No two people are the same and no two blogs are the same. I wanted mine to be about my life, my family, my friends, my opinions and thoughts and likes and dislikes.

My initial hope for it was as a kind of document of my life as it is now. A virtual diary almost. Obviously there are things I don't share with my readers because there are things that I want to keep private and just for me or my close family and friends. Having said that I feel like as time has gone on I've been very open with my feelings about things. I've found it therapeutic at times to have people from all over the world read what I write and be able to relate to me and offer me advice and support. I've also learned so much over the past 8 months, about photography, editing, my own style, new music and movies and the lives of other bloggers.

A lot has changed in my life over this past year, not just circumstances but how I feel about things and how I view myself. One of the biggest things I've learned through blogging, both reading and writing has been has been to accept myself for who I am because as much as I would like to there is very little about myself that I can change. I feel that I have become more confident in my appearance and how I dress myself, something that I haven't really spoken about much here but effects me every single day and is a constant struggle. But I've learned to love how I look and make the most of it because I don't know one person who wouldn't change something about themselves whether it's to do with their personality or appearance.

I hope that in some way I can encourage you all to accept who you are and embrace it and not care what other people think or say about you. It breaks my heart when I see people who don't realise how wonderful they are and that they have something to offer and something that makes them special. My parents always supported me and told me I could do anything and told me I was wonderful and special and now I'm so lucky to have a boyfriend who tells me the same thing and that's part of the struggle, to see yourself how other people see you, because for the mostpart your family and friends see the best in you and don't care about the bad parts (of which most people have many!)

I know I've gone on for a while here but what I really wanted with this post was to thank all of you for reading post after post and saying such kind and complimentary things. I would blog even if I knew no one was reading but your words of support and encouragement mean so much to me and inspire me to keep going even when I feel uninspired.

I also wanted to thank my wonderful friends and family for their support and encouragement. There aren't that many people in my life who know about my little blog, but those who do are very supportive of it. I also want to thank Donnacha for taking photos for me and always seeing the best in me.

Finally I wanted to share with you my favourite photos from the past 8 months. Hope you like them!

Emma xxx