TWO!

Today marks two years of Connected in the Kitchen - two years of writing, two years of sharing, two years of trying to figure out tech problems that are so far over my head, two years of connecting and two years of cooking & crafting!

I think I've shared this sentiment before but in some ways I still feel so new at this! I still have moments where I can't believe I'm really doing this. When I started blogging, I didn't tell anybody about this venture. I kept it quiet for about 6 months and still I really just don't talk about my blog a lot. I love it and I'm proud of this space, but I want people to read because they are interested not because they know me and feel as though they should support me. Does that make sense?

This year will forever mark a huge change in my life - February 2018, when I found out I was intolerant to gluten, dairy, eggs... Where is a girl who loves to bake supposed to go with that kind of news!? Until this February my posts were all about sugar, gluten and dairy (ha! Not really, but I definitely did not restrict myself!). And while this change was so hard at first, it has become so manageable (and rewarding!) and I am so glad I have it documented!

And though completely altering how I eat was challenging, it prompted me to find so much gratitude for the people that I am surrounded with in my life! Many of my friends just listened to me talk about how hard this is and how confused I was. I am so grateful for their presence and their reassurance. Several of my friends sent me recipes - thank you so much! Clearly my friends know me well, because recipe hunting is one of my favorite ways to spend my time!

One of my biggest fears when cutting out all of these foods was losing something that I loved so much - sharing good food with my favorite people. I love baking for people, eating out with friends, sharing meals with family and I really thought all of this would be compromised! Well guess what? It turns out I had nothing to fear! But I think I really owe this to the people that I am surrounded with. I have been so humbled by the dark chocolate that my Auntie Norma brought over at Easter, the dairy free cheese that my Auntie Maisie put out at dinner and the special gluten free & dairy free section that my cousin Andrew set up at a family gathering; just to name a few!

I read once that one of the most important things in life is the team of people you choose to surround yourself with. And to fill your 'team' with people who will support your endeavors, celebrate your successes, and lend a hand in moments of weakness. Well, this year was all about my team and I've realized that I have the very best people on my team! Where this year challenged me in many ways; my team was unwavering and because of that, I have so much confidence moving forward. I feel so ready to take on this next year of blogging (yes! I'm going to keep going!) and any other challenge that might come my way. What can I say? I love my people!

What does this next year of blogging look like? I don't know! The girl with the plan doesn't know! But I'm ready for whatever this year brings! I'm ready to sit down every weekday and share a little part of me with all of you. And as I close off this second year of blogging (I mean, how!? It feels surreal!) I just want to say; thank you! Thank you for reading, for interacting with me, for encouraging me and for following along on my journey! I can't wait to discover how this will continue to grow!

As usual, see you tomorrow!