Celebrating Our Fifth Blogiversary With Gratitude and Twinkling Lights

Inspiration, , 38 Comments

Today marks five years since I started Our Crossings Travel blog and published that first post about a trip to Lake Garda, how exciting is that?

I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it, but eventually decided to write a post to mark this milestone because I believe that whether your blog is about to hit its one-year anniversary or its tenth, your “blogiversary” is a moment to celebrate.

I find that Blogiversary is an ideal time to revisit the posts my readers liked best during the past year or so, recognize the people who’ve helped my blog succeed and maybe try something new.

I started this blog without prior writing experience, only with a leap of faith and a desire to share. In other words, I was a self-taught, beginner blogger. But I knew for a blog to flourish I needed to have a strong passion for what I was gonna write about. Week after week. Day after day.

I chose travelling.

Since then, a lot has happened, and I’m thankful for the journey.  For me, reliving our family adventures and writing travel stories to share with the rest of the world is the next best thing right after travelling.

It is a fun medium I can use as a tool to unleash my creativity and connect with people from around the world and preserve memories that may otherwise be lost.

Grateful for our readers

With this blog post, we wanted to celebrate the 5th Blogiversary and take the time to thank those that have been supportive of our travel blog, whether you’ve been following our family adventures from the very beginning or are a more recent follower.

According to WordPress statistics, there are many devoted followers who have been very generous in leaving heartwarming and supporting comments over the last few years.

Therefore, I wish to say an enormous thank you to the following bloggers:

The Travel Architect, Kerry aka Postcards From Kerry, Allan from Picture This, Ribana from Popsicle Society

Jo from Still Restless Jo, an Artist from Valencia – Francisco, Leighton from Leighton Travels

Marion from Love Travelling Blog, Linda aka Wandering Canadians, Maggie from Monkeys Tale

Hannah from Travelling Han, Diana from Handstands From Around The World, Corna from Wet And Dusty Roads

….and so many, many more that it would be impossible to list them all. I feel so lucky to have met all of you here on WordPress! 

Your views, comments, and shares are treasures to me and they do not go unappreciated!

Most popular posts

I think that the anniversary of the blog is a good point for taking stock of what’s worked well over the past year or so. As I love compiling the previous year’s most popular posts, I wanted to swift through the statistics in order to see which of the Our Crossings Blog Post have gained the most attention.

It turns out that over the last five years, some blog posts have stood out, and I’d like to recognize the success of these posts and their impact on the blog’s success. So, in no particular order, see them below.

Given that beach cleanups are close to my heart, I am delighted to see the post about the benefits of cleaning up your local beach in the top five

8+ Inspiring Mountain Books You Should Read

Sligo Travel Guide: 8 Best Things To Do In Mullaghmore Village

A Local’s Guide To Sligo: 7 Amazing Things To Do On A Lough Gill Loop Drive

5+ Benefits Of Cleaning Up Your Local Beach & How To Get Started

An Epic 3-Day Road Trip Around Southwest Donegal For You To Steal

All of this will not have been possible without you, my readers. Thanks for reading, liking, sharing and commenting on my posts. To my WordPress family, thanks for the encouragement and kind words from day1. I’m grateful!

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Our Crossings follows the daily adventures of Latvian expats living in Sligo as they surf and explore the world

38 thoughts on “Celebrating Our Fifth Blogiversary With Gratitude and Twinkling Lights”

  2. Wishing you a very, very Happy Anniversary Aiva! You deserve all the congratulations possible! Your blog is a source of invaluable information that I am and will be using in my travelling around Europe! Keep up and get ready for the next five years! All the best!

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    1. Thanks so much for such lovely words. It feels like just yesterday that I wrote my first post! The blog has come a long way since that first post, and in many ways, I feel like both myself and this space have grown since that December day. Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day. I wish for happiness to surround you and yours this holiday season. May you feel love and joy like never before. Aiva 🙂 xx

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      1. Thank you so much Aiva. Yes, time does fly and before you know it years have gone by, but you have lovely memories and a wonderful family and an exceptional blog! Wishing you and yours the same good and blessed things, for 2023 and always!
        All the best to you,
        Francis

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    1. Thanks so much, Juliette. Five years is a long time in the blogosphere, and I’m glad to still be around. The feeling is mutual, I am glad we stumbled upon each other here on WordPress. I’m truly grateful to you for visiting this blog, reading my posts, sharing your views, and supporting me, which makes all the difference to me. Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thanks so much, Marion! Our Crossings would not be here if you were not with me. I look forward to a continued association and another season of sharing travel stories. I hope you had a lovely Christmas. Take care 🙂 Aiva xx

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    2. Thanks so much, Allan and thanks for sticking around! One of the greatest joys of blogging is the supportive and friendly worldwide blogging community! I’m an introvert, so I was nervous when publishing my first post and leaving my first comments. Thanks for stopping by and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thanks so much, Mark. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for coming along on this journey. Wishing you a season full of fun parties, beautiful experiences, soothing challenges, and new memories to create! Aiva 🙂 xx

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    1. Thanks, Leighton. Somehow five years flew by in a blink. I haven’t had a chance to blog as much as I desired last year – being pregnant and looking after a newborn took up most of my time, but I am still around. At this point, I can’t even imagine my life without my WordPress family. Thanks for stopping by and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thank you kindly, Marie. Yes, here’s to many more – I can’t even imagine my life without blogging and this wonderful blogging community! Thanks for being part of it! Take care 🙂 Aiva xx

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  11. Thanks for the mention, Aiva. Hope you’re having a lovely Christmastime. Your writing is always detailed and informative and it’s obvious you enjoy it. Here’s to many more posts in ’23! Happy New Year!

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  12. Congratulations on your blogiversary! Five years is an excellent milestone. I think I started following you two years ago, right after the pandemic hit, and since then I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your detailed posts about Ireland and elsewhere you’ve been to. I hope you continue to take adventures, and I look forward to reading them in due course! Happy holidays, Aiva. 🙂

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  13. Happy Anniversary Aiva, and to many more posts in the coming years!!
    Hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas, and wishing you a new year full of inspiration, health and happiness!! And to your family 🙂
    Hugs,
    Christie

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  14. Happy five year blogiversary, Aiva!! I’ve enjoyed following along and being inspired by your adventures. Wishing you many more happy memories of travelling with your family and you writing about it. Hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season. Cheers. Linda

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  15. Happy Blogiversary Aiva – I love following along on your adventures and find your guides so helpful and insightful. I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to more adventures in 2023. 🙂

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  16. I am glad you are enjoying your blogging experience as your articles and comments are always well written and well thought out and I will be happy to continue to read them. Plus it brings back fond memories of Ireland where I spent many years, visiting all the counties from coast to coast.

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  17. What a lovely post and anniversary, Aiva. I feel so honored to be mentioned. 😊 It has been so wonderful connecting with you, who live in my mother’s birthplace. Like me you have chosen to live so far from family in a different country and I cherish our relationship. I bet you thought I lived in Kerry when you first found my blog… ☘☘☘

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  18. Congratulations Aiva, this is a great achievement and worth celebrating. 😊 Your writing is wonderful and together with your photos, who wouldn’t want to visit where you go!
    Happy travels in 2023, I can’t wait to read about your adventures. 👏

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  19. Definitely worth celebrating. Your posts are articulate, well researched and beautifully photographed. They make me want to travel and you can bet I’d use your research if I get to any of those spots. The blogging world is very supportive and I am so glad I found my way here. Bernie

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  21. Sorry for the lateness of this reply. The internet in Death Valley was slow and wouldn’t show people’s pictures, so I just gave up. I’m back in civilization now and so honored to be mentioned by you. It’s a pleasure to read your informative and visually stimulating blog posts. Congrats on five years and here’s to five more! Happy New Year!

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