Category Archives: Bloggiversary

#10YearChallenge

Posted in 10 Year Challenge, Blogging, Bloggiversary by
I’m a sucker for a good challenge, and also perhaps a little vain. #10YearChallenge

If you haven’t heard of the #10YearChallenge circulating social media, let alone participated in it, you’re perhaps living under a rock. If that’s the case, I forgive you and will tell you that the challenge consists of finding a photo of yourself from 10 years ago and comparing it to a selfie today. (Because let’s face it, 10 years ago holding a camera out at arm’s length & hoping you got a good shot wasn’t called a selfie.)

I jumped on board and did the photo challenge on Instagram, but the other day I was kindly reminded by my Facebook memories that 10 years ago I had also started a blog! I’m not entirely sure if I had ever shared the reason why I started blogging, so I thought I’d start up the #10YearBloggingChallenge.

Ten years ago I was in my final semester of journalism school(!), and for my online journalism class we were given a list of projects would could start for marks. One was a blog, there were no real restrictions as to what it had to be about, so as a result, Kara’s View was created! The URL has been expired for quite some time, but if I recall I blogged about issues on campus, borrowing from the articles I wrote for the student newspaper.

After the course finished, the blog died and I figured that was the end of it, until the summer of 2009 when I started a new blog and slowly starting writing again. I’m not 100% sure what inspired me to start up again (according to my first post I wasn’t feeling it at all), but I do recall that I was perhaps inspired by my job since I wrote a weekly column. I named the blog Chatter and according to the hold header I found in the archives, it was a little random:

I think at one point I changed the tagline to “A Bit of Everything and a lot of Nothing,” but really, that’s all the blog was until bigger life events started happening. (Marriage, babies, etc.) Then in 2014 I “rebranded” again and ta-da, She Writes Words was born! While my post frequency has really died down over the past few months, I still find a lot of pleasure in blogging/writing, even if it is just a life update. I think it’s mainly because I know that somewhere out there, someone is sharing the same experiences as I am and can relate to what I’m going through – or at least that’s what I feel when I read other blogs – so I’m happy to keep plugging along here.

Will I be around in another 10 years? It’s really hard to say since life throws so many different things your way, but I’m happy that a lot of you have stuck around for so long.

Where were you 10 years ago, blogging or in general?

Giveaway Winner!

Posted in Bloggiversary, Giveaway, Winner by

After a quick count and visit to Random.org, looks like Lucky No. 17 is the winner!

I’m pleased to announce that ‘SassyGirl’ at Girl and City is the lucky winner of the Bath and Body Works eGift Card! Congrats! Email me with your name and email address and I’ll get started on making sure your eGC makes its way to your inbox.

Blogiversary Giveaway!

Posted in Awesome, Blogging, Bloggiversary, Giveaway, Want want want! by

I’ve been (officially) blogging for a year now! A YEAR! Hard to believe considering my first post consisted of this:

Sad, I know. But! I DID keep up with my blog, quite well, I thought, and so I present to you a fabulous giveaway for being amazing followers/readers/life partners/ninjas.

Back in the spring, a brand new Bath & Body Works opened up in the mall here in Kamloops. My mom and I were both equally excited to go check it out, and we fell in love with all the amazing fragrances and products. For my birthday, she bought me the Lemon scented body lotion from the Summer Vanillas collection and it’s AWESOME. (Like, “I’m just going to sit here and smell my arms because it smells so good” awesome) [That’s the bottle over there →]

Anyway, to avoid sending you a lotion explosion through the mail (because since when are the post offices nice to packages?), I’m going to give one lucky winner a $15 E-Gift Card to Bath and Body Works. You can use it the online store in case there’s no fabulous outlet near you. (Annnd you can blame them and not me if there’s a lotion explosion at your door.)

So what do you have to do to enter? Answers await you below:

You have FIVE ways to enter! Each one gives you one entry:

  1. Check out Bath & Body Work’s website here and leave a comment saying which product tickles your fancy.
  2. Follow my blog via RSS. Comment and let me know that you do!
  3. Follow me on Twitter @KaraChow and leave a comment letting me know!
  4. Tweet about this giveaway and post a link in the comments.
  5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link in the comments.

Entry deadline will be Friday, July 23 at Midnight Pacific time. I’ll announce the winner on Monday, July 26! Good luck!

Note: I was not paid or approached by Bath & Body Works or their affiliates to do this giveaway. This is all for YOU by ME! <3