Ring Out The Bells...

Today is a very auspicious day for me and this blog.  Some of you may have already figured it out, but if you haven't--this is the first anniversary of Classic Ramblings!

I remember when I first started Ramblings, I was really excited for my first anniversary, planning out posts for it and thinking about how much I'd know about the blogging world by the time I'd been doing this for a year.  But really, I honestly didn't think I'd make it.  I figured that it would be a summer project, and then my interest would fade away as it generally does when starting new projects.

Well, that certainly didn't happen.

At first, it seemed that I was going exactly that direction.  I started out by posting every day, being absolutely over-the-moon thrilled when I got a comment, and pestering...erm, introducing myself to all those Bigger Blogs.

Then something happened.  Looking back, I'm honestly not sure what it was, or whether it was a combination of things, but I began to love blogging.  It wasn't just an experiment anymore--it was a journal of sorts, and a way for me to get to know other people who loved the same things I did.

And so now, starting on my second year of blogging, I'd like to say thank-you to every follower or commenter--you really do make my day sometimes.  Thanks especially to the early ones; I can't imagine what it was that you saw in my first several posts (seriously, just...don't read them), but your kind words were enough to make me want to do better.

I also have a thank-you to extend to the people who inspired me to blog in the first place--I cannot express the impact you've had on me, Amy and Melody.

And of course, this wouldn't be complete without some mention of the friendships I've formed over the past year.  They've become incredibly precious to me, and I consider it a great privilege to get to personally know some other Janeites over the internet--I'm so excited to continue my journeys with them over the next year!

Do I have any Big Plans for Classic Ramblings now that it's a year old?  Well, the short answer is no.  In the beginning, I aspired to be an Enormous and Influential blog, but that's another thing that's changed: I'm content just blogging in my little corner of the world, writing about anything that pops into my little head and totally disregarding the fact that this was supposed to be a Jane Austen/classic books blog. :P

All that said, I'm going to share some stats to end this post, because they're fun and I'm awful at endings...

Posts: 131 (this one included)
Followers: 40
Total Pageviews: 15,412

Events Hosted: A Short-Cut To Mushrooms (with Eowyn)
Three Most Popular Posts: Defending Enjolras (530 pageviews), Guest Post! (241 pageviews), Celebrated Musicals Week: The Songs of Les Misérables (176 pageviews)
Most Popular Search Keyword: "enjonine fanfiction"

Also, I'm going to blatantly copy dear Miss Woodhouse here and ask a question: how do you remember finding my blog?
And now that's over with...THANK YOUUUU again to everyone who's reading this, and I hope this next year will be an amazing one!

-Miss Jane Bennet