Happy 1st year Blogiversary ChichiChic!

My, what a year it has been! There have been ups, there have been downs—through it all, it has been thrilling.

Though I am not a professional blogger (read as: I do not blog for a living), I have invested heavily in the professional packaging of my blog because I strongly believe that anything worth doing is worth doing spectacularly. I set out to put out quality content and to express my creative side in a way that would be engaging and helpful to my audience. Bearing that vision in mind, the self-assessment of my first year performance is that ChichiChic took a giant step forward in the right direction…mission initiated!

The mission remains the same: to share my love of fashion and travel, as well as to share tips and tricks that help me handle life. I am still learning so much and still growing both as an individual and as a blogger. Real talk: Given that I am a busy doctor, wife, mother of two boys with loads of family responsibilities, hobbies, pet projects as well as many beautiful friendships and networks being actively cultivated, it has been no easy task to maintain steady quality output. My goal, moving forward, is to publish at least two quality posts per month, consistently. This is a realistic target for me and it will allow me maintain the high standard I set for ChichiChic.

I want to thank my family and friends (old and new) who have been so supportive through the launch and throughout ChichiChic’s freshman year. Special thanks to Cara Soulia and Aly McClean—your talent in photography coupled with your amazing personalities and great attitudes have helped me achieve the vision for my blog’s artistic direction.

The most special thanks go to my husband and my kids—without your unconditional love and invaluable (climb-the-highest-mountain-type) support, it would all be dreary fluff.

I am so excited for ChichiChic’s sophomore year. Let’s do this!

Hip! Hip!! Hip!!! Hooray!

–Chichi

Fun Facts about ChichiChic:

Which are ChichiChic’s top 5 (most read) blog posts?

#1: 10 Factors Helping Me in My Journey as a Mother of an Autistic Son (4853 views)

#2: How I Harness My Inner Wonder Woman: Chasing the Elusive “It All” (793 views)

#3: How I Styled a Chanel-Inspired Tweed Dress (717 views)

#4: Closet Staples: Build a Blog-Worthy Closet with Ease (690 views)

#5: Blog Launch—ChichiChic (654 views)

How many countries did ChichiChic visit during the first year of the blog? Eleven countries (seven new, 4 old). They are: France, Ireland, Nigeria, England, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Maldives, Sri Lanka, Canada, Hungary, Austria, and Czech Republic.

How many (new) countries is ChichiChic already booked to visit in the next year? Six (there are an additional two to three other countries in the works).

Where is ChichiChic based? The Boston area.

Number of blog posts ChichiChic published in her first year? Fifty (nice job!!)

What are ChichiChic’s 5 main goals for the 2^nd year?

1. Regular bi-monthly posts
2. Collaborate with other bloggers especially on giveaways
3. Work with a brand or two (only on products I have purchased or would personally purchase).
4. Grow viewership
5. Continue to be of service to others.

So, how has ChichiChic performed in your estimation? What topics would you like for me to write about? Please leave any thoughts, suggestions or recommendations in the comment section below.