It’s my three year BLOGIVERSARY today. Woohoo! I honestly can’t believe it’s been three years since I published my first post on Simply Emma. Time really does fly by so fast. It doesn’t even seem that long ago I was celebrating my 1st and 2nd blogiversaries.
It’s been a fantastic experience over these last three years and one that I’m incredibly proud of. I want to thank everyone who has followed and supported my journey over the years. I appreciate it all so much and love reading your comments and messages. It means so much to me.
Three Year Blogiversary Celebrations
Best way to celebrate? With a cake of course! Keyk makes the most delicious raw vegan cakes, so I couldn’t think of a better way to mark the occasion than with a special blogiversary celebration cake. I’ve ordered from Keyk before, but this time I really wanted to try the Raspberry Mini and it didn’t disappoint. It was amazing!
Reflecting On This Past Year
I love when its blogiversary time because it’s the perfect chance to reflect on the past year and see how far myself and Simply Emma has come. It’s also an opportunity to figure out where I see us heading.
I truly believe year three of blogging has trumped the previous years. Much like last year, I set myself some goals, but this time focussing more on travelling and having fun. Did I manage to achieve them all? Let’s find out.
Continue to produce quality content
I feel I’ve come a long way since I first started blogging and can even see a big difference in the last year. When I started I didn’t post consistently and my posts/photos weren’t the best quality. I have developed my style of writing and a unique brand for Simply Emma. I am creating content with a clearer focus and consistency. Well, at least I hope I am.
Go on more road trips
The beginning of 2017 started off with an exciting road trip from Scotland to England and back again. That road trip saw us stop off in Newcastle and Liverpool while following Kings of Leon on their UK arena tour. It’s always so much fun going on road trips especially when the road trip involves going to a gig and seeing our favourite bands.
Attend more gigs around the UK and (hopefully) Europe – I’ve already got a band in mind for this one
This goal sounded like an awesome and easily achievable goal when I first made it, but as the year progressed I realised it may be harder than I originally thought. We did attend lots of gigs around the UK, but we didn’t quite make it to Europe. Since we were following Kings of Leon around the UK we wanted to do the same and visit a few cities in Europe to see them. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get tickets for their European dates, but there is always next year. Watch this space!
Travel more and share my accessible experiences
I really wanted to travel more and I’m pleased to say this past year definitely seen us do just that. Year three began with us travelling around the UK by visiting Northumberland where we enjoyed a relaxing holiday in Kielder Forest and then at The Rings in Fife. We then upped the pace by travelling to Newcastle and Liverpool before jetting off to beautiful Vienna for some culture. That adventure was then followed by a trip to London (again to see Kings of Leon at BST Hyde Park) and then a fantastic trip to beautiful sunny Barcelona. I got to experience so many amazing things and create special memories on each of these trips that I am incredibly thankful for.
Try another accessible sport or activity
Not just one, but several while I was staying in a stunning lodge at Calvert Trust Kielder. I got to fuel my adrenaline junkie side by trying out the King Swing, wheelchair abseil, zipwire and swimming. All were fantastic and accessible. I also explored the Scottish countryside of Callander in an all-terrain wheelchair. It allowed me to visit areas that I would never have been able to in my power wheelchair. It provides independence and freedom to so many people. I highly recommend you give it a try.
Show more of how beautiful and accessible Scotland is
I’m proud to be Scottish and love to show off how beautiful and accessible my Country is whenever I can. My mini-break at Forest Holidays in Strathyre allowed me to do both. The location of Forest Holidays is stunning as it’s nestled in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park surrounded by mountains. The cabin had fantastic wheelchair access. Not only was the cabin and location accessible, but the cabin had a hot tub and a hoist. AMAZING! This was my first experience of using a hot tub hoist and if you’ve been following me for a while then you’ll know how much I absolutely love hot tubs. If you want a glimpse into how beautiful and accessible Scotland is then start off with a stay at Forest Holidays. You won’t regret it!
The Best Bits
There are so many highlights from the past year that it’s really difficult to pick just one so I’ll have to shortlist a few instead. One of the highlights was definitely visiting all the new places especially the cities that had been on our bucket list for a while. Visiting these cities including Vienna and Barcelona meant working with amazing people from the tourist boards. They were fantastic in so many ways and I’m so grateful for those opportunities.
Another best bit has got to be becoming a Euan’s Guide Ambassador. I am incredibly proud to be part of a fantastic team of people to promote accessibility. Euan’s Guide is the disabled access review website where anyone can review places they’ve been, such as restaurants, cinemas, hotels, museums etc.
You might have noticed Simply Emma received another makeover just in time for the 3rd blogiversary celebrations. The makeover consisted of a brand new logo and a complete overhaul of the website design. It has really freshened the website up and made it easier to navigate and find specific articles of interest. As always all website designs and updates are by my super talented big sister, Claire from Wildflowers & Pixels Design Studio.
Goals For The Next Year
- Travel more than I did last year
- Step out of my comfort zone and try something that terrifies me
- Highlight my hometown and all the great accessible things to do
- Attend a gig in Europe and share how accessible it is
Thank You
Again, I want to thank you all for being so supportive over the past three years! I’m so excited to share more experiences with you and I love when you want to share your experiences with me. Here’s to another awesome year of raising awareness and knocking down barriers to accessibility.
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2 Responses
Congratulations and may you have many, many more!
Thank you so much Denise. That is so kind of you 🙂 I hope you are having a lovely day!