The History of Meals and Miles
Four years ago today I opened my first wordpress account and started this blog. Back then I had no idea what I was getting myself into – I was recently single, had just moved to Orlando, and didn’t know the first thing about writing a blog! But I was determined to keep it real. I wrote about what was ever on mind and slowly, but surely, the blog started to grow, as did my passion for the blogging community.
Eventually my little hobby led to some amazing opportunities and, 4 years later, I wouldn’t trade any of it for a second. Starting this blog was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. Thank you to all the readers, commenters, followers, friends, and family members who have supported my little blogging endeavor the last 4 years. It has been one hell of a ride!
In honor of 4 years of blogging, I thought it would be fun to take a little walk down memory lane to see just how far this blog has come since 2008.
September 2008
- 9/11/08: Meals and Miles begins as “Inner Workings of a College Graduate” at http://graduatemeghann.wordpress.com.
- First blog post “Welcome to my World“
- Joins Foobuzz ad network. Makes approximately $10 the first month.
- First “blogger” dinner.
- 9/27/08 – First 15k (Miracle Miles)
- Develops a “Perfectly Portioned for One” series
October 2008
- 10/10/08: First product review – Karnea Nutrition Bars... are those even around anymore?
- 10/28/08: Creates a “reader challenge” to see where everyone was reading from – had over 135 responses!
- Discovers “Google Reader”
November 2008
- 11/28/08: Leads a round of “Blogger Secret Ingredient” a weekly challenge where bloggers came up with a dish using a secret ingredient picked by another blogger.
December 2008
- Creates a Blogging: 101 series
- 12/6/08: Runs first half marathon (OUC Half)
- Becomes a Mac girl and discovers the wonders of blogging via Ecto
- Creates a list of resolutions for 2009. At the top:
Go on Dates – Hell I would even be happy with talking to just talking with a guy. I had my heart broken this past year, but I believe its time to move on. I’m enjoying being single, but a free meal every once in a while would not hurt either.
January 2009
- 1/6/09: Purchases first domain www.graduatemeghann.com
- Feels inspired after volunteering at the Disney Marathon (1/111/09), attends an informational meeting for Team in Training (1/17/09), registers for the San Diego Marathon (1/19/09), and begins fund-rasing via the blog for LLS
- 1/18/09: Reconnects with Derek over some hurricanes
- 1/22/09: Purchases first bike “Blue“
February 2009
- Hosts first Blogging Bake Sale with 26 bakers and raises over $1300 for Team in Training!
- 2/8/09: Turns 24
- 2/11/09: The first giveaway! A Gracie’s Gear Sports Bra.
- Email chain begins that leads to the planning of the first Healthy Living Summit.
March 2009
- Sister is hit by a car while riding her bike. She survives with little more than bruises and cuts; promises to live day to the fullest.
- 3/14/09: Finishes first triathlon
April 2009
- Featured on WomansDay.com: 10 Greatest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- 4/6/09: Hosts second “Blogging Bake Sale” with over 40 bakers, which raises over $1700 for Team in Training!
- 4/8/09: Reaches TnT fundraising goal with over $4,731thanks to online bake sales and reader donations.
- Completes Jullian Michaels 30 Day Shred Challenge. Posts review, which becomes one of the highest searched blog posts to date.
- 4/20/09: First reader survey is posted to gauge interest re: the yet-to-be-named “Healthy Living Blogger Conference.” Response is overwhelming and survey exceeds number of expected responses in first hour.
- 4/25/09: First out-of-state blogger meet-up in Long Beach
May 2009
- 5/31/09: Finishes first marathon in San Diego. Highlights include first YouTube video of the race and a “Marathon Reflection” that carries through future marathons
June 2009
- Officially announces the first Healthy Living Summit after partnering with Stonyfield and raising $15,000 in sponsorships. Tickets are $30 and sell out less than 20 minutes after they are released.
July 2009
- 7/5/09: Derek’s first guest post
- 7/10/09: Joins Twitter! @mealsandmiles
August 2009
- Loses Abbie and welcome Maddie to the family
- Attends first Healthy Living Summit in Boston (also, first blog conference!)
September 2009
October 2009
- Enters the NatureMade Sam-E Complete Good Mood Blogger contest (10/20) and, thanks to reader votes, makes it to Top 20 (10/22). Creates a killer application video, but ends up finishing 4th overall.
November 2009
- Attends first Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco
- Purchases first DSLR and 50mm lens (blog photography improves SIGNIFICANTLY)
- Quote appears in November 2009 issue of Self
December 2009
January 2010
- 1/10/10: Runs Walt Disney World Marathon
February 2010
- 2/8/10: Turns 25 in NYC
- 2/9/10: Participates in “Kelly’s Cake Off For a Cause” with Electrolux and Foodbuzz in NYC
March 2010
- Becomes a “Chevy Girl On The Go” and blogs about adventures with the Chevy Traverse
April 2010
- 4/3/2010: Runs first ultra-marathon
May 2010
- Joins “Chevy Girls On The Go” again. This time with the Chevy Malibu
- Healthy Living Summit tickets go on sale for 2010 – sell out in an hour.
June 2010
- Appears in the June 2010 issue of Shape under “Success Stories”
July 2010
- 7/22/10: Upgrades to first smartphone
- Contributes WomansDay.com: 10 Better-For-You Comfort Recipes
August 2010
- Executes second annual Healthy Living Summit in Chicago This is the last summit officially planned by all 5 founding members.
- 8/26/10: Attends first “Ladies Who Blog” dinner in Orlando. The group eventually evolves to become “Central Florida Lady Bloggers:
September 2010
- Celebrates two years of blogging with a complete blog overall. Good-bye graduatemeghann.com, hello MealsAndMiles.com. The blog is completely redesigned and moved to a self-hosting platform.
- Open Meals and Miles fan page on Facebook
October 2010
- An article is published that turns my world upside down. My response post is still my highest viewed post to date.
- 10/6/10: Opens Meals and Miles Shirt Shop
- 10/10/10: Runs Chicago Marathon
- 10/20/10: Writes first “My Period Post” that turns into a 3-part series
- 10/21/10: Auditions for first blog related reality tv show
November 2010
- Attends 2nd Annual Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco
December 2010
January 2011
- Announces leaving job to blog full time. Says good-bye to role as a marketing assistant after over 2 years on the job.
- Starts filming “The Meals and Miles Show” with iZonOrlando
- Begins a Project Move & Mix series on the blog that chronicles the journey of moving in with a boy
- Accepts role as an Attune Brand Ambassador that carries through the remainder of 2011
February 2011
- 2/8/11: Turns 26
- 2/8/11: “The Meals and Miles Show” debuts on IzonOrlando
- Attends Social Fresh
March 2011
- 3/5/11: Moves to Tampa
May 2011
- Starts the New Rules of Lifting for Women Plan and chronicles results over the next year. The NROLFW page becomes one of the most viewed pages on the blog.
- Begins training for August Half Ironman and creates weekly training check-in series that follows 16-wk journey.
June 2011
- 6/6/11: Registration for 3rd annual Healthy Living Summit in Philadelphia opens. Sells out in 12 hours.
July 2011
- 7/6/11: Appears on Florida Swim Network with other Central Florida Bloggers
- 7/16/11: Speaks at Central Florida Blog Conference on how to monetize your blog
August 2011
- The third annual Healthy Living Summit takes place in Philadelphia.
- 8/22/11: Reflects on three years of planning HLS
September 2011
- 9/11/11: Meals and Miles turns 3
- 9/25/11: Crosses finish line of August 70.3 (first half ironman)
October 2011
- Makes television debut in 1.5 sec spot on Cupcake Confidential on the Cooking Channel
November 2011
- Travels to California to learn more about Dole
- 11/5/11: Runs Savannah Marathon
December 2011
- 12/4/11: Runs Las Vegas Half Marathon with Attune Foods
- Reflects on all the adventures from 2011
- Joins FitFluential
January 2012
- Derek proposes at the finish line of the Miami to Key West Ragnar Relay
- Wedding planning begins! A wedding tab is added to Meals and Miles.
February 2012
- Joins Verizon Wireless Brand Ambassador program
- 2/8/12: Turns 27
- 2/12/12: Finishes Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Pete Marathon at goal of 1:45:39
- 2/26/12: Runs Walt Disney’ Worlds Princess Half Marathon with RunDisney and FitFluential partnership
March 2012
- Road trips to SXSW with team “Fresh Squeezed” to raise money for Adopt-a-Classroom in partnership with Chevy.
- Joins Pinterest
April 2012
- Starts training with XP Multisport
- Selected as first “Blogger on the Run” featured on WomensRunning.com
- Founds “Tampa Bay Lady Bloggers“
- Hosts Kelly’s Bridal Shower – becomes most pinned post.
- 4/27/12: Develops recipe for Almond Breeze
May 2012
- 5/5/12: PRs at Flying Marathon
- Becomes Yelp Elite Member
- Sets goal of running a marathon in all 50 states.
- 5/20/12: Runs 5k completely nude. Most googled post.
June 2012
- Partners with Healthy Living Blogs for Healthy Living Summit
- 6/12/12: Registration for 4th Annual Healthy Living Summit Opens
- Signs on as Brand Ambassador for Brooks Running
July 2012
- Travels to Washington to go cherry picking with Whole Foods
- Participates in #SurviveOn35 Challenge with Anytime Fitness and FitFluential
August 2012
- Attends first BlogHer in New York City
- Executes 4th Annual Healthy Living Summit in Boston
- Says good-bye to Scooby
- 8/29/12: Hosts Trojan Vibrations Giveaway
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is such a wonderful idea for a blog page. Great way to capture the highlights and see a synopsis of your journey
Hillary {Nutrition Nut on the Run} recently posted..4-3-2-1 Treadmill Workout
Think it’s amazing how far your blog has come. I like how you have kept a history of all your milestones. I have a blog but its only about 6 weeks old so just a baby. I wonder where mine will be in 4 years…..hoping as good as yours.
Thanks for the inspiration!!
Catherine x
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