Happy 2 Year Anniversary, Adventure á la Mode!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary to our blog, Adventure á la Mode! On this day, 2 years ago, we sat down and began developing the makings of our dream and passion: a travel, fashion, and lifestyle blog. We decided we would call it “adventurealamode.com.” Would it take off? Would people read it? Could we make it look professional and keep it up-to-date all on our own without hiring a company to handle the details like many professional bloggers do?

Fast forward a few months and we were on a roll. We had researched, self-taught, and photographed our way to an up-and-running blog… all on our own! When we talked about our goals and plans for the blog, it never involved being like every other blog. It never involved quitting our jobs to be like the bloggers of the world. We never intended for it to be a job, but instead, for it to be something we loved to do. We didn’t want deadlines (though we occasionally have had them when working with other companies) and we didn’t want a strict schedule. We wanted this to be our happy place. If you’ve not been here since the beginning, here is our very first blog post, written 2 years ago today.

As you have seen, it’s turned out to be a place where we can open up and share with our readers. It’s not a facade that goes on about how fantastic our lives are. It’s not full of links to expensive items that a regular working girl could never fathom. It’s not full of photoshopped photos and unrealistic, unattainable waist lines (trust us, we know…lol). We’ve gained the trust of our readers and followers by being real. We’ve shared not only our favorite finds, beauty tips and tricks, but more so, the deepest parts of our very own hearts. If we really wanted to put our finger on the goal we imagined at the beginning of it all… we both would have to say authenticity.

Let’s be honest. We most likely will never get a fully-funded trip to another country or a paid partnership with a designer. But every morning, our alarms will go off and we get up and do our hair and make-up while drinking our coffee, preparing for another beautiful day doing what we love. We go to work each day and do our best to do our part in this big world. Just like most of you. Yes, on the side, we like to write. We love to use this blog as an outlet because something inside both of us whispers, “It’s time to write about this.” It’s called passion. Will we get that designer bag or travel to another country? Heck yes. And we will do it exactly the same way you do– hard work, saving, and killer planning skills. And of course, as always, we will give you the details here. 🙂

If you’ve been here from the beginning or if you’re just visiting, we want to say thank you. Thank you to the 48,000+ readers we’ve gained over the last 2 years. To the big blogs, it may not seem like a lot, but to us, we are just so truly honored that you want to read what we have to say and that our love for writing is somehow making a difference in your life too. A little under a year into our blog adventures, we could see through our website and social media data that we were reaching people; that’s when we decided to start sharing motivational and positive quotes throughout the week. Thank you for your comments, e-mails, and uplifting messages. Together, we’re making a difference in some way and we could all use a little more positivity.

Happy 2 Year Anniversary, Adventure á la Mode. Thank you for being our outlet, passion, and hobby. Thank you for the friendships and partnerships you’ve allowed us to make. Thank you for allowing us to open up, use our creativity, and for being a place where we can be real.

Here’s to many more…

xo,
Erin & Ashley