In comparison to the length of time many writers have devoted to their blogs, mine is in its infancy. But since I never plan to birth a child, I’m going to consider it my baby, take a page from first-time parents everywhere, and celebrate Awkward Laughter’s milestones in months this first year.

Don’t worry. I won’t bore you with a post each time. I already skipped January. But this one, or more specifically, the 60-day mark jumped out at me.

Sixty days is:

• Twice as long as I spent training for my first 10K
• Ten times as long as my last vacation
• Sixty-plus times as long as my last bad date (although that one felt longer)

In my book, 60 days of sticking with anything that doesn’t pay my bills is something worth celebrating. Plus, I like any excuse to open a good bottle of wine.

My Goals
I came up with the idea for Awkward Laughter three years ago, but I didn’t follow through until Dec. 29, 2013. That’s when I dedicated 2014 to achieving two objectives: becoming a more disciplined writer and overcoming my aversion to having others read my non-work-related writing.

My Lessons
Timing couldn’t have been better. My first post came just days before WordPress launched its Zero to Hero: 30 Days to a Better Blog challenge. I hate to think what this site would look like without the editors’ expert advice – awkwardly awful, no doubt.

While still a work in progress, those daily tasks pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone and follow through on my commitment. Nothing like peer pressure to ensure you write regularly.

My Boundaries
One mental limit I placed on this endeavor was to keep it simple. My blog would be a virtual warehouse of writing. I’d let a few friends and family members know about it. That’s it. Period.

That mindset is why I balked at WordPress editors’ day 18 suggestion to publicize on social networks. But remembering my second objective, I knew I needed to rethink my attitude.

A few days later, I set up a separate Twitter account and Facebook page, although it would be a month before I finally published them. And a few weeks later, I posted this on my personal Facebook account.

My Surprises
Sharing with friends and family on a large scale horrified me, yet their kind words served as inspiration to keep going. But if I likened posting on Facebook to ripping the band-aid off, what came next was the equivalent of inviting the world to pour salt on the wound.

That’s when the completely unexpected email, notifying me that “An Open Letter to Cat Check Boy” would be featured on Freshly Pressed, popped up in my inbox. I went from jumping up and down in my living room to wanting to vomit in 30 seconds flat.

Ultimately, excitement won out. From the hilarious comments to the dozens of new bloggers I discovered in the process, it’s one of the coolest experiences of my writing career!

My Surprises Part 2
And that last bit brings me to my final point. The best part of the last 60 days has been the folks I met and blogs I’ve found along the way.

Introductions to Samantha, Lee, Susi and Dee came through Zero to Hero. They and many more encouraged me through the first days and weeks of angst.

I found Deanna, Natalie, and Aisha and other amazing bloggers by participating in Yeah Write (one of my favorite weekly writing challenges).

Twitter led me to Squirrel Thoughts and New York Cliché, and follows, comments and likes steered me toward The Culture Monk and Nest Expressed and countless other interesting blogs.

While meeting writers was not among my objectives for starting Awkward Laughter, it now tops my list. That sense of community distinguishes blogging from other writing outlets, and it’s one of the reasons I can’t wait to see what unfolds in the next 275 days.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have champagne to uncork.

How about you? What’s your favorite part of blogging? And was it unexpected?