Two Year Blogging Anniversary

Exactly two years ago today, I wrote my very first blog post. I had no followers and absolutely no idea what I was doing. For those of you that have been around since the early stages of my blog, you know that Chasing Birdies has evolved a lot, including one name change and multiple design changes. When I started, I was a sophomore in high school, still figuring out what the heck I wanted to do with my life.

I've been through a lot over the past two years. I watched my sister graduate from high school (post), I started my first job (post), I dealt with the stress of failing friendships (post), I went on my first college visit (post), I wrote my 100th blog post (post), I went to my first prom with my first boyfriend (post), I struggled with keeping my blog a secret (post), I began my senior year of high school (post), I finished my final high school golf season (post), I went through my first break up (post), I voted for the first time in a presidential election (post), I was accepted to my first choice university which I will be attending in the fall (post), I went to my senior prom (post)...

And now, I can finally say I am a high school graduate. It has certainly been a wonderful two years.

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

For those of you out there who love The Office, I'm sure you just watched the series finale like me. I became a fan of this show a few years ago, when I discovered it on TV and rented the old seasons to catch up. I think the writers of this show are absolute geniuses, and I'm so sad to see it go after 8 years!

I couldn't believe it last week when we found out Angela's baby was actually Dwight's. I nearly cried when they got engaged, and I was so excited all week in anticipation of tonight's episode. All I can say is, it was perfect. Every character, every relationship, and every story line was concluded perfectly. I couldn't even handle it when Kelly and Ryan ran off together, and when Michael became Dwight's best man at the wedding? Best moment of the entire episode.

I hope I didn't spoil anything for those of you who missed it. Here are just a few of my favorite moments from The Office's eight year run.

Seniors '13

senior prom with my best friends

My friend, John, and I

Baccalaureate service

Last day of high school

   As you can see, the past few weeks of my life have been crazy. I've had senior prom, baccalaureate, and yesterday was my final day of high school. On Sunday, I will be walking across the stage in my cap and gown, finally receiving the diploma I've worked so hard for. It's crazy how fast these last four years flew by, but I am so excited to be starting a new chapter in my life. I hope that all of you stick around, because I will have so much to blog about as I spend my last summer at home and finally leave for the University of Illinois in the fall.

Yummy Chicken and a Giveaway

Everyone, say hello to my lovely April sponsor, Laura! She's here today to share a yummy new recipe, as well as give away a custom blog design from her shop. I've also thrown in a large ad space here at Chasing Birdies! You can enter with the rafflecopter below. Take it away Laura!

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Hi, my name is Laura and I blog over at Girl in Flight. When I'm not blogging, I am hanging out with my lovely husband Simon, or playing with my extremely cute bunnies! I also own a blog design shop, Sophie & Rory, which provides premade templates and custom blog designs for blogger.

In my spare time (when I actually have some!), I love to cook, so today I am going to share one of my favorite recipes with you: chicken, goat's cheese and tomato bake. If you follow me on twitter you will know I have this for dinner around once every two weeks I love it so much! So I thought I would be kind and share the love! You will need:

So, what do I do?
1) Preheat your oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 (370f)
2) Score the chicken and stuff with slices of goats cheese
3) Place a sprig of thyme on top
4) Place in shallow oven proof dish
5) Scatter tomatoes in dish and splash with olive oil and white wine (optional)
6) Bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is golden brown

When I usually have this meal I pair it with Moroccan spiced cous-cous and spinach, but it works well with a number of sides, including saffron wild rice if you're feeling adventurous. Whatever you pair it with, I am sure you will find it absolutely delicious!

As a big thank you to Shelby for hosting me on her blog I am offering one lucky reader a custom blog design from Sophie&Rory worth $25! You can see previous custom designs I have done here.

Good luck!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

April Giveaway

   Hello ladies! I've got a great giveaway to share with you today. Jessica from Girl Booklet is hosting her April Sponsor giveaway (one of those sponsors is me!) and we have some really great prizes for you including gift cards, ad spaces, and more. Enter with the rafflecopter below :)

I've been very MIA lately from the blogosphere, and I will probably still be gone for a little while after today. I will return to blogging once I get through graduation, which is in 3 weeks! Prom is this Saturday, so I'll be sure to share some pictures of that. :)

If you remember, I started dieting at the end of January. I think it's time for a little update on that too!
Beginning weight: 132.6 lbs
Current weight: 126.4 lbs
Total weight loss so far: 6.2 lbs

Have a great weekend everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Updates on the Blog

It's been a while since I updated my followers on any changes going on here at Chasing Birdies.  As I'm sure all of you know by know, Google Reader is going to disappear soon. If you'd like to follow me on a different website, I have plenty of options!

I have my blog listed on Bloglovin, which is essentially the same as Google Reader. I hopped on the bandwagon and switched over when I heard that google was disappearing, so this is what I use to read blogs nowadays.

For the small number of you that follow me with Hellocotton, you probably know that it is also disappearing soon. Again, I suggest using Bloglovin!

I don't really have anyone that follows me through an RSS Feed, but I do have that option! If you look over on my left sidebar, you can just type your email address into the box and receive my new posts in your inbox. How easy is that? It's a perfect option for those of you who don't have your own blog or a Bloglovin account.

The easiest way to get updates from Chasing Birdies is to follow me on Facebook or Twitter. I always share my new posts and other updates on those accounts. If you're wondering what happened to my instagram, I had to delete it because people from my school started following me. I've only told a few close friends about my blog, so I didn't want that to continue happening. I deleted it and started my own personal account that is not affiliated with my blog.

OKAY now that we have all of those details covered (they're boring, I know), you may have noticed that I have a few new sponsors on my sidebar this month! Here is a big welcome to Laura from Girl in Flight, Ashley from Ashley Brooke, and Meg from The Polished Monkey.

I only have 41 days until my high school graduation, which means it is only 41 days until I have way more time to blog. I seriously can't wait till summer... I'm annoyed that I've only been able to post once or twice a week.

What updates would you like to see here on Chasing Birdies? What are your favorite types of posts to read? Comment and let me know while my creative juices are flowing!