New Year, New Blog

Happy 2014 y'all! I can hardly believe that it has been six months since my last post. So much has happened in those months that it feels like six years worth of events. My life is finally settling down, and I'm ringing in the new year with many goals for me to work toward and new projects and hobbies for me to try; one of those being this blog.

I know, I know, this blog isn't exactly a *new* hobby. But a six month break makes it feel almost new. It's as if I broke up with my blog, took some time for myself, and am now at ready to be in a relationship again. Cooking to Perfection, will you give me a second chance? Good thing blogs are always there for you, even when you neglect them for months and months.

While Cooking to Perfection and I have made up and are ready to move forward with new posts, you might notice some aspects of this blog will be different from before. Back when I started this blog (a year and a half ago, eeks), my goal was to create a repertoire of new and old recipes to share with friends, family, and anyone who happened to stumble across Cooking to Perfection. But the more I blogged, followed other bloggers, met fellow bloggers, and researched what it meant to have a "successful" blog, I found myself reaching for something that was simply unattainable--at least at that time in my life. I found myself comparing Cooking to Perfection to blogs that have professional photographers, authors with multiple cookbooks, and bloggers that made blogging a full-time job. Obviously, I was setting myself up for disappointment. But instead of giving up (because we all know how stubborn I can be when it comes to giving up on anything) I continued to push myself and strived to have a "successful" blog. What I didn't realize is that my blog was becoming less of an enjoyable hobby and more of a job, a task, a burden. Then one day I just couldn't take it. That day was July 8, 2013, when I wrote the "This and That" post.

But here we are, here I am, here is Cooking to Perfection, in the new year with new goals. I'm reverting this blog to the good ol' times, and posting recipes, as frequently or infrequently as my schedule will allow, for the simple pleasure of using some of my creative juices in the kitchen, as well as on Blogger, and sharing with anyone who chooses to visit this site. No more pressure to post every other day; no more analyzing my blog stats to see if I'm gaining page viewers; no more comparing Cooking to Perfection to other blogs.

Sighhhh, ensue relief. Now I'm excited to start posting! My first couple of posts will center around this detox diet that I'm trying. Yes, I am crazy; but I'm sure that'll make things interesting, eh?

And just in case any of you have been wondering what I've been up to, here are a few pictures from the past six months:

{Bought my own place!}

{Weddings, weddings, and more weddings}

{Got a new roommate, Zoey}

{Started graduate classes}

{Volunteered at Fight Night in DC}

{And managed to have a little fun}