By: Revanche

10-year Celebration & Giveaway

August 8, 2016

A Gai Shan Life turns ten!

Born in 2006, this site has changed names once, changed URLs twice, and changed designs at least seven time. AGSL is a senior in dog years, starts fifth grade in kid years, or could retire as a centenarian in blog years.

I’ve published more than 2000 posts, some of which don’t bear re-reading and some of which I’m still proud of, made literally awesome friends, and found community in the unlikeliest of places.

It almost feels pretentious to celebrate a decade of blogging. I’ve been tapping my keys, chatting with y’all. But I can’t pretend that running this blog this long, despite the slings and arrows of fortune or wondering why I’m doing this, isn’t a big deal.

We’ve come a long way since starting a free blog on Blogger, posting random musings on the complications of fresh out of college income, family, and navigating relationships when you’re bogged down with a freighter’s worth of family baggage.

So much has changed…

PiC and I were a newish item when I started blogging, I most definitely didn’t want kids in the foreseeable future, and planned to slay the family debt in time to buy a couple houses (one for me, one for my parents).

Grad school was Mom’s dream for me, as was a husband, and kids, and happiness. All nice things, but things that weren’t for me, I thought. Maybe happiness was but I could take or leave the others. It’s no surprise that a graduate degree never happened but a lot of the other things did, rather unexpectedly, alongside the sobering development of chronic pain and loss of many loved ones. My career flourished. I built a home, a family, a sense of belonging, and shared it all with you.

• On growing a career: Shifting life into another gear in 2012
• Managing poor health: Grieving and acceptance in 2012
• Committing to family: Getting engaged in 2012
• Saying goodbye: Losing Doggle in 2014
• Adding to the pack: Bringing home JuggerBaby in 2015

The posts that got you talking

There has been a time, or ten, when I wondered why I still blogged. It often came down to this: You, the readers. You make it fun. Your comments, even after ten years, still make me happy!

• On blogging and health: To unmask or not to unmask?
• The power of hard work: We work hard for the money
• The long goodbye: Losing Mom to dementia
• Why we give: Sharing the money cake
• Mission Complete: Refinancing the mortgage

My best money moment

Wrapping up 2014 well out of debt, except for the mortgage and at a level of financial stability that I had previously only dreamed of.

My best money blogging moments

Getting to know you in 2015.

Discovering The Goat Lady started saving because my #1GoodMoneyThing hashtag made saving seem less daunting. That made my heart sing.

Other friends (unnamed here since they didn’t give me permission to name them) telling me that reading this here blog helped them pay down debt, save up money, and live their best lives.

Please share!

What were your best money or other moments this past decade?

Thanks for reading!

Some fantastic bloggers have teamed up with me to provide a slew of lovely prizes. Please thank them by checking out their blogs and giving them some return reader love.

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