This Is Noelle the blog is officially ten years old today (enjoy last year’s celebratory post here)! I know I say this every year, but it feels like I just created this small website in my living room on the penultimate night of the year. 16 year old me was an entirely different monster than the young lady? person? girl?…I am in this almost 2023 year of our lord and savior Dave Aranda. I wouldn’t recommend reading my earliest posts, especially if you’re my bff Jonathan trying to rehash my embarrassing young self, but in many ways I’m glad to have kept a daily record of my life since 2012. Ten years ago today I had only just turned 16 and was preparing to go to Washington D.C. with my best friends to appear in the Presidential Inaugural parade (back before I knew better and divested from all forms of electoral politics). Everything was different back then and I spent many years feeling lost, scattered, and traumatized by personal experiences and uncertainty about if and when I would be content with where I ended up. Now that I’m 26 (ew, I’m almost at my scary year of 28), in the happiest relationship of my life, mentally and physically healthy, working a very good job, and connecting with people across the country over shared sports interests, I’ll sometimes look back on my young blog posts and wish I knew then what I know now. Not many people can say they’ve documented most of their adolescence and young adulthood for all to see in written form, so I’m thankful for this space I created so many years ago. I found my voice through my blog and even though I’m still a small website, I’ve earned many opportunities in sports by writing here. It’s easy to think back on the past ten years and ignore all of my accomplishments and how far I’ve come since I was just a child, but I’m proud of myself for keeping this little blog going every day for all these years and for everything I’ve done in the meantime. This Is Noelle is one of my greatest achievements and I’m so grateful that there are people like all of you who read what I have to say even when I share a bit too much. Here’s to the past ten years of This Is Noelle and all the years to come!
