10 Years of Hello, Chelly

I can hardly believe it myself but I've been blogging on here for 10 years (official anniversary date is Sept 30)! I honestly never thought I'd be writing here all these years later and there are times when I wonder why I still do. But the truth is, I genuinely still enjoy it! I think a big part of the reason why is that I've never really put much pressure on myself and have let my blog evolve and change to fit whatever my current situation is. I may never have the biggest following and that's okay, as long as I'm still happy writing here. 

To look back on Hello, Chelly, I've put together a list of 100 significant posts from the last 10 years! It's a lot so feel free to skip around but it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane for me. It reminded me of how open I could be with writing on a personal level and all the fun ideas I had for posts, either with friends, authors, or just on my own. Let's get started!

Where it all began

1. an introduction.

Getting personal

9 years ago!

2. Me, my Dad, & Books - how I became such an avid reader. 
3. My Mom - one of the toughest things I've ever had to write. 
4. Always the Bridesmaid - I'm going to lie, I'm glad my bridesmaid days are over! 
5. Thinking about friendship. - I still think about friendship a lot.
6. Life Lately | How I’m Coping with Stress - Anxiety has been a very real thing for me lately so this was good to re-read. 
7. Friends Can Be Soulmates Too - I still strongly believe in this blog post title (and what I had to say in it).
8. Fears of online dating - This hasn't changed either. 
9. Designer’s Block (for the last few years) - I'm still jealous of my younger self's creativity. 
10. (Not-so-quietly) ranting - I did not remember this post at all but wow, it totally took me back to that moment in time. 
11. Looking back on 2012 - This was the start of my end of year reflections which I've done every year since. 
12. Summer Bucket List - I did these summer bucket lists for 5 years!
13. Finding Time for Myself - I have to say that this is no longer an issue. 
14. I decided to get my DNA tested - I love that AncestryDNA will update its findings yearly to provide more accurate results. 
15. 31 Things You Didn’t Know About Me - It made me laugh to see that I mentioned owning 3 Anne of Green Gables books at the time I wrote this (fast forward to the present where I now own 40+). 

I am such a foodie

16. Project Ice Cream - the start of many, many ice cream posts both on the blog and my Instagram.
17. Table for Two #5: Pandorica - I love doing this feature with Alexa but this was a special one because we drove upstate just to visit this Doctor Who-themed restaurant!
18. 10 Recipes I’ve Recently Tried and Loved - I still make a bunch of these meals pretty regularly. 
19. My Favorite Filipino Recipes - I'm proud of how many Filipino dishes I've learned in recent years. 
20. Table for Two #21: The Blue Box Cafe - Another special one that involved two of my favorites, Audrey Hepburn (Holly Golightly vibes!) and Tiffany's. 
21. Foodie Adventures - Oh goodness, I miss going to food festivals in the city. 

Shop-a-holic

22. Recent Purchases I’m Obsessed With - I did this first post on a whim and since then, it's become a staple on my blog.
23. My Favorite Bags - I shared this for fun but it ended up making me evaluate my collection. 
24. You're My Person | A Galentine’s Day Gift Guide - I loved doing this collab with Alexa, Kelly, and Hannah! 
25. Mabuhay! Filipino Brands to Keep on your Radar - Some awesome brands, if I do say so myself. 
26. What’s in My Bag | Paris Edition - Clearly I enjoy sharing my bags! 
27. My Favorite Jewelry Brands - Missoma continues to be my #1. 
28. My Experience with Rebag - Still my go-to for looking at pre-loved bags. 
29. Product Review | Ink + Volt Planner - I don't use this planner anymore but if you love having goals as part of your planning, this is a great option. 
30. My Bag Collection - My entire collection as of last month! 

Travel adventures

31. Happy Bastille Day! - I've been doing annual Bastille Day posts for years but this one in particular stands out because we decided to find places in NYC that reminded us of Paris and now we do this every year! 
32. San Francisco Cousins Reunion Trip - This first and only (so far) cousins reunion trip will always been special to me. 
33. Paris, je t’aime | Day 1 & 2 - Going to Paris with one of my BFFs will always be a much treasured memory. 
34. Where To Next - I hope I'll be able to use these tips again soon! 
35. My Travel Bucket List - My list hasn't changed. 
36. London Calling, Part 1: British Museum, Harry Potter and dessert - My first and only solo trip was a memorable one!
37. Aruba | One Happy Island - I'd love to go back to Aruba. 
38. My 7 Travel Rituals - My rituals haven't changed at all. 
39. Iceland, Part 2: Waterfalls, Hot Springs and Glacier Lagoons - This was our first trip abroad together and certainly not our last. 
40. Barcelona: Beautiful Sights to See - Truly a beautiful city. 
41. Lovely Dublin, Part 1 - This feels like a lifetime ago. 
42. The Travel Bug - After over a year of no traveling, I'm very much feeling that wanderlust. 
43. Portland, Maine - My cousins and I were just talking about planning another trip here next year. 
44. My (Humble) Guide to First-Time Solo Travel - I don't know when I'll travel solo again but I'll always treasure the memory of that experience. 

TV/Movies/Music/Internet

45. Adventures in Anime #1: Fushigi Yuugi - I love how we did this on a whim and then us watching anime together became a regular thing. 
46. All About Audrey: The Films - If you didn't know how much I loved Audrey Hepburn... 
47. Every concert I’ve ever been to - I miss concerts. 
48. What I’m Listening To | If You Ever Playlist - You know that feeling when you put together a really good playlist? 
49. Adventures in Anime #5, Part 1: Sailor Moon - Rewatching Sailor Moon during quarantine was one of the best choices ever. 
50. Every show and musical I’ve ever been to - I'd love to see a musical again sometime soon. 
51. Let Me Tell You about Last.fm - When it comes to tracking my listening habits, Last.fm > Spotify. 
52. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before | Viewing Party + Thoughts on the Movie - Best bookish themed party ever. 
53. What I’m Listening To | Dawson’s Creek - I totally feel like listening to this now. 
54. Madman with a Box - Watching Doctor Who for the first time was an investment and absolutely worth it. 
55. Let’s Talk Music - I enjoy surprising people with my taste in music. 
56. Website Tips & Tricks! - I didn't know where to put this so I added it here. In addition to being a designer, I was a web developer at the start of my career. 

Home Sweet Apartment

57. Apartment updates! - Throwback to early quarantine when I made a bunch of little updates!
58. Living Room Update - Still proud of my living room makeover from two years ago. 
59. Apartment Must-Haves - My must-have tips haven't changed. 
60. One year at my apartment - I've been living here for 8 years now!
61. Living on my own (& loving it!) - Reading about how I felt a month into living at my apartment made me smile. 

New Yorker

62. An ABT Balletomane - Going to the ballet every year (minus the recent two for obvious reasons) is a tradition I love getting to share here. 
63. Festive Fun Day in NYC - Alexa, Kristin and I love coming up with traditions like "festive fun day" or going out on Galentine's Day so looking back on these posts makes me really happy. 
64. Bestie Saturdate - Ditto with this one, it's one of my favorite NYC days! 

Bookish collabs

65. Books and Wanderlust - One of my favorite collaboration ideas ever! 
66. Books In Real Life, Episode 1: Racing Savannah - This post exemplifies how Alexa and I are always down for a new adventure together and that it doesn't take long for us to be on the same page. 
67. SS&D Surprise Party! To Susan, With Love. - We loved Something, Strange & Deadly so much. 
68. BDB Party: Dream Cast - Alexa, Kelly, and I came up with the best cast for Black Dagger Brotherhood. 
69. Capeside Revisited: Pacey + Joey Meets YA - Collaborating with my fellow Dawson's Creek lovers for these posts was so much fun. 
70. MABUHAY! A Celebration of Filipino Culture in Literature - Celebrating my culture each year on the blog is super important to me. 
71. Return to Green Gables: Re-read Reflections - Rereading this series in its entirety was long overdue and I'm glad I got to share the experience with Alexa and Hannah. 
72. The Lexie Project: On BFFs - The one where Alexa and I talk about how we met and being BFFs. 
73. Light Up the Darkness | What Throne of Glass Means to Me - Re-reading the Throne of Glass books in preparation for the final book's release with Alexa, Kelly, and Hannah was magical. 
74. Book Boy Roulette - I totally forgot about this post with Alexa, Kelly, and Hannah and it cracked me up. 
75. Thirteen Days of Ash & Fire - An Heir of Fire Blog Tour: Day 12 - I miss the days of planning yearly #MaasThirteen blog tours with Alexa. 
76. Paranormal Cook Club: The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa - This book club with Alexa, Kristin, & DJ is still going strong and this year's picks in particular have been awesome. 
77. Friends with ARCS | Crash Into You by Katie McGarry - Alexa and I started this collab in 2013 and it's still going strong. 
78. Featurette! Emery Lord + Dawson’s Creek - I've retired this feature but looking back, I'm blown away by these authors' generosity in writing something for my little blog. I mean, getting to talk about one of my favorite shows with Emery... 
79. Feaurette! Katie Cotugno + Dirty Dancing - ... and a movie I loved while growing up with Katie...
80. Featurette! Justina Chen + Before Sunset - ... plus my #1 favorite movie of all time with Justina, when hardly anyone knows about this movie, was amazing. 

Bookish fun

81. My (Updated) Anne of Green Gables Collection - I've unsurprisingly added a few more to my collection since this post. 
82. Book Recs: Horse Fiction - I've got more horse fiction to share! 
83. BFFs & college | Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler - I enjoyed sharing my personal experience with applying to colleges and how that related to this book. 
84. I’d Rather Be Reading: Lists & Questions - A great idea and challenge for a bookish post. 
85. Book Recs: My Go-To’s - I still stand by this list. 
86. Binge-worthy New Adult Romances - I miss angsty New Adult romances. 
87. Book Recs: Underrated YA Contemporary Romance - I've actually been re-reading a bunch of these this year. 
88. Tidying up is good for the soul - A non-fiction book that caused me to take immediate action and de-clutter my apartment. 
89. Bookshelf Tour - How I organized my books on this shelf has changed since then. 
90. Re-reading The Harper Hall Trilogy - I will forever credit this series with introducing me to fantasy. 

10 most popular posts of all time (in order)

91. BEA Part of It / New York, NY: Shopping Spree! - I honestly can't believe this is my most popular post ever but of course it would be about shopping! 
92. BookBags (3): YAGB Edition - Seeing this post made me miss this feature (which I've since retired). Should I bring it back?
93. Bridal Shower! - Forever proud of this bridal shower I helped plan. 
94. Latest Read: Tiger Lily - This is still one of my favorite books. 
95. Rachel & Carina’s Infinite Playlist (63) - I had this feature with my best friend for years! She's not into blogging so I really appreciate how long she did this with me. I don't know why this playlist in particular is so popular though! 
96. Latest Read: The Book of Broken Hearts - Wow, my reviews used to be so long. 
97. SS&D Celebration: A Day in Paris - I wouldn't mind recreating this day if I ever go to Paris again. 
98. David Levithan + End of the Summer Fun - I really don't know why this post gets so many hits given how simple it is but it was nice to remember these moments. 
99. Latest Read: Love Is the Higher Law - Given that this month was 20th anniversary, it seems fitting to find this book here. 
100. Latest Read: Lola and the Boy Next Door - Full disclosure: this was my least favorite of this trilogy. 

***

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane as much as I did! 

And whether you're an OG follower, new to my blog, or somewhere in between - thank you so much for supporting me!