My blog just officially turned one last week! Hurrah! To thank Wellington for keeping me inspired, I wanted to say hi to some of you...

As part of thanking the people who have read over the year, I really wanted to meet some of you. So on Saturday morning, some blog friends, old and new, met up over coffee and pastries at Mojo Poneke, one of my favourite places to go in the city.

We met on the corner of Marjorie Banks St and Cambridge Terrace. As well as a host of lovely followers from The Residents Instagram and Blog, we were joined by a little Maltese called Buddy. We made our way down to the local Mojo and ordered a bevvy of flat whites. As Mojo kindly sponsored those coffees, they tasted all the more sweet. Even better, we treated ourselves to a range of delicious pastries by Mojo's amazing in-house pastry chef. We joked that there needs to be a dating website for meeting such men...I can't wait to enjoy even more of Mojo Poneke - especially now that Summer is coming.

Holding this meetup is something I've wanted to do since the start of my blogging adventure, re-launched a year ago. Four years ago, I saw there was almost no-one doing a single viewpoint independent blog on my hometown of Wellington. While it floundered for a few years, last year I decided 'If not now, when?'. I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I ever made, and totally has changed my life.

The Residents is such hard work sometimes, but completely worth it for mornings like this. Like many of you awesome Wellingtonians who have a passion or volunteer for good causes, I work 40 hours on top of blogging - so everything has to be squeezed around family, work, cleaning, eating etc. We know how to give and work hard. We follow our heart, not for money but to earn respect, be of service and improve our skill set. I am humbled to live amongst such incredible people as Wellingtonians.

Honestly, sometimes I've wanted to hit my head against the blue boatsheds, especially when things happen like losing photos from my SD card (only happened once thank GOD!) or it just feels like growth is slow. But meeting the people I've interviewed and people who've followed along is the most incredible thing. I've also loved creating cool content for great Wellington businesses. It's something I want to continue to grow in the future, and maybe can one day turn into a bit more of a formal job. For now, though, I'm focused on continuing to find incredible stories to share, uncover hidden gems from the city, experience wonderful events, try fabulous food and champion Wellington brands.

Last week's Wellington weather and earthquakes were a real challenge for many of you I know. Fortunately, I wasn't affected by the earthquakes and flooding very much. However, it was a strange and disrupted week that reminded us that the world can change beyond recognition at any given moment. It also reminded us of the importance of telling the people we love that we appreciate them and need them. Blogging wouldn't be possible without the unwavering support of my friends, family and my boyfriend, Matt. Yes, there are many days where I'm late for things because of blogging or Matt is yelling at me to come to bed and I am up late because of our slow internet (least fav job: uploading photos). But these people encourage me to be my mad self and provide the emotional support I need as I create a thing and put it online. I'm also stoked that I've even hustled some other people into starting their own blogs, like Megan from www.modeandmethodology.com.

Finally, I am grateful for YOU. Without you reading this blog, I would probably not be writing it. I see every comment, every like, every subscribe. It gives me the biggest joy in the world to know I am in some way making the world a bit brighter with 'The Residents' (I hope I am, anyway). Without you reading my words, though, it would all be a bit 'if a tree falls in a wood...'. Please keep reading, follow & subscribe to all my social media for updates to let me know you want more, and keep being enthusiasts about Wellington. I want to finish this post on a quote that resonated with me and explained that it was OK to be me. I hope you all relate.

"I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be"
Roald Dahl