On April 2, 2012, a 23-year-old editorial assistant sat down at her brand-new MacBook and wrote her first post on a hot pink blog about why she was proud to be a nerd. She had no idea who that post would reach, what post would come after it, or how long she would keep that blog running. All she knew was that she needed to write analytically and enthusiastically about things she loved, and this seemed like the best plan.
Five years later, a 28-year-old associate editorial director sat down at her slowly dying MacBook and started writing her 733 post on a hot pink blog about why she’s still proud to be a nerd.
So much has changed in the last five years—both at NGN and in my life—but some things will never change. I will always believe that there’s no more fulfilling life than the life of a nerdy girl. I will always be thankful for every comment, like, and view this website gets. And I will always find joy in writing analytically and enthusiastically about the things I love.
Every year since NGN was created has been a new adventure, filled with challenges, changes, and lessons to learn—and this year held more challenges, changes, and lessons than any other. A new position at work pushed me professionally in ways I never imagined I would be pushed so early in my career, and that’s led to some changes here at NGN in terms of how much and how often I post. Such a major life change called for me to reevaluate my relationship with what I do here at NGN, and recently, I’ve been reminded that this website and the kind of writing I do here bring me more happiness and fulfillment than almost anything else in my life.
It’s good to work hard, but it’s also good to make time for what makes you happy. And even after five years, running this website still makes me happy. Writing posts, interacting with the NGN Family, and reading all of your comments (I may not always reply, but know that I still read and appreciate every single one.) has been a way for me to connect with the best version of myself at a time when it could have been easy for me to lose the voice I started to find on April 2, 2012.
Five years ago, I never would have imagined all the ways this website would help me through the ups and downs of my 20s. It’s helped me define myself on my own terms instead of looking to others to tell me who I am. It’s given me a stronger sense of self-confidence, the courage to be more vulnerable as a writer and as a person, and more friends than I ever thought possible. In the last five years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many members of the NGN Family in person and watching so many of you form friendships with each other through this website, which has become my proudest achievement as a blog runner. Facilitating friendships wasn’t a goal I had back in 2012, but it’s been the coolest thing about running this website.
I’ve learned in the last five years is that a website is about so much more than its color scheme, the number of posts on it, or even the content posted. It’s about the community that forms around it. The reason NGN has lasted as long as it has is because it’s not just about me anymore. It’s about all the intelligent, incredible commenters who share their thoughts and feelings with each other, especially those of you who’ve kept up the dialogue and have welcomed new friends even when I’ve been too bogged down with work to comment myself. It’s about the enthusiastic people who share links to NGN and share their love for this site on social media. And it’s about the supportive, kind, warm family that’s developed here over the last five years. You know who you are, and I hope you know that your love, encouragement, and generosity have served as beacons of light exactly when I needed them most over the last five years.
Thank you for making NGN so much more than I ever dreamed it could be back in 2012. Thank you for sticking with me and with NGN through changes in content, posting schedules, and the media I choose to focus on. With such a strong and supportive community behind me, I feel energized and excited by the prospect of what the future holds for this nerdy girl and her hot pink website.
Nerdy Girl Notes 
Awwww Katie, my heart. This was such a lovely read. Happy birthday to your amazing blog. I’m so thankful it’s a source of positivity and beauty and all things nerdy for me and countless others ❤ may it only ever grow bigger and bigger. Your future is brighter than you can possibly imagine. With God on your side and an incomparable mind, you're going to go so far.
Thank you so much, Giss! I’m so thankful for your friendship and support not just as a fellow writer but as a fellow woman who wants to be a positive light for others. You always help me feel less alone, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. ❤
Congratulations on your… bloganniversary (is that even a thing?). As a blogger myself, I know how hard it is to keep it rolling for this long.
Thank you!
You’re welcome. Love, another nerdy girl. 🙂
Congratulations, Katie! I admire that you’ve kept up with this website and your writing for FIVE years! I always enjoy your insights. You are intelligent and thoughtful and you always point out things that I might not otherwise have thought of. I’m glad to be here.
Here’s to another five years!
Thank you so much! I’m always so glad to see your comments and your Tweets; you’re such an important part of our little community!
These five years have gone by so quickly! I am so proud of what this site has become and the family you have gathered here. I love you and all the friends I have made as a result of your wonderful posts and positive spirit. I can’t wait to see what the next five years brings NGN and all the new shows you will fall in love with in that time. Congratulations, babe!
Thank you so much, my beautiful tropical fish, for all your support, encouragement, pep talks, vent sessions, brainstorming texts, and unconditional love over the last five years. NGN wouldn’t be what it is today without you and our friendship. ❤
*Dons Peggy Hat*
*Picks up Doctoberfest mug*
*Throws confetti*
(Lots of confetti. It’s gonna get messy.)
CONGRATULATIONS!
Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us. I’m so glad you decided to create a space to celebrate being a nerdy-girl . . . and that you’ve kept it up and made it work as your life changes.
Thanks for making a space where the rest of us can celebrate our nerdiness, where we can analyze, celebrate, and generally geek out with you and each other.
Thanks for letting us come along for the ride.
Thanks for being open and transparent as you write. That’s not easy — but you make it look that way.
Thanks for getting excited and being enthusiastic. Thanks for the analysis and insight.
Thanks for optimism even when it’s tough.
Thanks for being Katie. 🙂
*dances around in the confetti storm while wearing my Peggy hat and drinking out of my Doctoberfest mug*
Now it’s my turn to thank you for being Tempest, forever the Rose to my Peggy. Thanks for always reminding me to find the fun (because this is so much fun). Thanks for encouraging me to be open and honest—I’ll never forget when you told me this year that it was okay for me to admit when I wasn’t feeling particularly positive, that I could lean on you and everyone here—it was exactly what I needed to hear during a hard time. Thanks for making me laugh and making me think—the two best things I could ask for in a friend. Here’s to another five years of fun!
Happy Anniversary!!! You already know I love this site something fierce, but I can never say it enough, so here I am saying it again! I feel like there should be awards for keeping a blog running for 5 years because so few people actually make it that far. Lets not even talk about the number of failed blogs I have under my belt.
Your honesty and fabulous insight has kept this a fun and safe place for us to be our nerdy selves, and has given so many of us friendships and support even outside of this blog. I dont even want to think about how my life would be different if a certain princess never grabbed a certain pirate’s lapels and kiss the crap out of him, or you hadnt been there to write down so eloquently all the thoughts I was having about it. Thanks for letting me join the ride!
Happy blog-iversary! I’m so glad that you this blog exists because without it I wouldn’t have ever gotten to know you (or any of the other lovely people here). I’m glad you’ve found ways to adapt and keep things going through all the change to your real life and to your fandom life, and that it gives you a place to write what you love. And what we love. 🙂