Did you hear the news? Well, if you are late to the party (and I don't mean the actual party where we had this amazing cake), then I can let you know right away that I am officially out of Project Food Blog. Yes, after more than three months of hard work and nine rounds of competition, my run has come to an end. I would be flat out lying if I said I wasn't disappointed (there was $10,000 and title of food blog star at stake!), and when I heard the news on Friday, I did get a little emotional. But, here's the thing: I surprised even myself when I realized I wasn't feeling sad about actually being eliminated. There were no tears, I didn't have a breakdown, and I didn't feel like life was falling apart.** And here is why: I am still a winner. Participating in this contest has brought only good things to both my life and this blog. I thought to myself, "Ok, well, I am just going to go back to what I was doing before. Only better."
And then almost immediately, my phone started ringing, my email inbox filled up, and messages came flooding through on Twitter; new blogger friends, loyal readers, and real-life family and friends from near and far were all contacting me to share their feelings with me, to tell me that they were proud of me, or just to let me know that they care and still think this blog is awesome. And that was when I started feeling a sort of aching in my chest that was just overwhelming. It was as if the huge support I had received throughout this process was all being distilled into one perfect crystalline moment. I knew I had given it my all, I had put my heart into each and every moment of this contest, and I hadn't let anyone down; all the way through to the end, YOU, my loyal readers and friends have supported and encouraged me every step of the way. There really are not sufficient words to tell you just how much that means to me, so I will just offer you a simple and giant
THANK YOU!
I started out in the contest thinking that if I made it to the second round, it would be amazing (not kidding, I really said this to all of my friends) and then somehow I managed to find myself in the ninth round with only 11 other phenomenal bloggers left. (I still sometimes find this unbelievable.) At that point, I took a good hard look at my blog, and realized that it had undergone an incredible transformation into almost exactly what I had hoped it would be when I started it earlier this year: a place for friends to gather and share in the beauty and goodness of great food and great people. Because Project Food Blog not only challenged me to grow and make The Cilantropist a better place, but it also brought together a like-minded community of people who support each other and revel in deliciousness. I got to meet and be inspired by so many talented bloggers, and most importantly for me, I got to experience everything with constant encouragement from family and friends.
So, at the end of the day, even though I lost the competition, I think I have more than enough reasons to celebrate. I especially wanted to show those nearest and dearest to me how much I appreciated all their help... and so naturally I showered them with food.
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