14 Years of Sparkles and Shoes

Fourteen years. Somehow, Sparkles and Shoes is officially fourteen years old!

When I hit publish on my very first blog post on August 2, 2012, I truly had no idea what I was starting. What began as a creative outlet quickly became a huge part of my life. There were years when I published six blog posts a week — fashion, travel, beauty, fitness, food, life updates, and pretty much anything else that crossed my mind. At one point, it was hard to imagine going more than a day or two without sharing something here.

Fast forward to 2026 and, well, things look a little different.

This year I have published fewer than 20 posts, which is almost unbelievable compared to those early years. Life has been full in the very best ways. I am now a mom of two busy little ones, and this summer we packed up our life in New York and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Between parenting, packing, unpacking, settling into a new home, exploring a new city, and all of the everyday chaos in between, blogging kept sliding further down the list.

But if I am being truthful, being busy was not the only reason.

Somewhere along the way, I lost a bit of the spark — or should I say sparkle? Pun very much intended.

For so many years, blogging was something I genuinely could not wait to do. Lately, opening my laptop to write has sometimes felt more like another item on a never-ending to-do list. And instead of forcing it, I gave myself permission to step away a little.

The funny thing is, that break reminded me why I started Sparkles and Shoes in the first place.

After fourteen years, this blog has become an incredible scrapbook of my adult life. It has followed me through different jobs, relationships, countries, countless trips, marriage, motherhood, moves, and so many versions of myself. Looking back through old posts makes me incredibly grateful that I documented it all.

And now? I am actually excited to write again.

I may never return to six posts a week — and that is probably a good thing — but I am ready to find that sparkle again and see what year fifteen brings.

Happy 14th birthday, Sparkles and Shoes. ✨