A most happy day, my friends! This very day marks 11 entire years since my very first foray into the world of blogging. And, of course, such a milestone deserves a little something special!

To be honest, I’m rather flabbergasted. Exactly 11 years ago to the day, my first ever blog post was sent out into the vast world of the interwebz. ELEVEN YEARS. Sometimes it feels like being the Mad Hatter, forever stuck at tea time and the watch never moving. I could swear it was just yesterday I was that little 18-year-old dabbling into the world of blogging with no idea what she was doing but so very excited all the same. And yet here I am like Alice, returned from a grand adventure with so many stories to share.

(Though I’m pretty sure I still have no idea what I’m doing.)

It was for last year’s blogiversary I strolled down memory lane and shared how I came into the world of blogging and what a blessing it’s been. But as our dear Alice says:

“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”

So this year, instead of reminiscing, I am throwing a month long Wonderland-themed celebration, a Mad Tea Party, if you will, and everyone is invited! Because what’s the use of a party if you’re the only one present?

You can find all the details on what I have dubbed March Muchness in THIS POST, including a Wonderland blog tag and Bookstagram Challenge!

Today, to continue the March Muchness celebrations and commemorate my 11th blogiversary, I want to whisk you away into Wonderland…

It just so happens that last March my sister and I did a photoshoot in which I got to fulfill a dream of mine.

Being Alice herself.

That little girl who falls into a world of madness has long been a favorite heroine of mine, and one I often relate to, with her penchant of being somehow terribly logical and utterly nonsensical at once. Her love of finding someone to talk to, the way she goes on and on and on about her beloved pet cat probably far too much, how she tries to be very polite but hints of a temper do show up from time to time. And the fact that she couldn’t help but follow that curious rabbit into a whole other world.

Alice and I are kindred spirits. And, being as how Wonderland, in all its delightful nonsense, has long been one of my favorite fictional worlds, naturally I could not help but embrace my inner Alice and fall into Wonderland myself.

So come away with me as we take a trip through Wonderland!

A Day in Wonderland

When the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.

“Well!” thought Alice to herself, “after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn’t say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!”

Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table, all made of solid glass; there was nothing on it except a tiny golden key, and Alice’s first thought was that it might belong to one of the doors of the hall; but, alas! either the locks were too large, or the key was too small, but at any rate it would not open any of them.

There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door, so she went back to the table, half hoping she might find another key on it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like telescopes: this time she found a little bottle on it, (“which certainly was not here before,” said Alice,) and round the neck of the bottle was a paper label, with the words “DRINK ME,” beautifully printed on it in large letters.

“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,” thought Alice; “only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.”

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: “No room! No room!” they cried out when they saw Alice coming. “There’s plenty of room!” said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

“Oh, I’ve had such a curious dream!” said Alice, and she told her sister, as well as she could remember them, all these strange Adventures of hers that you have just been reading about; and when she had finished, her sister kissed her, and said, “It was a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it’s getting late.” So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran, as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.

My sister and I had far too much fun with this little photoshoot. I hoped you enjoyed this peek at it as well!

I have found blogging to be a lot like a trip down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. You never know where you’ll end up next, and who you’ll meet, and you may change quite a bit along the way, but it is always a worthwhile adventure.

Whether you’ve been here from the beginning or only just started following, THANK YOU for being here. Thank you for taking this journey with me, putting up with so, so much of my nonsense, and always making me feel welcome at the table. This is such a beautiful community, and I feel beyond blessed to be a part of it.

Never lose your muchness, my friends!

I hope you guys didn’t mind a bit of a different post today and this impromptu journey into Wonderland. *grins* Now tell me! Have you ever done any cosplaying/photoshoots? If you could step into the shoes of any fictional character, who would you choose? And for all my fellow Wonderland fans, what’s your favorite part and/or passage from the story? Don’t forget March Muchness runs all March if you want to celebrate in your own way. If you do, I’d love to hear about it or see any posts you share!

Another humongous THANK YOU to all of you! Here’s to hopefully many more years of blogging to come!