A Very Good Year

I've dedicated posts to My Director, my dad, my mom, Luna, even my swagger wagon and of course the Peanut. But this post is dedicated to you, the loyal reader/follower/fan of DKL, without whom I wouldn't have enjoyed a fraction of the success I've had. Every day, you amaze me. Every day. So thank you.

We'll Cross Many Bridges Together...

Just to put in perspective how far you've taken DKL and how fast: in February, DKL had 187 page hits total for the month. In December, it averaged more than that per DAY. Earlier this month, we passed 50,000 page hits all-time. In less than a year. Wow. The Facebook page launched in April and as of now has more than 1,110 likes. Awesome. Not to mention more than 600 Twitter followers since May. Nice. All from virtually nothing. All because of you.

In March, I decided to really enter the blogosphere and finally publicize DKL outside of my family and friends. It started when I entered the Circle of Moms top 25 daddy blogs contest, and came in 12th. Not bad for a blog with very little following outside of people I know. Even though it was exhausting to keep asking for votes, I decided to enter the first ever Blogger Idol a couple of months later. DKL was chosen to be in the top 12. And your votes every week got me to the finale, where I was narrowly defeated.

But Blogger Idol didn't put DKL on the map nearly as much as Nikki from Moms Who Drink And Swear has. Many of you found me through her. There is no way for me to adequately thank her, or repay her. She even wrote a post about my blog, which was perhaps the nicest thing someone who is not married to me has ever written about me.

In case you've missed anything since March, I have assembled a list of posts that sum up the year pretty well. This list is unique because it is not simply a "best of." After all, how could I choose the best when I love all of my posts equally? Instead, I chose posts based on specific categories that appear in a blog chain that a few bloggers I follow have participated in.

Enjoy, and thanks so much for reading:

I'M MOST PROUD OF: Does Daddy Know Less? No question about it. This is the post My Director wrote for my birthday. It's the only gift I asked for. She did it... reluctantly. And boy did she deliver. You'd never know she's neither a writer nor has any interest in blogging. This post was just awesome to me in so many ways. Best birthday gift ever.

MOST BEAUTIFUL: My One and Only You: This was the post I wrote for My Director's birthday. I was inspired by two words she always seems to use when she's leaving me a voicemail.

DIDN'T GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES: 9/11: A Constant Reminder There are several that could have fallen into this category. But I chose this one, because of the subject matter. I understand you're indundated with material on the topic when the anniversary comes around. But I list this one because it's the first and probably the only time I will write about it on this blog. And the "reminder" I talk about is my biggest professional accomplishment. But never say never. And never forget.

SUCCESS SURPRISES ME: Dude Where's My Car? This was the first post ever inspired from a question by one of my readers. One of my friends told me one day that he and some other people I know were wondering how My Director and I manage as two working parents in the suburbs with just one car. This post about the swagger wagon was my top one of all-time for about a month, and in the top ten for a while.

MOST CONTROVERSIAL: The End of the Innocence: I chose not to list one of my rants here because most of those who commented on them agreed with me. This post is significant because it's the first that Nikki shared with her massive following, putting me on the proverbial map. I put it in the "controversial" category because of some of the not-so-friendly comments some of the MWDAS posted on Facebook. One woman called me a "whiney vagina." What can I say? I write what I feel. And on this day, I was feeling sensitive, deep, schmaltzy, and protective.

MOST HELPFUL: Finding Nemo: This is a tough category since I don't do tips or advice. So I'm sharing one of my favorite posts, in which I describe a moment where I was particularly helpful to the Peanut and My Director.

MOST POPULAR: Dude Looks Like a Lady: Chances are, you've read this one. Two words sum it up: "Ken's mangina." Shared more than 1,200 times on Facebook and received nearly 10,000 page views. That's what we call viral by DKL standards. Funny thing about this post? It was my wife's idea. Behind every great man...


So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for making 2011 a great year for DKL. The first true year it was in the blogosphere. You keep reading, liking, sharing, and commenting, I'll keep writing. I'd probably keep writing either way, but it's a lot more fun with you as involved as you are.

Wishing you a great 2012. Looking forward to sharing a lot more stories.


I know... there are a lot of links in this post. A lot. Of course you don't have to read all of them. My hope is you check out a couple that you might have missed. Thanks, DKL.