It has been two years since the start of this blog, and I wanted to just take a moment of your time with a short recap of what we have built together. One way to see the impact is in numbers.

Stats at the two-year mark:

• 228 posts
• 115 contributors
• 165 comments
• 588 post likes
• Around 30,000 visitors
• Around 50,000 views
• 126,446 words

While I am humbled by these, I never imagined my site would generate this much attention, I am even more elated by the story of the blog. This little project has led to many great memories of working with other bloggers and podcasters. It was even nominated for an award from the Tolkien Society last year!

Over the last two years, I have had the opportunity to talk with some remarkable people and inspiring fans because of this website. I am so thankful to everyone who has seen value in sharing their Tolkien Experience and to the readers, both casual and avid, who have become members of the community we have started. You will never know how much it means to me when someone tells me that this work has been meaningful to them.

If you are reading this, I want to say thank you: Thank you for contributing to this community. Writing, reading, listening, sharing, and commenting all help to make this a better project and a better community.

This is not the way I had wanted to celebrate this day, with all of us so far apart and so isolated from one another. The site has always been a way to foster a sense of community and engagement among fans. Now, more than ever, I am dedicated to that goal. I recently put out a call for more entries into the Tolkien Experience Project because I was running low. Thanks to the large number of people who answered that call, the project will keep going strong! I am also doing my best to keep pace with the Tolkien Experience Podcast, which is really starting to take on a life of its own! I hope to share many more wonderful things with you on this site!