Five Years, Baby!!
May 20, 2013 Remember this?
;)
And these?
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How about this one?
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Or this story?
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Five years ago today I started a goofy little cake blog, just for fun. I never intended for anyone other than a few close friends to read it, and I was terrified the first time a stranger found it and commented.
Within two months, though, my goofy little cake blog went viral, garnering about 50,000 visitors in a single day.
;)
It's been a wild ride since then. I realized my life-long dream of becoming a published author not once, but twice, and Cake Wrecks even landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List. John and I got to travel across the U.S. and Canada meeting thousands of you readers, sampling dozens of your bakeries, and only almost-dying that one time.
;)
I was invited on more TV shows than I can remember, including David Letterman, Rachael Ray, and I think even Martha Stewart - and one of my proudest achievements in life is that I turned them all down. I've also turned away TV producers, web content "gurus," and website conglomerates offering a pretty penny to purchase Cake Wrecks and turn it into something else - something less personal, something not ours.
;)
Cake Wrecks has been a labor of love from the beginning, and I've fought - and will fight - to always keep it that way. It's not a vehicle to make me famous, or a stepping stone to get me to where I *really* want to be in my career, because I'm already here. True, it has become my job - John's, too - and like every job it causes heartache and frustration and burnout sometimes. But at the end of the day, I get to check my e-mail, find a cake that makes me giggle, and share it with all of you. That's pretty frickin' awesome.
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Five years ago I never would have dreamed my goofy little cake blog would last this long, or that it would amass such a devoted readership. I mean, this blog was supposed to fizzle out four and a half years ago, and yet here you all are! I always told John I'd quit when the readers left, but it turns out you guys are more stubbornly loyal than I anticipated. Curse you.
;)
So here's to us, my dear wreckies, five years, 1,800+ posts, and roughly 8,000 cakes later.
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And if all that doesn't deserve cake, then I don't know what does.
So here's Brent Spiner trying on a Carrot Jockey necklace:
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Let's be honest: it was all downhill from here. :D
Oh, and I have to give a million thanks to John for getting me through these past five years - and also for not dying that one time - as well as to Lindsey, who writes more than half of our Sweets posts these days, and to Sharyn, who helps me write to the wrecks. You guys are awesome, and get a lifetime pass for extra sprinkles.
Reader Comments (278)
I love you all!
"Mommy, an angel came to me last night and told me I'd be a 'humorist' when I grow up. What'a that?"
"You? A humorist? I think that angel had the wrong Jen."
MAZEL TOV on the 5 year anniversary. So very happy for you and John, but especially for us!
Rock on!
MAZEL TOV on the 5 year anniversary. So very happy for you and John, but especially for us!
Rock on!
Pretty frigging awesome indeed! In Pink King with roses under neat.
I know I'm a day late, but I just want to tell you thank you so much for Epbot and Cake Wrecks. It has helped me more than you'll ever know.
~River Psalm
Happy Anniversary to the funniest blog ever! This blog has helped me through some stress here at work. Sometimes I just needed a little laugh to get me through several projects and crazy client calls!! Thank you for your wit and humor!!
To Jen and John, this blog and Epbot have been a source of such pleasure in my life. *hugs* Thank you both very much for what you do.
I Love UR blog with HArtz and Sprinkles :D You've helped me on my up days and down days. Here's to many more years of happiness.
Happy anniversary from the bottom of my butt!!
(it's bigger than my heart)
+Wreck on, o great ones!! I've called Cake Wrecks my "happy place" for years. Thanks for letting us all play together- I truly love my fellow wreckerators even if we've never met.
I love you all in a non-celery kind of way. ;)
Jen, I'll leave the clever accolades to the commenters who are way better at it than I am. Suffice it to say that you've brought joy and laugher to lots and lots of my days. My first exposure to Cake Wrecks came after I read the review of your first book on the New York Times. After I clicked that link to come here, it was never the same for me. Your wicked sense of humor and mag writing skills continually amaze me! And I've shared this site with my sister, so we get to laugh over your fabulous posts together.
Thank you to John (thoJ), for overseeing the website and taking such good care of our Jen. You get a well-earned tip of the cap, too!
May you continue this goofy little cake blog for as long as it gives you pleasure and joy. As you well know, we Wreckies hope that's a long, long time, but you do what's best for you. I hope that you continue your blogging here or Epbot, both, or somewhere else - you have plenty to share with the interwebs and you are extremely talented at telling a story. No matter what medium you use going forward, always use that gift.
Congratulations on five great years of Cake Wrecks! Wreck on, dear Jen, wreck on!
5 years?!? Wow. Thanks for all the laughs.
Beyond glad you're keeping it going. Nothing brings me more simple joy than hearing my Dad crack up. And your books do that the fact that my Mom is a Decorator at Publix just brings it home.
Thanks for all the tears from laughing and keep it up.
Also... We ALL know when it's not Jen writing.
But you kiss have earned a summer home in the Fire Swamp.
Thank you: you really do make the world a better place, and I'll keep reading (and laughing) as long as you're willing to keep posting wrecks. (I'm sure that running out of bad cakes to show us will never be a problem.)
I want you to know how much I appreciate your contribution to the universe. I hope you will continue happily for a very long time.
Let there be wrecks!
Happy anniversary. Thank you for making me snort, giggle, gag and literally yell "MOM YOU GOTTA COME SEE THIS OH MY GOD" on several occasions. You rock. Another five years? I certainly hope so!
Congratulations on 5 years! I love this blog and feel like it's made all the better because I can identify with the author(s) so well. As a childless introverted geek and nerd, who is the same age as Jen (I think?), your sense of humor, snark, and cultural references really make this a fun experience beyond the pictures. I had the luck to be introduced to CW by a coworker just a few weeks before you started Epbot, so I was able to start reading that from the beginning and I love that blog too. Now I love my Saturday mornings, with blankets, coffee or tea, a cat on my feet, and laughing out loud at CW.
p.s. I'm getting married in a couple of months and this blog has made me so torn! Now I'm really afraid of receiving a wreck ... but I'm also kind of wishing I do get one, so we can all have a good laugh at the reception! (There will be several CW readers in attendance!)
Jen and John,
Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's to many more years of destroying computer monitors from spitting out our morning coffee on them from laughing so damn hard after seeing those hysterical Wrecks and reading those hilarious posts!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
I'm a little late commenting, but THANK YOU for not selling Cake Wrecks. One of my favorite blogs was sold (to Cheezburger) and was turned into something totally different than what it was meant to be. Thank you so much for keeping this blog simple and creative. For that, I applaud you!
Thanks for making me laugh and cry and occasionally throw up just a little in my mouth....
Jen and John and fabulous crew, though I don't comment often, I do visit regularly for you are awesome. There have been days when only your humor, only this blog, could make me laugh out loud. To five more years of wreckaliciousness but only if it is still fun for you.
Oh boy am i glad you didn't sell out...that's what makes you so amazing! Happy 5 year anniversary!
Condragulashuns on five years of wrecks! I love the pictures, the commentary, the commentators, and, oh, all of it!!! I was lucky enough to meet you and John in Pittsburgh, and I look forward to the next book and trip!
Hey Jen,
You mentioned that TV produces have made offers to you. You would you be willing to share with us exactly what the producers' proposal were? Personally, I keep scratching my head trying to figure out what kind of TV show could be made out of a blog that snarks on badly decorated cakes; I cant be the only one here who's baffled. The blog itself is highly entertaining but I just can't envision an entertaining show based off this blog.
Well, regardless, thank you so much for rejecting whatever it is you were offered. My respect and admiration for you has skyrocketed.
Congrats!!! Your blog has always made me smile .... and sometimes made me laugh really hard out loud. And the loud laughing usually happens at work ... where I work on a Reference Desk. I'm a librarian, so I just write it off as "research." Yeah.
Happy 5 years!!!!!
I can't remember exactly when I first started reading your blog but it had to be almost the beginning. Man I love your humor. This site is my go-to when I've had a bad day and just want to relax and have a good laugh...and realize that there are worst things than your $300 wedding cake being tasteless and probably sugar-free. Thanks for sticking with it and I am so happy for you fulfilling your dreams!
Thanks for the last 5 years! Whenever I need a smile I visit Cake Wrecks. It always works.
Happy Anniversary. I first saw you on the Graham Norton Show :-) Became a fan immediately.