365. Look Back at a Year in the Life of Barrington

3 mins read
Faces of Barrington Collage

There have been many days this past year when I’ve wondered how I’d feel when I reached day 365 here at 365Barrington.com. When I began this project, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and, deep down, I doubted whether I’d be able to do it.  But the people I met along the way who shared their stories and their time nudged me kindly along each day.  And I look back with a great sense of gratitude for the many new friends that I’ve found.

Faces of Barrington Collage

Now that day 365 has arrived, many of you have asked me, what happens next? I have a lot of plans for this website, but there is one thing that comes first.

I need to take some time to really thank my husband and my family for allowing room in our lives for this massive project. My waking priority each day this past year has been finding something in Barrington to write about. It has taken away from our time spent together, more than I imagined it would. But, there’s no doubt, it has all been worth it. For me, the reward is measured, not by money, but by something much more meaningful.  In my business and in my life, relationships are what matter most.

Why I Did It

I started writing 365Barrington.com because I wanted to create something useful for our community. I’m excited by the power and reach that are possible with a hyper-local website fueled by thriving social networks. The content I added to this site each day has caused a steady increase in traffic over the past year. Since April 1st, 2010, we’ve had almost 50,000 visits to 365Barrington.com and almost 150,000 page views. Since the first of this year, we’ve started to see our numbers grow to over 6,000 visits each month. I feel pretty good about the data, given this website is so purposefully specific to Barrington.

I also believe this unique type of local exposure will allow us to better serve our real estate clients here in Barrington. We’ve established a dynamic place online where people come daily to seek information about our community. One of my plans, moving forward, is to further utilize this website to showcase Barrington as a great place to live.

What I Learned

For starters, I’ve learned that there are WAY MORE THAN 365 THINGS to do in Barrington. At the beginning, I was worried that I’d run out of things to write about. But I could easily continue writing daily blog posts with all of the great people, businesses and events coming up in town. For that reason, I do plan to continue writing regular posts at 365Barrington.com.

One of the things that I also know now is that, if you want to reach a goal, YOU WILL if you share it with the world around you. Knowing that there are expectations of you is a very powerful motivator. Somewhere along the way, I acquired a tattered book of poetry that belonged to my great grandmother, Frankie O’Connor, a woman I never met. In it, she put checkmarks by her favorite verses. And this one from Edgar Guest’s “It Couldn’t be Done” has always been my favorite.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

There are thousands to prophesy failure;

There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,

The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start to sing as you tackle the thing

That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

What Comes Next

Speaking of things that “cannot be done”, I have a whole list of plans for 365Barrington.com in the coming months. Because I’ve been busy writing posts every day, there has been little time left over to advance related projects. In the immediate future, I’ll be focused on enhancing the Barrington Deals feature, the Community Calendar and our Barrington-specific social network. I WILL find and share another 365 Things do do in Barrington. They won’t be daily posts, but I promise, they’ll be good ones ;).

Thank you so much for joining me this past year. I look forward to getting to know many of you in person in the days ahead. And, if you enjoy reading this blog, THERE IS ONE THING that you could do to help me.  If you or someone you know needs a good Realtor, please contact me or pass my name along.  I’m always an email or a phone call away, I can be reached at 847-691-3150 or Liz@365Barrington.com and I’m working very hard every day to help sell homes in Barrington.

In the meantime, I promised I’d be sharing something special for day 365. Well, here it is. It’s a series of some of my favorite photos of the people we’ve written about in our first year at 365Barrington.com. These are faces I won’t soon forget. These are the faces of Barrington, some captured on my camera and others by Barrington’s most talented photographers*. As I write this last sentence, the title of this song sums up how I’m feeling right now, and it’s AMAZING.

*Video Collage Photo Credits:

  • 0:22 – Billy in the Blue Hat – Emily Hernandez – EmilyHernandezPhotography.com
  • 0:35 – Barrington Mustangs – Chrissie Mena
  • 1:22 – Susan McConnell – SusanMcConnellPhotography.com
  • 1:27 – Artist James Root – Provided by James Root
  • 1:35 – Little Angel – April Graves – LightDrawnStudios.com
  • 2:07 – Barrington Duck Races – Bob Lee
  • 2:24 – Opera Star, Kallen Esperian – Provided by Kallen Esperian
  • 2:29 – Barrington Colts – Laura Horak
  • 2:40 – Anthony Tortoriello – AtortPhotraphy.com
  • 2:55 – Barrington Runners – Bob Lee
  • 3:01 – Chessies 111 Grill Homecoming Party – Provided by Chessies
  • 3:10 – Bob Lee – Provided by Bob Lee

7 Comments

  1. Well done Liz! I’ve lived in Barrington for almost 10 years and I’ve learned more about the people and places here just in the last 365 days. It’s bitter sweet, but after writing the blog for just a few days, I know the work is challenging. Enjoy your family, as it grows, and come back soon. Whatever you do will be great! You Rock!

  2. Well done, Liz. I admire your positive attitude. Congratulations on completing what must have been a daunting task. All the best to you and your family.

  3. Thank you for every day this last year and thank you for the future. We have enjoyed your work all along and you mean more to us than you know. All the best and I look forward to helping you any way that I can. Susan. PS — Your photography is great!

  4. Fantastic, Liz! Congrats on achieving your goal! Looking forward to what the future brings for your blog!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Latest from Blog