Now We Are Two!!

[Dan Goodwin]

On June 24th 2007, CCS was launched, and within a week we had, er, 5 members : )

Now, almost two years on, we have close to 550 members.

We've seen an amazing 117,000 visits, over 870,000 pages have been viewed, by over 31,000 unique visitors from 160 different countries.

There are now over 125,000 unique pages on CCS!

Despite these mind boggling numbers, we've still managed to maintain a friendly, supportive, passionate core community, of which I'm hugely proud and grateful.

So, whether you've been here two days or two years, please share some of your highlights, favourite moments and best loved experiences of CCS with us here as we celebrate our international creative community... : )

[photo credit: olyvia.meyer]

[Amber]

Although I have been a bit of a stranger on CCS over the last several months, this site is always on my mind. Because of the positive feedback, the encouragement, and just the overall feel of good energy from CCS.... I constantly want to create, push myself to new limits, and encourage others to tap into their creative sides as well. Dan has been so wonderful that I don't think I have the words to describe my gratitude for his much needed help at times and his creation of CCS. I hope and pray that this site continues to grow, and also continues to have the feel of a small community. This is an amazing site to be a part of, and I hope in the near future I will once again have more creative additions to unveil. I'm meeting my husband in Rome in a week, so I'm sure it will at least unlock my creativity in photography... and I hope I will have so many photos to share with everyone when I return home. Happy Birthday CCS!!!
Thank you Dan.

Best wishes for many more years of CCS,
Amber :)

[Susan Hosken]

amber, I'd love to be in Rome. How wonderful.
lots of love from susan in australia

[Dan Goodwin]

Amber, thank you and bless you for your comments, I'm very touched.

Can't wait to see your new Rome photos too : )

Dan

[Violette Clark]

Happy Happy Birthday Dan/Coaching Creative for this very inspiring place. Sorry i have not visited much as of late! But i just wanted to honour you for all that you have done!

Love, Violette

[Valerie]

Yaaaayyyy!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS CCS AND DAN.
Mind boggling numbers is right.

Ahhh. What can I say. You have attracted the most awsome creatives on the 'net. I love all the challenges and all the support here in good times and bad. The encouragement and all the love and laughter. I have grown so much personally as well as creatively and I feel like it is just the beginning. My eyes are continually being opened to new possibilities.

Happy Birthday CCS and a million more.

[Mary Hicks]

Wow, Dan! You must be so proud! Good job, and Happy Birthday CCS!!

When I first signed up in CCS my thought was, "What am I doing? I'm not an artist!" Well, my attitude towards everything I do now is different, because being a part of CCS has given me the encouragement to try so many different things. The feeling of success - just for having tried - has increased my self confidence in almost every area of my life. The warmth, friendships, care, laughter, tears, memories and so many other things shared here are incredible! My life is better because of the friendships built through my keyboard at CCS! And, even if I hide out for awhile, coming back is like seeing old friends again who are always happy I'm here.

You, Mr. Dan, deserve to be patting yourself on the back a whole bunch of times! Thanks for all you've done, and I can't wait to see what else you come up with!

Mary

[Malinda Neisess]

Dan, You are the man!

I cannot find the words to tell you how much I appreciate you and this wonderful haven!

I have been mostly absent for the last year due to numerous changes in my life:

Many of the old timers :-) know that my world was rocked a year ago as I went through a sudden divorce, then my youngest daughter graduated, my oldest daughter came home from her 6 year service in the airforce, I met a wonderful man from Texas on eharmony :-), my youngest and oldest daughter started college, I got engaged, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, postponed the wedding, my youngest daughter got engaged, I planned another wedding date for myself while also trying to plan my daughter's wedding, made plans to move to Texas, resigned from my job of over 10 years, my mother passed away, the morning before our next wedding, postponed again, we went ahead a had a quick wedding out on our local golf course and then the next day took the whole family & my fiance (6 of us) to Georgia for her funeral, sent my son off on a mission trip to Ecuador, went to my new husband's family reunion in Texas :-}, returned to find out that my youngest daughter had already gotten married ;-[, and am now trying to get my house ready for sale, get rid of all my stuff, and to pack up as little as possible and take my son and move to Texas away from our home of the last 12 years!!! whew

I mention all this because all I can keep thinking about is that I have this wonderful haven of escape so close at hand but that I just keep putting on hold until everything slows down...
that's me, I've always been the type to save the best for last and to want all my ducks in a row before I play and I am just chompin' at the bit to get back to CCS and reunite with the wonderful creative friends I know are there/here...

Everyone has been so supportive and forgiving and I count myself blessed to know you are all here and all is well at CCSpace!!!

Thanks so much Dan!
and congratulations!

I'll be back!
malinda

[Susan Hosken]

Malinda, Not sure if you will get this. My head is still spinning from everything that has happened to you since you used to be frequently here. I always wish you well.
lots of love from susan in australia

[jane]

malinda - you are the greatest... what a year you have had! and taken time to write it all down for us here.

Your year must beat most - but you sound upbeat and seem to be finding happiness after all the trials.

We will love to see you back when you have time... i only drop in and out these days too... life seems to throw things up all the time, but as others have said - however long one is away - there is always a warm and loving welcome when you return.

take care and hurry back....

jane xxx

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Congratulations on becoming a Mrs. and my sincerest wishes for Happiness for you and your handsome cowboy, Malindabelle! I sure hope you will come out and play here at CCS occasionally ... those ducks can take forever to get lined up just right ... and you are so entitled to a bit of creativity here and there. I know it takes a lot of creativity to do what you're doing. I'm happy to hear you were able to get the whole family to Georgia ... please accept my condolences on the loss of your mother. ~Hugs~

[Ang Monsoon]

i'm only a newcomer but everyone has been very generous to me and made me feel most welcome. I love to "connect" with CCS...like popping into another world where people talk about fascinating things instead of the weather or other people or what was on tv last night. Happy birthday & thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!All the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

I find it hard to believe it's been a whole year since our first CCS Birthday Celebration. The growth is indeed mind boggling! I find fantastic inspiration here and am more able to encourage creativity in people in my life who consider themselves to be uncreative ... the ripples move on out forever ... Thank you again for following your passion and creating CCS, Dan. Your actions have rocked my world :) ~HUGS~