We just finished packing up all of our Christmas goodies and decor, and it feels so good to have our apartment looking semi-sleek and clean again. I remember hearing that Christmas is like an old friend coming to visit - you count down the minutes until her arrival, make plans, try and soak up every waking moment of warm and fuzzy goodness, wish that your time together will never end. Then suddenly, she's been there the entire month and you're itching to get back to your real life where you don't throwback brie and crackers every night like a multivitamin.
We kept our Christmas small this year in anticipation of 2019 being a big year for us financially (having a wedding, going on a honeymoon, buying a house, OH MY!), but we got to spend time with both of our families. Like I said in my last post, there are certainly pros and cons to working in a school, but having two weeks off during the holidays has been the absolute best.
I haven't set my goals or intentions for the year, or selected a word, or whatever it is the kids are doing these days (LOL ok that's the only old-person joke coming from a young-person you'll hear out of me in this post...maybe). I'm working on delving into what it is I want from 2019, aside from the big stuff like getting married.
I'd like to keep blogging, and maybe do it a little more consistently than I did in 2018. You know, turn in back into a creative outlet. Maybe I'll figure out how to use Lightroom presets from a mobile app so I can have a consistent Instagram feed (wow! talk about *~gOaLs~*). Maybe, after five years of blogging, I'll finally create an editorial calendar and plan out posts in advance.
Maybe maybe maybe. See? Nothing set just yet, but that's the framework, at least for this little corner of the internet. And if you're still around, lemme just tell you - THANK YOU.
Until I figure those out for certain, I'll give a little mini version of "2018 in review," the kind you won't see on my Instagram. The good and the bad.
- You already know what's number one...after 4.5 years of dating, Ryan and I got engaged!
- We traveled to North Carolina and Washington D.C.
- I finished my master's program with a 3.8 GPA (my new year's resolution from last year!) after 3.5 years of post-bacc and graduate school.
- I started my first job as a speech-language pathologist in a public school setting. I'm not sure it's where I want to be forever, but it's where I am for now, and I'm learning so much every day.
- After battling cancer on and off for years, my grandad passed away in August. We miss him all the time, but I'm so thankful that my mom and I got to go up to St. Augustine for a few weekends this year to spend time with him earlier this year.
- I went to more blogging and community events than I ever have in the past, got closer with local Tampa Bay blogger Kahla (heyyyy girl!), and met one of my favorite blogger friends in real life, Chelsea!
- Looked for a wedding dress alongside the leading ladies in my life, and said yes to the dress a week later.
- Read 19 books! Short of my goal of 25, but it took me forever to finish The Nightingale (so good, though), and I spent too much time trying to get into books that just didn't snag my interest (like Beartown...). Keep an eye out for a major book review in January!
- While we were house sitting for my parents during their trip to Europe, my dad sliced off a good chunk of the tip of his left index finger and they had to come home early (the day before they were supposed to visit Greece for the first time). Talk about YIKES.
- Saw some of my favorite artists in concert - Lorde, Justin Timberlake, Andrew MacMahon, and my queen, Taylor Swift.
- Quit my serving job at Ciccio's after 3.5 years.
Like most years, 2018 was another year of growth. In some ways, it was the most exciting year of my life. In others, it was gut-wrenching. In any event, tomorrow begins a clean slate, and I'm looking forward to making memories in 2019. I hope you have a kick-ass start to the new year!
