In 2018, I decided what my future career path will be when I finish college. I completely redecorated our home, my photography business grew like I never could have expected. I got my first set of stitches and had another year-long uphill battle with my health. I traveled to many places – 4 months living in Texas, trips to Florida, Baton Rouge, and Grand Cayman. I accomplished so much in the last 12 months, and most important of all, I was SO HAPPY this past year. For the last half of this post, I wanted to share some of my favorites of 2018.
GROWING MY BLOG
This year, my blog grew exponentially. I had so many amazing opportunities and was able to partner with brands that I had only ever dreamed of working with. I spent countless hours shooting photos and writing posts and re-shooting photos and answering emails and staring at a computer screen…All of my hard work finally started to pay off in 2018, and I can’t wait to see where the new year takes me.
5 YEARS
Nick and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in 2018. I didn’t think it was still possible to love him more every day after that many years, but I still do. I am so happy with the life we have built together and grateful for these five years with my best friend.
TAKING CHARGE OF MY HEALTH
I finally got some answers about my health this past year. I had a long-overdue sleep study, from which I learned that I have narcolepsy and sleep apnea. We were finally able to start developing a treatment plan, and my quality of life is already starting to improve drastically. On top of that, I lost over 25 pounds in the last half of the year.
PETTING LOTS OF DOGS
I didn’t even know it was possible, but I think my love for Golden Retrievers grew even more in 2018. I pet so many cute doggies and now I want my own more than ever.
SUMMER
I had such an amazing summer. Packing up my car and moving to Texas alone for four months was the adventure of a lifetime. I had the most amazing summer internship experience – I worked for Frankie Jean and learned more than I ever could have imagined. I also had the opportunity to work at Silobration this year with Frankie Jean, which was another “pinch me” experience. I MET JOANNA GAINES! Another highlight of the summer was testing out almost 50 coffee shops in Austin. I collaborated with so many of them on an awesome coffee guide. It was the most fun project I’ve ever worked on!
SPENDING TIME WITH PEOPLE I LOVE
I experienced the hardest loss of my life so far this year, but it forced me to be grateful for the time and the memories that I am able to spend with my loved ones. My grandparents are some of the most important people in my life, and I am so grateful that I spent so much time with them last year. I have a busy life, but I make it a priority to spend time with the people I love because those moments are fleeting.
AUSTIN, TEXAS
My home for the summer – Austin will always hold a special place in my heart. I really fell in love with the city in the four months I was there. I have already flown back once since then, and I will hopefully be back many times in the future. You can read some of my favorite Austin blog posts HERE, HERE, and HERE!
NAVARRE, FLORIDA
I stay at my aunt’s condo in Navarre every year, and this year I was so excited for Nick to join me. I usually travel there alone, and it was so fun to show him all of my favorite spots. I already can’t wait until our return trip.
GRAND CAYMAN
Early in 2018, I made a return trip to my favorite place on earth with my family. Something about Grand Cayman makes me the happiest girl alive. Of course it was another amazing trip!
NEWLY REDECORATED HOME
After I moved back home from Texas I had a serious urge to redecorate and reorganize our entire house. In hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have started such a big project so quickly, but oh well. I could not be happier with how everything turned out. I forgot to take “before” pictures, but I will be doing a blog post of the “after” shots soon! My favorite room is now my office. I used to have my desk crammed in a corner and I never felt motivated to use it. I now spend more time in my office than any other room in my house!
NEW CAR
Before I went to Texas, I had to buy a new car. It sucked because that’s a bigggg investment, but I ended up finding the most perfect car a few days before I left. I got a 2013 Dark Grey Malibu. It has been so great to me and my cross-country travels of 2018.
Drunk Elephant TLC Babyface Sukari, Cerave Moisturizer, Cetaphil Cleanser, Sperry Duck Boots, Outdoor Voices Rec Shorts, Lands’ End Canvas Bags, Lululemon Wunder Unders, Outdoor Voices Workout Dress, IKEA Dresser, Lands’ End Swimsuits, Calpak Marble Suitcase, Frankie Jean Baseball Hats.
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I usually make a huge list of goals for the new year, but this year I’m only going to focus on one thing. I am going to learn to let things go, and learn to live by one of my favorite phrases, “done is better than perfect.” I put these enormous pressures on myself and create way more stress in my life than is necessary. I’m ready to free myself from the unrealistic deadlines of my constant to-do list and the stress I place on myself.
I hope you had a great 2018. I did, and I’m also so ready for 2019! What are your goals for the new year?
