2018 Reflections and a New Year Goal

It’s that time of year where we reflect on the past year and look forward to what we want to accomplish in the new year to come. The last year has been a tough one and I’ve worked really hard on a lot of personal things over the course of the last 12 months. Regardless of the trials though, I wouldn’t have changed a thing and I am lucky enough to have little nuggets of good times to help balance it all out. I am enjoying taking a walk down memory lane and really looking forward to what 2019 has in store!

2018 Reflections

Unfortunately, the year began with the loss of my little old man, my cat Gus. We got Gus when I was 12 years old and he made it almost 19 good years. He lived a full and happy life and I am so thankful that I was able to be there with him until the end.

Learning to bloom turned 1 on March 1^st and I celebrated with this post giving a round up of my favorite posts from the previous year! I haven’t been as consistent this year with posting despite my best intentions but if there is one thing I realized this year is that self care takes priority. My plan is to get back to posting 1-2 times a week and get back to dedicating some real time to this passion project of mine.

We finally set a date for our wedding and from that moment on we have hit the ground running with the planning process. The venue is a beautiful location in Bonney Lake, Wa called The Kelley Farm and I am beyond excited to be hosting our special day there on June 15^th, 2019. We also booked my dream photographer, Kelsey Lynn Photography, and in October she took beautiful engagement photos for us. Our save the dates went out in December and we are currently meeting with caterers and looking into DJ’s and someone to do flowers. I am so excited for our wedding day!

We went on a few trips this year and had such a great time on each of them. Traveling is something we really enjoy doing together and we are looking forward to doing more of it in the future! The first trip of the year was to Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. Jake had been staying at the Chateau at Lake Louise for a company kickoff event for the beginning of the year so I decided to go up there for a long weekend. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. We went for a walk across the frozen lake, had mulled wine at the outdoor snow bar, had pizza at a hotel in the small town down the hill, and got to go snowshoeing. It was magical and romantic and I hope that we will return there one day to see if during the summer!

In May, we went down to Vegas over Memorial Day weekend to visit with Jake’s mom and her boyfriend Rob. We went to the Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur and the Cirque Du Soleil show Mystere. We also did a lot of lounging by the pool during the day. It was some much needed R&R for the two of us.

In September, we decided to hit the road and drive down to San Francisco! On our first night we stopped in southern Oregon to camp for the night. It was cute little campground and we treated ourselves to a camp stove made lobster dinner. The next day we drove through the Redwoods and made it down to San Francisco that evening. We only had enough time to stay most of the next day to explore and we made the most of it. We took one of the iconic trolleys downtown to have breakfast and then we walked down to the waterfront and towards Fisherman’s Wharf. We then took an Uber up to Coit Tower and walked back down after. Once we got back to the car we decided to head over to Golden Gate Park where we visited the Conservatory of Flowers and had a beer at the boat house. Before we headed out of town we stopped at this really cool look out comprised of an abandoned military structure for a killer view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I wish we could have stayed longer and I can’t wait until we can visit again!

This year I shared a post all about the importance of taking care of your physical and mental wellbeing. I focused on these a lot this year. I found a really great doctor and a really great therapist and they are helping me get back to a good place with my health. I plan on sharing more of my journey throughout this next year.

The rest of the year was filled with weddings, Saturday morning walks, outdoor workouts, coffee dates, dinner at Cafe Nordo on Halloween, art installations, a trip to the market, and wedding dress shopping. All in all a great year!

2019: A Goal a Month

I wanted to try something new this year in regards to goal setting. I wanted to give myself a month to focus on one goal I have been trying to achieve. I have laid out my why and also a plan to reach said goal. I’ve got the first half of the year planned and I am really looking forward to seeing what works and what doesn’t. This gives me a definite timeline to focus on a goal at a time. I have left the end of the year open so far just in case I would like to revisit a goal later on.

An overall goal I have is to continue to take care of myself and keep my focus on bettering my mental wellbeing and getting my cholesterol levels down to healthy levels as naturally as possible. I want to keep moving my body and learning to love it no matter what size it is. I want to keep working on loving myself and building the life of my dreams.

I don’t know what the next year will bring but I am excited to work hard and accomplish things that I know I am capable of. It’s going to be a year of stepping out of my comfort zone and being the best I can be. Here’s to 2019!!