Happy 2021

 Happy 2021!

I know I posted yesterday, but we are going to count this as the first official post of the new year! 

Can y'all believe we made it through 2020? It was definitely a really weird year. However, J and I were talking about it the other night and we were pretty blessed in the fact that it wasn't too bad for us. We were extremely lucky and got married the first week of January and didn't have to postpone. My heart literally broke for all the brides (friends & stranger) that had to change their dates and rearrange EVERYTHING!! I would have been a total wreck/bridezilla. 

We were also lucky we got to take a little trip to Paris. Our original honeymoon to Greece was definitely postponed, but I'm so thankful I somehow talked J into a "mini moon". 

We also got to spend a TON of time together. Not only because of WFH, but J only traveled 2 times this year. 

Another plus is we got to spend every freaking day with our best buddy Ramsey. (I hope we never go back to work because I don't know what that poor guy is going to do.)

We were both EXTREMELY fortunate to keep our jobs as well. Working in sports there were some very scary and stressful days for both of us. 

This is just a small look back at some positive things that happened in 2020. 

I know some were not as fortunate as us this year. If that is you my heart goes out to you. I don't say all this to brag and make 2020 seem like the perfect year for me. It definitely wasn't. My anxiety was at an all time high back in March and April. There were cancelled trips. I haven't seen my dad in a year! The list goes on and on. However, all of this to say I think 2020 was the year that taught me to look on the bright side. To look forward to things. No matter how small they might have been. 2020 was really the year that taught me to truly count my blessings and look at all the positive and good things in life. In a year like that it's the only thing that will get you through.

As bad as 2020 may have been there are a lot of lessons I hope to carry with me into 2021 and beyond. 

So Happy New Year and may 2021 be better than last year, but if it's not remember there are definitely brighter days coming... eventually! 

Shacket: Parkside Harbor | Top: Nordstrom | Jeans: Old Navy (more sizes available here)  |  Booties: Old (similar here here, & here) | Purse: Rebecca Minkoff | Sunnies: Quay Australia | Lipstick: Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre Lip Gloss Pillow Talk

Happy New Year! 2020

Happy New Year!

2020

I can't believe the holiday season is already over and it's a brand new year. 

I have been seriously slacking on the blog posts the last couple weeks. I have had a ton of time off work, but have been in last minute wedding planning mode. I can't believe we are only 3 days away from our wedding! (Where has the time gone?!) 

Today I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on 2019 and look forward to 2020. 

2019 was a pretty quiet year. (It had a lot to live up to from 2018. We got our puppy, traveled a bunch, got engaged, I got promoted at work twice, and so much more.)

2019 wasn't a bad year just not as eventful. The biggest part of 2019 was wedding planning. If I could only describe the year in one way it would be wedding planning. haha. I got to go on a few fun trips this year including Miami for my bachelorette party! 

It was also a good year for the blog. I did the most collabs I've ever done this year. I finally started doing some local events at the end of the year and got to meet other Jacksonville bloggers.

 Dress: Acelitt | Shoes: Steve Madden (I actually hate these shoes. I forgot why until I put them on to shoot this. They are SUPER narrow. I don't have a wide foot at all! I'd recommend these or these) | Lipstick: Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in Rosé Wood | Sunnies: Amazon

I will say even though 2019 wasn't bad I am definitely ready for 2020. This year is going to be a big one! 

I get to kick off this decade by marrying J who I have been dating for the last 10 years! We started the last decade off by making things official as BF and GF and will start this one by making things even more official as husband and wife! 

After that we have our mini moon. (Stay tuned into IG next week to see where we are going.)

After that I get to go to Vegas for work and then turn around and go back to Vegas 3 weeks later with some girlfriends! 

2020 is going to be the year of weddings for us. I think so far we will be attending 6 not including our own. 

We also will go on our big honeymoon in April/May and I am so so excited for that. 

I also turn 30 this year. That is a whole other blog post for a different day, but obviously that's a big birthday. 

These are just the things we have planned so far. I know there will be so many other things that happen this year and I can't wait to see where I'm at on December 31st, 2020.

I also hope this is a big year for the blog. Last year was the biggest yet and I can only hope to grow even more this year. I hope y'all will continue to follow along.

I also hope that 2020 is a great year for each and every one of you! Remember that you have 365 (now 364) chances to make this your best year yet!! 

Goodbye 2018...Hello 2019

Happy 2019!

I hope everyone had a great holiday with family & friends. I decided to take a little extra time off from blogging last week and start refreshed this week. To kick things off I thought I would reflect a little on how AWESOME 2018 was and share some goals for 2019.

Let’s start with how 2018 was for me. I can honestly say 2018 was an amazing year. In January we picked up our puppy that I had been begging J to get me for years. It was a learning experience and we for sure lost some sleep, but he is so cute and makes every day better, so he is totally worth it.

I also got to travel a little this year. We started the year by taking a trip to Mexico with 8 of our closest friends! It was such a fun trip and the hotel we stayed at was the nicest place I’ve ever stayed. I also got to visit NYC for 10 days and spent 2 of those days in The Hamptons. This was my favorite trip to NY yet!! After that it was off to California in October. I haven’t been to Cali since I was a kid. We had so much fun checking out the beach, eating lots of food, exploring and watching our friends tie the knot. I ended my travel with a Bachelorette trip to St. Thomas. The trip was so much fun. The best part was when we rented a boat to take us all over for the day. We got to go snorkeling, see other parts of the islands, eat a delicious lunch and had some great drinks! 

I also had a really great year at my day job. I got promoted in April and then again in October. I’m really excited for this next adventure in my professional career.

I also had a pretty good year with the blog. I wrote more posts than I ever have, and I gave more focus to the blog than ever before. (I still want to do so much more but we’ll get to that in a minute.)

Lastly and DEFINIETLY my favorite moment of 2018 was on my trip to NYC when J surprised me and proposed. It was such a great day and means so much to me that he did it in my favorite city. I can’t wait to plan our wedding this year and marry him early next year!

Now let’s talk about 2019. I never really make resolutions. I don’t believe in them and I feel like they usually go out the window by the time February comes around. I do however want to set some goals for myself.

1.     Plan our wedding without going completely crazy. This seems easy, but there are so many things that go into planning that I never thought about. I will share more of this with y’all throughout the year in my Wedding Wednesday series so stay tuned.

2.     I want to grow the blog even more. I did my best to stick to a consistent schedule last year, but I slipped up more than a couple times. This year I want to do my best to post every Tuesday & Thursday and do 1 Five on Friday and Wedding Wednesday per month. This may sound easy to some, but it will definitely be a little challenging for me. However, it’s a challenge I am willing to take on. (If you have any post ideas please feel free to leave them below.)  

3.     Same goes with Instagram. I want to post on their more often. I’ll be so good about posting every day and then I’ll skip like 5. I want to be very consistent and share more on stories. Even just day to day things. I follow so many bloggers and I love when they just talk about random day to day things.

4.     Lastly, I want to be really healthy. I obviously would love to drop a few lbs before our wedding, but I want to do it the healthy way and the right way. I want to lose weight and keep it off. I want to eat more fruits & vegetables and maybe a little less pizza & doughnuts. I also want to find a workout routine that I like and stick with it. I want to continue running after I train for and run my half marathon next month. I also want to find some type of group fitness that I enjoy and can stick with. (If you have any favorites leave them below for me to try.)

So, there you have it my thoughts on 2018 and my goals for 2019. It’s safe to say that 2018 was a great year and 2019 has some pretty big shoes to fill. However, I have a feeling that 2019 is up to the challenge!

Happy 2018

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2018. As my first post of 2018 rather than sharing my New Year's resolutions ( I don't make any) I thought I would share on update on my 101 in 1001. I have completed a few things off my list, but still have a TON to go. 

1.    Go to Europe

2.    Get a promotion

3.    Get a puppy (J surprised me with one on Christmas 12/25/2017)

4.    Go on a vacation with just my mom

5.    Go on a vacation with just my dad

6.    Run a half marathon

7.    Take a cooking class

8.    Spend NYE in NYC

9.    Attend Fashion Week

10.                  Volunteer at the Humane Society

11.                  Buy a Louis Vuitton Bag

12.                  Spend a whole day with my nephew doing whatever he wants

13.                  Treat my parents to a nice dinner

14.                  Buy a pair of Louboutins

15.                  Go to an NBA game (Went to a Cavs game 12/17/2017)

16.                  Read 15 books

17.                  Try 10 new restaurants in Jacksonville

18.                  Travel to 5 new places (Cleveland 11/2017,

19.                  Go fishing with my dad

20.                  Learn to shoot in manual mode on my camera

21.                  Do a giveaway on my blog

22.                  Hit 500 classes at Pure Barre

23.                  Go to Chicago

24.                  Send out a Christmas Card

25.                  Cook an entire Thanksgiving meal for my family or others

26.                  Go to an NHL game

27.                  Grow a pineapple

28.                  Go to the Spa

29.                  Go to Disney World

30.                  See the leaves change in the mountains

31.                  Go to Biltmore

32.                  Host a brunch party at my house

33.                  Try paddle boarding

34.                  Redesign my blog

35.                  Make business cards for my blog

36.                  Clean out my closet (clothes & shoes)

37.                  Make 10 new recipes from pinterest

38.                  Try orange theory

39.                  Ride a mechanical bull

40.                  Do a pedal pub

41.                  Run the Gate River Run again

42.                  Go to 2 golf events with J other than TPC

43.                  Learn about my ancestors/heritage

44.                  Go camping

45.                  Organize ALL the closets in my house

46.                  Pay for the person behind me in the stabucks line

47.                  Buy something vintage

48.                  Send my mom flowers

49.                  Spend an entire weekend binge watching Netflix (this sounds bad but I NEVER do this anymore)

50.                  Go to 5 concerts

51.                  Go to a Jags away game (Jags vs Browns 11/19/2017)

52.                  Get another tattoo

53.                  Donate to a charity (Donated to ASPCA on giving Tuesday 11/28/2017)

54.                  Go to a winery

55.                  Go apple picking

56.                  Take a painting with a twist class

57.                  Go to Oktoberfest

58.                  Get a facial

59.                  Go snorkling

60.                  Pay off a big chunk of my student loans (more than half)

61.                  Get on a really good skin regimen

62.                  Finish decorating my house (and maybe decorate a new one)

63.                  Get on a consistent blog schedule and stick to it (goal is at least 3 days a week)

64.                  Go horseback riding

65.                  Learn to ski or snowboard

66.                  Throw roaring 20’s party for my 29^th birthday

67.                  Inspire someone

68.                  Take a girls trip (Charleston 12/2017)

69.                  Try juicing

70.                  Find a signature drink other than a vodka soda or margarita

71.                  Go vegetarian for a week (bonus points if I can last a month)

72.                  Organize all my makeup and skin care products

73.                  Watch the sunrise

74.                  Cut down my own Christmas tree

75.                  Have a picnic

76.                  Write a letter to myself to open on my 35^th birthday

77.                  Be able to do all 3 splits

78.                  Take an aerial yoga class

79.                  Get a new pair of glasses

80.                  Find out my blood type

81.                  Attend a polo match (bonus points if it’s the Veuve Polo Classic)

82.                  Try kickboxing

83.                  Make homemade pasta

84.                  Make a wreath for our front door

85.                  Invest in a good quality pair of running shoes (Bought a pair of brooks 12/2017)

86.                  Try 5 new restaurants in St Augustine

87.                  Get a real Christmas tree for the house (December 2017)

88.                  Meal prep for one week (bonus points if I can do it once a week for a month)

89.                  Go to an FSU game in Tallahasse

90.                  Have a classic movie marathon with my mom and watch all of her favorites like Gone with the Wind, My Fair Lady, etc

91.                  Learn to braid my own hair (fishtail, French, & dutch)

92.                  Collaborate with a local store for my boutique

93.                  Take a hot air balloon ride

94.                  Hit my daily steps goal of 10,000 every day for a month

95.                  Take a staycation

96.                  Take a day off once every 6 months just to clean/relax at home

97.                  Create a budget and stick to it

98.                  Plan a whole date night for me and J

99.                  Write city guides for all of the places I have lived

100.              Come up with 101 things (completed 10/18/2017)

101.              Plan an epic 30^th birthday trip

I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year's Eve and that 2018 is your best year yet. I'd love to hear what your resolutions or plans are for 2018 in the comments below!