5 Things I'm Taking on in 2019 (and a 2018 Recap!)
Happy New Year!
I know I’m a few days late. I had some major shifts at the end of last year/beginning of this one that I responded to with AnXiEtY so I had to take a moment to try and figure out what’s going on. I still don’t entirely know, and the anxiety is still very much present, but I’m trying to be patient with myself and get with it! Just having a lot of feelings, you know?
2018 wasn’t exactly a remarkable year. I didn’t go on any vacations. I didn’t make any big purchases (unless you count all the money I spent at Target, oops!). We did do some really cool projects at the house, which I’m super pumped to post about. You’ll have to hold out a bit longer because my iPhone photos don’t do them justice. I feel like I really started to settle into my career and reach goals I didn’t necessarily think were possible, so that was exciting. I also started this site towards the end of the year, which was a definite highlight! Sadly, I didn’t get anymore dogs *single tear*. But all in all, the ones I love remained healthy and happy, and for that I can say it was a very good year.
I had a birthday right before the end of the year and am now 33. This is the first year I’ve gone into feeling really optimistic. I like the number 33. I feel like 2019 is going to bring a lot of good change and shake things up, and I am here for it! Because my birthday and the start of the new year are so close together, I’ve set some goals for my 33rd year that kind of double as resolutions:
1. Manage my stress better.
This is not something I’m great at, but I’m making a commitment to work on it because — I’ve just learned — I don’t win some special prize for being more stressed out than everyone else! Ugh! I’ve recently joined the gym, and I’m trying to go a few times a week just to get my body moving and do something positive for myself. I am not fit or athletic by any means, but I always leave feeling really proud of myself for going, and this sounds really cheesy, but I didn’t realize how badly I needed to feel that. I’m also going to see a dermatologist, a general practitioner, and a therapist to figure out what is going on with a few random moles, have my blood/levels checked, and sort through some of the many things in my brain. It will be good to deal with these things head on and to not have to worry or wonder about them anymore. 2019 is a year for making myself and my health a priority for once. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me and what I learn about myself in the process.
2. Stop eating like an unsupervised toddler at a birthday party.
My eating habits have always been pretty bleak. I’m no chef. I religiously make myself eggs in the morning, but beyond that, I have zero cooking skills. I work out of my car, so I would just grab whatever, whenever. I am also a stress eater. And I have a horrible sweet tooth. And after a work event last year, I felt so exhausted and overwhelmed and out of control from all of my stress eating that I got fed up with myself and gave up desserts. I just tried doing it for a day. Then a few days. Then a week. Then a month. And now it’s been 4 months. I don’t know that anyone can really tell a difference. I’ve just recently had a few friends comment. But it’s been 4 months. And it’s weird to do something for myself for no other reason than it’s good for me and I should. I’ve had a few people ask how I did it, and I tell them all the same thing — when you get mad enough at yourself, you will do it. And it doesn’t have to be giving up sugar. It can be starting your side hustle. It can be moving to another city. It’s the one thing that’s jumping out at you right now as you’re reading this. That thing! you should do it!
And to clarify, I have not given up sugar. I’ve given up desserts, which are my #1 weakness in life (besides Scarlett and Teddy’s puppy dog eyes, HA!). I still have iced coffee. I eat fruit and cereal instead of chocolate chip cookies for breakfast (not a joke). I have actively been working at this for several months — and I still struggle! When I get stressed out, I sometimes unknowingly pace around my kitchen between the pantry and the refrigerator. I have literally been stress eating since I was a child. It’s going to take more than a few months to undo those habits. But I remember how far I’ve come and that’s what motivates me to keep myself on track. And I’m proud of myself! And I feel like I have control. And that gives me confidence that I can do other things I thought were previously impossible. I greatly attribute starting this site to that change. True story!
3. Invest more time into my writing.
Do you see how these all kind of flow together? Finally starting this site was one of my biggest personal achievements of 2018. I have learned so much about myself in the short amount of time I’ve been back in the blogging game. I also have much to learn about blogging, squarespace, SEO (WTF?). I’m the only person behind this site, and it’s been good to learn how to piece together every facet of making it work. Looking forward to honing those skills and learning a few more!
4. Take a freaking vacation.
You guys. I am soooo not good at this. Even on days I work from home, I’m usually on my feet the entire time. Okay, when I type that out, it does sound crazy. But I digress! I am in desperate need of a vacation. I thought that was going to happen last year, but our puppy had to have a pretty invasive surgery, and I couldn’t bear to leave him. But this year, it is happening. Even if I have to travel alone on one of those Disney cruises or something. Even if it’s the only one of these goals I meet by the end of the year, I AM DOING IT.
Because I liked the idea of having 5 goals (let’s be real, I have, like, a hundred), one of mine is to…
5. Learn how to tile!
Our house was built in 1980, and as you might imagine, it is full of a lot of really hideous tile. I’m talking light yellow tile. I’m talking beige tile. I’m talking beige tile with painted flower pots in the middle. It’s bad. And I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s false confidence? But I feel like I would be really, really good at tiling if I just gave it some effort! I have a very strong attention to detail, and I think I would enjoy focusing on a project like that (which is good, because there are plenty of places in our home that need some serious help!). So that is on my list for this year. I’m not sure if I can find someone who will let me work under them, or if I’m going to the school of youtube, but I’ll report back as I figure that out. Side note, if you don’t follow @redrocktileworks on Instagram, you absolutely should. They’re based in Nashville, and everything they make is super swoon-worthy.
2018 Quick Recap
Most Popular Post: How to Host an Epic Friendsgiving
This was one of my first posts, which could explain the traffic. But maybe it’s because you loved the idea of gathering your people around you and celebrating the start of the holiday season with good food and good company.
*Bonus! The GYST Before Christmas Guide was only one click behind, and it was one of my most recent posts! I was really thrilled with how the format of that post turned out, and I got a lot of positive feedback from those that read it, so thank you!
Project I was most excited to accomplish: Oh my gosh, hands down, getting rid of the gross beige carpet in our house and replacing it with laminate. This was such a long time coming, but I can honestly say it was worth the wait. We left the carpet in one of the bedrooms (because that’s where we stored all of our junk while they worked on the rest of the house!), and now we’re going to go back and do that room, too. Pictures to come — promise!
Favorite purchase of the year: Y’all already know — the Roomba! We have 2 dogs, and I would literally start every single day by vacuuming the house. Now, I just press a button on my phone, and he takes off! It’s nice to finally have some help around here ;)
Something I did that I didn’t think I could do: I replaced the faucet in our bathroom by myself, which probably doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but it was original to the house and corroding and desperately needed an upgrade. I was on a high from doing that for at least a week! It took several phone calls to my dad, borrowing tools from my neighbor, and a nasty blood blister — but I did it.
The most fun I had this year was…: I went to Cancun in January for work and sang karaoke in front of a few hundred people during one of the evening events. I used to perform regularly but haven’t done that in a really long time. It was scary but a lot of fun!
Happiest accident of the year: After one of the most exhausting (but fun!) weeks of work I’ve ever had, my coworker and I got stuck in Chicago on the way home from a work trip. We had none of our stuff, and I NEVER check a bag, but I was bringing home some products to test out that were above the size limit, so I had to. We ended up staying in a cute hotel and spending the day with one of my first friends in Nashville that also happened to be in town. We brunched. We shopped. We went to the Garfield Park Conservatory (which made my inner plant lady oh so happy). It was not in the plans, but it ended up being a really good adventure.
Biggest change of the year: Coloring my hair pink. Hands down. I’ve done it a few times, and every time I do it, I remember how much I love it. Fortunately, I work in an industry where I can get away with that! Also, seriously, cutting back on sugar. I still can’t believe I’ve managed to give up cookies for 4 months. That is wild to me. But I’m doing it!
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That’s it for now! If you stuck with me this far, I just want to say I appreciate you so much for being here and supporting this site. I feel really grateful for all of the love you guys have shown by encouraging me and sharing the posts and offering feedback. It absolutely means the world. I hope you had an incredible 2018 and have an even better 2019 on deck. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.
All my love!
