Word of the Year: SAVOR

Happy Hump Day, readers!

Nine days in and I'm feeling really good about this upcoming year and am excited to see what's in store.

Blogging can be so cathartic and sharing my reflections of the past year and intentions for the new year here is a really good exercise. One of my all time favorite quotes is "I cannot advise that we remain as we are." by Socrates. This idea of constant improvement really drives me, and reflection and intention are an important part of growth.

So before I dive into my word of 2019, savor, I want to take a moment to reflect on 2018, which was truly one of the best years of my life.

(This is a long post, so if you'd rather skip ahead, scroll down to the graphic and start there.)

My word last year was intentional, with a particular focus in the areas of family and career. I shared that I felt as if I was on a precipice, the end of a high dive, and I wanted to make sure my jumps into the next phase of my life were the right ones.

In terms of career, I knew I had landed in the right profession, but I hadn't yet found just the right fit. I spent a good bit of time job searching last year and was relentless in my search. I knew I needed to land somewhere that had lasting power, and even turned down a few really great job offers, so that I could ultimately say yes to my dream job. I've been in my role now for nearly 9 months and really feel I have "landed." I have room to grow, stretch, and challenge myself; a boss who encourages creativity and risk; and a reasonable workload.  Additionally, I have incredible flexibility, which was a huge deciding factor during my job search, and will be crucial once we have bambinos.

Which leads me to my next point: family. This time last year, we knew we weren't quite ready to start a family, and wanted to focus on being intentional in a few areas to prepare for babes in the not so distant future: finances, spontaneity, and health. Finding a job where I could see myself as a working mom was one box I knew I needed to check before thinking about adding a baby to the mix; and my new role also fortunately was a nice title and salary jump. As newlyweds last year, we also felt the need to "catch up" post-wedding and honeymoon, and also figure out what financial path to take as a married couple. This wasn't a huge curve ball, as we had been living together for a few years, but it's something we're still working at and tweaking to find the right balance. Next, we  knew we wanted to take some more time to be selfish and spontaneous. We planned a somewhat last minute trip to England last year when opportunity struck (our friends, Erin and Ryan, are living in London temporarily). We drove to the Eastern Shore on a whim to see a 4:00 am rocket launch! We said "No thanks!" (countless) times to our meal plan and opted for Mexican and margaritas instead. Finally, in terms of health, we wanted to build habits to make us as healthy as possible before parenthood. I'm excited to say I'm starting 2019 about 14 pounds lighter than I started 2018, but more importantly I'm more physically fit and have a good balance in my diet. Sleep is still a health area we need to improve on, but hey, maybe, we're just preparing ourselves for the sleep deprivation that will come with children.

Okay, now onto 2019. That "moment" to reflect on 2018 got a bit wordy. Hopefully you're still with me, because I am PUMPED to jump into my word for this year!

savor (v): to delight in; enjoy

It took me quite a while to find this word. It was on the tip of my tongue for a while.

I've shared on here before that I'm Type A, a planner, a doer. I don't necessarily think those are bad traits, but I do find myself sometimes focusing so much on what's next, that I'm not fully present and enjoying what's now. I've even noticed a trend where in the second half of a month, I'll often say "I can't wait for X MONTH to be over." Not because it's a hard month, or there's something I'm looking forward to the next month, simply because I feel like I want to just keep going. I also sometimes struggle (though I've gotten much better) to let go of things that are outside of my control, or to accept when things don't go according to my plan and timeline. When I was in therapy in college, my therapist once said to me something like "Allie, I know you can explain all your feelings, analyze them, tell me why you should or shouldn't feel a certain way; but I want you to focus instead on just being in the feeling." 

For all these reasons, I knew I wanted this year to be about, quite frankly, just being. I considered the words breathe and serenity, but they felt too zen. I considered faith or trust, but both of those have connotations that strayed from my meaning. I also thought about gratitude or contentment, but they weren't quite right either.

As I continued and continued to go back to the drawing board what kept coming to mind was our recent New Year's Eve. We stayed in and early in the night, I was sitting by the fire sipping bubbly, Millie was next to me, Bryce was nearby in the kitchen, and Van Morrison was playing on the radio. In that moment all I could feel was pure joy. Similarly, when I think back to our trip to England, one of, if not the most, favorite moments was at Stonehenge when we sat in the grass, paused, and took in the rolling green hills, blue skies, grazing sheep, and wonder of the monument. The moments where I'm most happy, content, joyful are the moments were I am truly stopping, breathing, and savoring the here and now. 

So as I think to and celebrate all I achieved in 2018, in 2019 I want to focus less on what's next and more on seizing the moment.  Achievements will come, of this I'm sure, but what's most important is savoring the experiences - big and small, happy and sad, easy and tough - along the way.

Happy New Year, friends!

Do you set goals, resolutions, a word for the year?

Have a great day!

Word of the Year: INTENTIONAL

Happy Hump Day, readers!

I hope your 2018 is off to a great start.

I had to pop in before the first of February to share my New Year's post.

At the end of the year, I went back and reread all my past New Years' posts and got super pumped up for 2018. (I really do love having this blog as a journal of my life.) Still feeling pumped, though my ambition didn't result in a timely blog post. Whoops!

You can read, in my New Year's post that never was, here from last year, that I really wanted to have a word to define 2017. I struggled to come up with a word last year, because I couldn't quite find the word to encompass my focus for the year. That being said, I had no problem picking a word this year and that word is INTENTIONAL.

This word came to me with quite a bit of clarity, I think because of the phase of life I'm in. It's a phase I'm really, really loving, but it's also a phase that feels a little like a crossroads. It's as if I'm up on the high dive, inching my toes to the edge, about to leap.

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Side Note- Anyone else ever love this movie as a kid?

It's a nice spot to be. On the precipice of the next phase, but still able to enjoy the comfort of the board, and the beautiful view of what lies ahead. I'm on the verge of next steps particularly in the areas of career and family. The two, somewhat intertwined.

Having been a fund development professional for nearly as long as I was a teacher now, I'm starting to feel settled in. I've identified my strengths, passions, and a clear focus of where I want to head in my career. I have a view of the future ahead, but am in a good place to grow and learn in the meantime.

In terms of family, now married, Bryce and I are talking more concretely about the particulars of starting a family. If you'd asked me a few years ago, I'd have told you I'd be leaping to have a baby right now, this very minute. If you asked me today, I'd say we're thinking of starting a family in not the immediate future, but also the not so distant future. Again, it's nice to be up on the diving board, feeling a rush of the dive ahead: Motherhood and all the ups, downs, and in-betweens that come with it. It's always been my greatest dream, but for now I'm really happy dreaming of it, and borrowing some of the joys of it from friends who are new mamas. It's nice to embrace being selfish a little while longer and to have Millie as our one and only baby for the time being.

So where does "INTENTIONAL" come in?

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These two areas discussed, career and family, are my biggest focus right now. They're intertwined. My career is of course a livelihood, but, it's also an independent side of me, and an area I seek to find fulfillment. Since leaving teaching, the passion I have for education has only continued to grow, and has been fueled with positivity as I've seen the really great work non-profits are doing to address educational issues here locally. I want to be a part of that. My ultimate career goal, at this point, is to use the fundraising skills I've developed in an organization focused on education. The two modalities I enjoy most in development are major gifts fundraising (ie: building relationships) and, what will probably come as no surprise to you, storytelling. Having found more of a laser focus and defined goal means that every decision I make in my career from this point on, needs to be driven by intention. The projects I tackle and create in my current position, the educational opportunities I take advantage of, and the missions I choose to support. It's an exciting place to be!

In terms of family, as I shared, we want to start a family in the not so distant future. That decision means the choices we are making now need to be guided by that. This covers all areas. When the time does come that I'm ready to become a mom, and Bryce a dad, I want for us to be at our very best. How do you define that, though? I think it encompasses all areas of life. I'll elaborate on a few. The first, and I think one of the most important, is finances. Kids are expensive. And yes, I realize there's never going to be a time where you feel 100% ready for anything in your life, but I want us to be in a place that we can feel confident and prepared for all the costs adding a bambino to the mix brings. Secondly, and I also think of high importance, is indulgence. You might be thinking, how exactly do financial readiness and indulgence work together? They work together if you have INTENTIONAL as your guiding word. When I say indulgence, I mean the selfish things we want to experience before kids. A trip to Italy is probably highest on my list at the moment! Once kids come, we know these indulgences like travel become a lot harder to justify, much less coordinate and execute. I want to be intentional that we use this time, just the 2 of us, to nurture our relationship and indulge some while we can. Finally, the third main area I want to be intentional when looking ahead to family, is health. Bryce and I have actually been talking a lot about this. Ideally, we both want to be in our best shape when the time comes that we want to start "trying." Let's face it, after pregnancy, it's only going to get harder to be fit, so you might as well try to start ahead versus behind. More importantly than the vanity side of being fit, I want to be healthy so I can best nourish a growing baby and later be in a position to model healthy habits to my little ones. I want to do everything I can to ensure my someday babes have a healthy mama! That being said, we're choosing to be much more intentional in our habits: cooking more, eating better, exercising daily, prioritizing sleep, and practicing self care.

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This first month of the year has been really wonderful so far. I do feel that I, along with Bryce, have been living with more purpose. Being intentional has really felt good so far!

If you made it to the end, bravo! Heck, if you even made it here despite my absence of late, bravo to you, too!

Do you have a guiding principal or word for 2018?

What are your most pressing life goals?

Have a great day!

Where the Heck I've Been...

Happy AUGUST 29th, my friends!

Can someone please explain to me where August went? I can't quite believe that September is just a mere 3 days away...and that my last post was exactly one month ago on July 29th.

My blogging always tends to slow down in the summertime, but I hadn't intended to take a month long hiatus.

What's been keeping me from this space, you  might ask?

Well I do have 3 pretty good excuses: I'll share a little bit of what I've been up to...

MILLIE

Those of you that follow along on Instagram, know that we got this little black beauty in mid-July and she has completely captured our hearts! Yes, I have become that crazy puppy mom, and I wouldn't have it any other way. She is spunky, smart, and a huge snuggle bunny! That being said, her presence also resulted in a month long running hiatus. I mean, how could you possibly expect me to run, when that time could be spent with this sweet thing? I did get back on track with my running last week. Now to get back on the barre and blogging wagon! Be on the look-out for a big Millie post coming soon....I've got a lot of photos to dump, y'all!

TRAVELS

In addition to a long weekend in Charleston for a bachelorette party, we also spent a week in Orlando with my family. Throw in some weekend trips, and we've been on the go non-stop! Can't wait to share our Florida adventures with you! Maybe I'll make a goal to have them posted by the end of September!? 

A NEW JOB...again!

As if getting a new puppy wasn't enough excitement for one summer, I also decided to get a new job! I start today! Before jumping into talking about my new role, I must acknowledge that this move is bittersweet, as I am leaving behind an important mission, and some pretty amazing people! I was overwhelmed last week, when my coworkers presented me with the incredibly thoughtful gift pictured above. A 1940s Austrian oyster plate to add to our collection (signed on the back by all my coworkers). To top it off, I received four vintage-Richmond cards full of well-wishes, with a special board that I can use to display them as art, as well. The gift brought tears to my eyes and I will treasure it always. It's amazing the mark people can make on you in just one year! 

Now onto the new adventure: As y'all know from a slew of posts last summer, I left my teaching career about a year ago and joined the non-profit development (aka FUNdraising) space. Though I do miss working with kiddies every day, the decision to leave teaching was one of the best of my life. I have been so much happier this last year, and love that I'm still in a career where I truly know I am making a difference. At the very beginning of the summer, a friend reached out sharing a job description with a message saying "I know you aren't looking, but this position sounds perfect for you!" I hemmed and hawwed for about a week before deciding to apply. Though happy in my last position, I always knew that I would need a broader position next to make my experience more well-rounded. I hadn't intended to seek that new position quite so soon, but decided that I had nothing to lose by trying. I am excited to be starting this new adventure, working for an organization that directly serves kids. It's also the next best step in terms of experience. Whereas in my former position, I was working with mostly a portfolio of corporate partners, I will now work with a portfolio of individual donors, gain event experience, create a junior board, and more. It is the perfect next step towards achieving my ultimate career goals! Wish me luck!

Do these excuses make up for the serious lack of blogging?

I am certainly hoping that my next post won't be on September 29th! I'll aim for at least one post next week!

What have y'all been up to?

Good summer?

Have a great day!

Spring Wish List: Needs

Happy Thursday friends!

I've mentioned it a lot lately, but I am giddy for spring...and spring shopping! After very little shopping all fall and winter, I am dying for some fun bright, new pieces for the warmer weather.

That being said, between now having a car payment, being a bridesmaid in two upcoming weddings, and heading to the Southern C Summit next month, I am definitely having to stick to a budget! I decided to divide my spring wish list this year into two categories: Needs & Wants. This way I can prioritize my shopping and stick to a budget! Today I am sharing my Spring Needs with you!

NEEDS

New Tan Wedges

Y'all know I've been dreaming about these Tory Burch wedges for over a year now. I'm hoping for a Friends & Family sale in April, but I have found 2 similar pairs, at much lower, price points, too (here and here). I am debating if I should get one of those pairs instead? If I do that, I'll be able to justify buying something (or maybe even a few things) off my wants list. What do y'all think?

Light Blazer

Blazers have never really been my thing. I love them on others, but feel like they just never quite work on my body. I have a black blazer that I think I've only worn once all fall and winter. That being said, with warmer temperatures coming, I have a feeling I'll be wearing sleeveless dresses more frequently, and having a great light blazer will be necessary to wear with those dresses for important meetings, or in cold spaces! I am really loving some of J. Crew's sleek options, particularly this one. I think they would make for a more flattering fit on me. 

New Nude Heels

I've had my current nude heels for over 5 years now, and it's safe to say, they've seen better days! My current pair are Franco Sarto with a round toe, slight platform, and matte leather. I love them and really like this similar Franco Sarto pair! I bought mine for a bargain at Marshall's. I'll likely look there again, but have found some other great pairs online, in case their selection isn't up to par. AND, if I'm really going to call this a "wish" list, I'll admit that the L.K. Bennetts are the pair I really want!

What are your current wardrobe needs?

Have you done any spring shopping lately?

I'll have a more fun wish list post coming soon with my spring wants!

Have a great day!

Day in the Life

Happy Monday, friends!

Did y'all have a good Valentine's Day weekend? Ours was so fun and I'm enjoying having the President's Day holiday as an extra day to recoup!

One of my favorite types of posts when reading other blogs, is a day in the life post. Natalie does these from time to time, as well as some other bloggers and it's fun to get a peak into the routines of others...I think the mundane, ordinary parts of our life can sometimes be the most special and it's fun to see what happens in a blogger's life outside of those "blog-worthy" moments and events.

That being said, last Wednesday I did my best to snap photos throughout the day to put one of these posts together. So here goes!

7:15 am

alarm #1 goes off

Does anyone else set multiple alarms each morning? I usually have 3, the first being 45 minutes before I plan to get out of bed. It's my way of attempting to trick myself into thinking I have time to sleep in. I always take a quick look at email during this time, to make sure nothing pressing has come in over night. When Bryce is home, the bed is more cozy and I have a much harder time motivating myself to get up and moving. On this particular morning, you can see I stay in bed a whole half hour longer than planned! Bryce was heading out of town that day, so I couldn't resist some extra time with him. I also knew I'd be working from 7:30 am- 8:30 pm the following day due to an early morning meeting and after work event, so I don't feel guilty taking a bit of extra time.

9:00ish am

head out the door for work

I make it out the door for work a little after 9:00 am-- morning cereal in hand (I've taken my breakfast to go each morning since college). It's a beautiful sunny day, but oh so cold and even snowed some over night! I am in the Valentine's Day spirit wearing pink for probably the 3rd time in the last week. I bought this favorite Elsa a few years ago during the Lilly After Party Sale, but they have the same color again this season here! I am wearing an extra small, for reference.

9:20 am

settling in at work

Luckily my office is only about 5 minutes from home. By about 9:20 am, I have finished my cereal, said my good mornings, and reviewed emails. Some donations have come in that I was not expecting (always a positive to have surprise donations), so I do a little digging in our system to take a closer look at the account before sending a follow-up email to my workplace contact for that account.

10:30 am

event prep

Tomorrow night we have an appreciation event for the volunteers that help us facilitate and run the fundraising campaigns within their workplace. We have selected a classic superhero theme for the event and are giving away treat bags of M&Ms as favors. I have been assisting my colleague that manages the event and help her to resize and print these thank you tags she downloaded on Etsy. 

12:00 pm

lunch & learn session

Today we are lucky to have lunch provided as we have a special guest speaker! To read more about the specifics of my job, you can read this post, but in short, we work to improve our local community through grant-making in the areas of education, income, and health. During our new grant cycle, we noticed a trend across all of these areas, and that trend was the presence of violence. In each of our focus areas, we are funding programs to combat the effects of violence and trauma. The speaker today was talking about the public health consequences of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and how through trauma-informed care we can begin to build resilience in our kids. Her session was absolutely amazing and inspiring, and the entire time, I was thinking of former students and thought "Why isn't this required professional development for teachers?"

1:30 pm

more event prep

I've gotten a response from my follow-up email this morning regarding the surprise donations, so I finish the "paperwork" side of things and submit the donation for processing. My co-worker Joanne helps me start cutting the thank you tags out. We tag team the job. She cuts them into strips on the paper cutter and then I cut the strips and punch holes in the tags so we can tie them to the treat bags. 

A little after 2:00, Joanne and I are grabbed for an impromptu meeting about our new website. Our organization launched a new website in December and we both represented our department. There is a meeting Friday morning for all staff to share feedback, and we are asked to attend a brief meeting with the committee to get thoughts together and prepare for Friday. The "quick meeting" ends up lasting more than an hour. It's interesting to see the different viewpoints about the functionality and purpose of the site according to the different "hats" those of us wear within the organization. 

I also realize this is my last real night to prep for my Valentine Making Party on Friday night, since I probably won't make it home until after the appreciation event, close to 9 pm the following night, so I cancel my 5:30 barre class. The grocery store is calling (ugggh).

3:30 pm

prep for Thursday's meetings

Our biggest corporate campaign of the Spring officially launches today, February 15, so the calendar is full of meetings and events across the company's many locations in our area. On Thursday, the downtown location is hosting 3 meetings and I am speaking at each. Each meeting will have around 50 attendees, so I grab brochures and marketing materials to take for the audience. I have to be there at 7:30 am, so I won't be coming to the office beforehand, and need to take materials with me when I leave. I also tweak my speech and spend some time reading over it. Most of our campaigns run between September and December, so I haven't spoken to a crowd in about 2 months and want to avoid coming across as rusty!

4:45 pm

grocery shopping

Those that know me, know how much I loathe grocery shopping. It seems like such a time suck, and you never get out without at least dropping $50...I also really miss Ukrop's. Those that know Richmond will likely agree with me. Ukrop's was a locally owned grocery store chain that was the best. When I was in college Giant/Martin's bought them, and it just hasn't been the same ever since. Tulips are a must on the list for my party. I also get the fixings for mac & cheese bites, mini chicken & waffles, strawberry cupcakes, and champagne punch. I want to get a pre-made veggie tray, but of course they don't have one....again, I miss Ukrop's!

5:30 pm

unload groceries & make dinner

I get home and start working on unloading groceries. Whenever I have big housework tasks ahead, I struggle to remain focused. I pull out the tulips and immediately start arranging them before unloading the rest of the groceries, next I start unloading the dishwasher and pulling out what I need to make dinner, only to remember I want to wash the hand towels in the powder room, so I stop what I'm doing and start a load of laundry...you catch my drift. 

Bryce isn't the biggest fan of zoodles and we have zucchini that needs to be eaten, so I whip up a quick zoodles shrimp scampi with roasted tomatoes. It is delicious, but as I'm eating, I think "Why didn't you just microwave the leftovers in the fridge?" Now I have additional kitchen clean up on top of party prep. Ahhh...I have a big night ahead, and really just want to sit down and watch the latest episode of The Bachelor On Demand.

7:00 pm

cleaning & party prep

I decide that next on the party prep agenda, is getting the kitchen set-up. I need a food and drink station, and also somewhere to set out some candy and my fun cocktail napkins. First up, though, is cleaning the countertops. I'm not a fan of our granite. It is black with flecks of browns and tans, and never seems to look clean. Over the weekend we came across this Be's Wax Furniture Polish which is supposedly amazing and works on all surfaces. I decide to give it a try. After struggling to open the dern can, and thinking I've broken the spray lever, I eventually clean the granite and am delighted! Highly recommend this product! The granite actually looks clean and shiny! Yippee! Am I getting old if these are the things that excite me?

I start to get an idea of how I want to set things up! I play with how to set up the little kitchen table, wanting that space to look extra cutesy, and ultimately decide to put the plates and cups with the punch bowl in another corner of the kitchen. 

8:30 pm

crafting prep

My co-worker Joanne was kind enough to bring me a bunch of her crafting supplies as a contribution to the party. I pull out my supplies and go through hers and start setting the dining room table up with supplies. Around 9:00 Bryce calls and I tell him I'm almost done for the night. By now, I've given up on watching The Bachelor.

9:30 pm

pinterest search for inspiration poster

I think I'm finally done, only to remember I want to make a poster full of Valentine inspiration. Why do things like this always take longer than expected? I get on the black hole that is Pinterest and start saving photos to print for my poster. I print the photos, but decide that cutting can wait.

10:45 pm

bedtime...finally

I make my way upstairs and am happy to see that Bryce made the bed before leaving town this morning! Yes...I am 27 and still sleep with a stuffed bunny named Easteregg. Often Bryce will pose him when he makes the bed. Tonight was a simple pose...other times I've come up to find Easteregg reading a book or wearing my sunglasses.

I turn down the bed, propping up pillows all around me, call Bryce to say good night and attempt to read without falling asleep. Lights are out by 11:15, as I have to be downtown by 7:30 in the morning!

 So there you have it, a day in my life!

How is your routine similar to mine? Different?

Have a great day!

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2015, a year that ANSWERED

Happy New Year readers!

Those of you that have read for a while, know that every January I like to do a post that reflects on the past year and also looks ahead to the new year.

And that's why you haven't heard from me yet this year.

I didn't want to come into January without first posting my annual New Year's post. One of my all time favorite quotes is "I cannot advise that we remain as we are" by Plato. I like to enter the new year with that in mind--embracing change, betterment. This blog has become the place for me to express that, and it just didn't feel right starting a new year of blogging, without first, reflecting on myself in the new year and sharing that with y'all.

If you remember from last year's post, 2014 was literally the worst. After a year that was so tough, I found writing a New Year's post to be cathartic. It was easy to make goals, because it felt like the only way to go was up. That being said, I've felt a lot of pressure to write this post. Can I give it the same earnest emotion as I did last year? Do I have many goals or resolutions for 2016? Is it bad, if the answer to that last question is no?

Then, yesterday morning, The SouthernC tweeted (yes, I have Twitter now! Follow here!) this:

It's one of my favorite quotes and I pinned it myself, ages ago. As soon as I saw it on Twitter, though, I knew the direction that I wanted this post to go. 

Last January, I proclaimed that 2015 was "the year of doing my thing," a time to un-apologetically be myself, and also to be selfish.

So...how'd it go?

I have to say, great! 2015 was most definitely a year that answered.

Being so tough, 2014 asked a lot of questions. My relationship with Bryce was put through huge external challenges; I learned that teaching today isn't quite what I had hoped; and I really had to dig deep to determine what controlled my happiness.

By proclaiming 2015 the year of doing my thing, I found answers to those questions. It was a whirlwind year.

The biggest "answer" of the year probably comes to no surprise to you. It was the choice to leave my teaching job and seek a new career. You can read all about that choice in much more detail here and here, but all I can say was that it was the best choice. I am a new person and didn't realize just how much teaching was affecting all other parts of my life. And now, when I look back, quitting my job this summer is one of my proudest accomplishments. Having the courage to take a stand for myself, and make the unpractical decision was huge for me.

In terms of Bryce and I, our relationship is stronger than ever before. I can honestly say that he is the best partner or teammate in life--someone I can count on for literally anything and everything. My career change has also led to big improvements in our day to day relationship. I come home in a good mood and still have energy, rather than coming home frustrated and grumpy.

And finally...the happiness piece. That's a tough one. I would like to think we are all in charge of our own happiness, but I will say that a lot of my unhappiness was wrapped up in my teaching job. The reality is that we spend a majority of our time at work; so when work isn't satisfying, it does affect happiness. I struggled to "leave work at work," because teaching is so all-consuming and emotional. While I don't like that it was such a controller of my happiness, it was the reality. My control or take charge piece, however, came in when I chose that it was no longer worth it and to leave. I think taking control of one's own happiness, shouldn't be assuming that you'll always be happy, every second of every day. It is accepting that there will be bad times and good.Taking control lies in reacting to those ups and downs in the best way you can, and hopefully, ultimately, coming out of those tough times a better or happier person.

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If I haven't bored you yet, I'll do a quick check of last year's official goals or resolutions and dive into how I hope to grow and improve in 2016.

Last year, I planned to:

• Focus on Positive Relationships: Check, check check! 2015 was a great year in this department. I will say, that the not so pretty side of this, was having to walk away from or let go of some toxic relationships. But 2015 also brought lots of new and amazing people into my life. I reconnected with some old friends as well. I really feel as if my cup runneth over.
• Spend More Time Interacting with Other Blogs: I have to admit, this was a fail. SO much happened for me in 2015, but being a star blogger was not one of those things. Does anyone else feel as if Instagram has taken over your blog? 
• Get Back to Healthy Eating: This was also a bit of a fail. While I can say, I am not very picky anymore, 2015 was a year of good eating. The Richmond restaurant scene continues to boom and Bryce and I are foodies. That, combined with a new job that includes regular lunches out, caused 2015 to be a year of weight gain for me. So...to new beginnings in 2016!
• Build Up My Savings: I'd say this was a success. I've cut way back on my spending, particularly on clothes, and at the end of 2015, I bought my first car! Prior to that, my biggest grown-up purchase had been a mattress, so financing a car was a big step. Because I had worked on my savings, making a down payment on my car wasn't as hard as I thought. Having a monthly car payment, I think is also going to make me be more mindful of my purchases moving forward. I am going to have to stick to a tighter budget and am actually excited to be at this phase in my life.

Ahhh...and now for 2016. In all honesty, I have to say that this year is light on the resolutions. I'm so proud of how far I've come, but alas feel like I need to make a few goals. So here they are:

CONTINUE TO FIGURE OUT THIS WHOLE "GROWN-UP" THING

As mentioned above, my life is feeling more and more grown-up. I've now entered the world of car payments, started a new career, and have multiple friends with babies. Though all the responsibility can feel overwhelming from time to time, I am so happy to be at this phase of my life. You couldn't pay me to be in college again or a different phase of my life. All that, being said, I still have a lot to learn and figure out. For example, I have been putting money away for retirement for several years now. Do I fully understand the whole investment thing? No. I hope that in 2016, I can learn more about my investments, and perhaps tweak the way I am investing some of my money. On a smaller scale, I also want to get better at day to day "grown-up" things like staying on top of the laundry and meal planning.

GET BACK TO HEALTHY EATING...and lose a little weight

I can say with a lot of confidence that I will be successful in this goal. I just know I am in the right mindset. Bryce and I have started the year doing the no carb/sugar/alcohol thing, and for the most part, it's been much easier than I expected. I am already noticing differences when I put on my clothes in the morning and just feel better nourishing myself with healthy foods. After this initial phase of strictly adhering to the diet, our ultimate goal is to eat in this way most of the time. Meal planning and getting creative with our meals has been key to our success so far. (Post with a round-up of Alexandra Bee Approved Low Carb Recipes coming soon...) I also am working on my exercise routine. I am currently doing a New Year Barre Challenge of 20 classes in 30 days, which has been a great way to hold myself accountable. After that concludes, I want to start taking cycle classes 1-2 times a week in addition to barre.

BLOG

Plain and simple, I want to blog again...with consistency and routine. The last several months I've had a laundry list of posts, but have lacked the initiative to sit down and write them. As mentioned before, sometimes I feel like Instagram has overtaken the blogworld; but point blank, at the end of the day, I really love writing here. Bryce has a lot of studying to do in the coming months as he prepares for the Professional Engineering Exam in April, so I am hoping that we can carve out study/blog time that will be helpful.

CALL & VISIT MY GRANDMAS MORE

No explanation necessary.

via

2016...I'm ready for ya!

How was your 2015?

Do you make goals or resolutions for the new year?

How's your 2016 going so far?

Update: I LOVE My New Job!

Happy Monday friends!

I hope you have been doing well. I can't believe that we're already nearing the end of October. This is my favorite month and time of year.

I have really wanted to post at least once a week, but it just hasn't happened. I make no promises for the next few months, BUT, have high hopes of getting back on track in 2016.

I have been meaning for so long to do a big update post on my job.

First and foremost, I must share that I am absolutely loving it. While I felt very excited this summer when I made the leap to resign from teaching, I was also very scared about what the next months would bring. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get hired...or to find the right career fit. I fully expected that this first job would likely be a stepping stone job and a way to gain some experience while searching for my exact niche. I was very lucky, however, to find a job not only quickly, but to find my niche quickly too. I can honestly say that the position I am in is such a perfect fit, and is no stepping stone, but the real deal!

I am working in development for the local chapter of a national charity organization.  We raise funds to better our local community in the areas of education, income, and health. All of the funds we raise get funneled into local organizations through a strategic and intense grant process. Every day as I learn more about the programs we fund and the agencies we partner with, I feel more and more inspired. I come home so excited to tell Bryce about the work we do and feel so proud to get to be part of such an impactful organization. As you can imagine, the work we do in education is most near and dear to my heart, and believe it or not, I feel like I am doing more now to positively impact education than I was when I was in the classroom. While teaching I saw the problems in the public education system day in and day out, and now I am seeing solutions every day. It is a great change in perspective.

My job can be best compared to a sales job. I have a growing portfolio of accounts that I work with to run workplace campaigns in which companies ask their employees to give. A lot of the job entails public speaking to groups of employees about the work we do, but it also involves coordinating volunteer opportunities for their employees, managing distribution of marketing materials, helping to facilitate and attending events the companies put on as a part of their campaigns, linking employees to resources in the community that can be helpful to them, and much, much more. Every day looks a little different and I love that. I am also really enjoying the flexibility. Teaching was so regimented and every day followed a strict schedule. Now my hours vary some day to day according to the meetings and events that are going on. I'm in and out of the office frequently and enjoy how quickly that makes the days go by.

And last, but certainly not least, my coworkers are amazing. We are a tight-knit team and my transition onto the team has felt very seamless. Everyone in the office has been so welcoming and always willing to help or answer questions as I learn about this new field. We have so much fun at work every day and I find myself constantly smiling and laughing. My boss (as well as  her boss) makes sure to always acknowledge the work we are doing and until now, I didn't realize just how under-appreciated teachers are. Being in an environment where you are praised and appreciated really makes a huge difference.

I've received a lot of emails since taking my leap of faith and all I can say (especially to those of you who are struggling in the teaching world), is that it's not worth it to be in a job that doesn't please and fulfill you. I knew I was unhappy, but now being in a career that makes me happy, I realize just how miserable I actually was. All aspects of my life are better now, and it is so nice not dreading work every night or on Sundays. I also come home and have energy. Teaching was so draining that oftentimes, I felt I couldn't even piece together a coherent sentence, and now, I come home energized for whatever the night may hold.

I am so excited to see where this adventure takes me next.

Thanks for all your words of support, as well as those of you that reached out to specifically help me with my search. I most certainly would not have had the courage to take the step I did, were it not for the support from my loved ones and friends.

Have you ever gone through a similar period in your life?

Have a great day!