6 Things I Learned in 2018

The year is finally coming to a close. My decorations have been taken down, the dishwasher has been filled, my sheets have been changed and my bank account is nursing a holiday hangover. 2018 has had it's fill of traveling, challenges, break downs and achievements. It's been a year of a lot of firsts for me, pushing boundaries and comfort zones. They say when you turn 25 years old that you're pretty set in your personality and that you won't change much as your life pans out. In all honesty, I feel like I still have a lot of growing up to do so I'm open to any change and learning the ways to navigate through the up's and downs of life!

I'm finally getting better at wake surfing >>>
Wake surfing is probably mine and Seth's favorite thing to do together. We're both water creatures so anytime we can be in a large body of water under warm sunshine would be described as the perfect day together. I was never super athletic growing up, but like everything practice makes perfect!

I did an insane amount of traveling this year >>>
Looking back on the past 12 months, I spent so much of my income on plane tickets, hotel reservations and souvenirs. My bank account has been mending ever since, but I don't regret any of it! Not only was I able to island hop in the Caribbean, I finally made it to Europe and discovered Spain, France and Italy. I took a road trip by myself to Yellowstone for the first time ever, and it was one of the most fulfilling and growing experiences of my life! If traveling the world is something you want to do, then do it. Buy the plane ticket. Fork over the money. If that is a dream of yours then you gotta decide that it's worth it and it will be.

I tried a lot of things that I had never done before >>>
I attended a pole dancing class, tried cross country skiing, maneuvered through slot canyons and even did yoga with goats! I sold my car that I had since High School and cried on my last "joyride" with her around the neighborhood, but I knew that the girl that bought my car needed it more than I did.

I became a lot more independent >>>
I told myself that this was the year that I wanted to "own" myself in a sense. I bought super expensive tickets to the Nutcracker this season because I've been dying to go for years that I decided to open up my laptop, pick a relatively good seat and purchase the tickets online. I've become a lot more vocal about my likes, dislikes, opinions and beliefs, even to the point where people began to notice and mention "Wow, you're not afraid to speak up anymore are you?" I grinned when I first heard that.

I began to spread myself a little too thin >>>>
My list making and organization skills became unmanageable and unreachable. I never allowed myself to take a mental break because I thought it would be selfish, unproductive and a huge waste of time. I became very easily overwhelmed at times, thinking that if I didn't accomplish all 35 things on my to do list over the weekend, that I had completely failed. I put so much pressure on myself that it felt like everything I did was never enough... but I was the one that was putting that pressure on me.

Stress overcame me, and it made me blind to a lot that I had already accomplished >>>
I have a tendency to let people's remarks and judgments rub off on me and follow me home. I get so upset with myself when I let it happen, but for some reason I can never shut it off in my head. I think with the New Year ahead, I want to find a way to let my anger/anxiety/stress out in a healthy way. I need something that can bring me back to humanity/reality and give me a chance at a feeling of release. I need to remind myself, probably on a daily basis, that no matter what you do with your life or whatever happens, good or bad, that your ability to recognize when you're going to fast or to remember that you already have everything you truly need, then life can be beautiful and you can always choose happiness.

Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019!
Happy New Year, everybody!

THINGS I LEARNED

2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017

MY FAVORITE POSTS OF 2018

My 25th Birthday In Zion

Things I Learned While Traveling Alone

A Pep Talk from the Past