2017 was a year that I really can’t explain, but I wanted to share a little bit that I have learned from each of my experiences. Plus, here are a handful of things I hope to work on this year. I truly think 2018 is going to be one of the best years yet!
Hello, 2018! The Monday Moment, Vol. 5
McKinney, TX, January 1st, 2018
LESSONS FROM 2017
SCHOOL
I finished the 4 years of blood, sweat and tears poured into fashion design/college. I quickly learned that being torn apart is okay. Critiques were a large part of my college experience and in the beginning, they really got to me. But as I am almost 5 months into my post-college career, I will quickly be the first to say that it made me SO much stronger. My position now requires a lot of review/approval and because of college, I love constructive criticism. Sometimes it’s hard, it always will be. Because you know what? In life, there will always be those people who are critical with nothing constructive. However, those are the moments you have to brush off. Soak up all the knowledge that comes with the constructive criticism instead. I could talk forever about all the things I learned in those 4 years, but that’s for another day.
TRAVEL
I went on 20 trips, whether they were traveling to Colorado to see Russ play baseball, going snowboarding with Russ’ friends, exploring Charleston with Hannah, enjoying beach time with Bayli, seeing Malibu with Russ + any visitor we have come to California, seeing Santa Barbara for the first time, camping in Joshua Tree, seeing 3 of our favorite couples get married and so many more. Through all of my travels, I have learned a lot of things and grown a lot of my own. But most importantly, the time and money is so worth every bit of it to see somewhere new (or old) and laugh with people you love (who you may not get to see as often as you hope).
HOME
I moved to a place I had never been (besides for my job interview, of course) and boy has it been HARD. I would be lying if I said moving to Santa Monica has been all sunshine and rainbows. I love the life I live here and am so beyond thankful I took the risk and moved, but it has been really difficult at times. First off, it is expensive! Between food, rent, student loans, etc, money goes fast. Secondly, friends are a lot harder to come by. Believe it or not, unlike college, best friends don’t just fall out of the sky (or the dorm rooms next to you). You have to search and be uncomfortable to find friends. I lucked out and found 2 fantastic roommates I am incredibly thankful for. However, I am still having a hard time finding friends- a new place is hard! Especially with work all day. But, it is pushing me to go to more events, reach out to coworkers, join in with friends’ friends and hope it goes well and so many other uncomfortable moments. Third, creating and adjusting to a new daily routine takes time. Figuring out working out, grocery shopping, blogging, working, hanging with Russ, keep long-distance friendships healthy, and sneaking fun in there is tiring and not always quick to learn. I finally starting figuring it out a little bit in November and I can’t explain to you how much happier I feel. I have only been in Santa Monica since August, so the lessons are still coming in full force, but these are some of the moments I have had until now. In the past 5 months I have learned that whether you think it’s taking a toll on you or not, moving is a beating on your emotions sometimes. I had to take a step back and realize that day to day, although I was happy, I was exhausted from so many new things. But that’s SO okay. You just have to be aware and take action to make yourself feel more comfortable in your new home. Take the risks, because the reward is so good.
RELATIONSHIP
As many of you know, Russ and I were long distance throughout college and finally get to live by each other here in Santa Monica. We truly hit the jackpot. I wake up every morning and count all my blessings. We’ve had so many fun moments with each other and couldn’t be more thankful we get to see each other on a regular basis. However, I would be lying if I didn’t say we’ve learned A LOT. When we figured out Russ would be moving here after the academy, we truly had no idea when I would find a job there. Weirdly enough, on my 5-day trip to move Russ out to CA, I got an interview and a job right by Russ. I still play the moment I told Russ I had to fly home to pack my bags so I could move back (aka, I got the job!!) over and over in my head. We had the best, happiest trip.The transition from long distance has been so crazy. I know that I have learned more than I could have ever imagined and it’s only been 5 months. 1. In order to be happy with each other, you need to work at it every day. Whether it be saying thank you more, not going to sleep without saying I love you (even on those really frustrating nights), trying to be the best version of yourself for the other person, growing in your faith together, being slow to anger, or making time to go on dates, as a team, you have to communicate and put effort in all the time. 2. Time apart (whether it is for a trip with friends, a night out, nights in, etc) is good. Russ can vouch for me when I say this is my weakness. I can see him nodding right now saying yessss. But, it’s something I had/have a really hard time with. I was so used to the feeling of trying to spend every second with him because that’s what we did on our short trips together during long distance. Moving right by him has been an eye-opening experience. Especially because we started off as the only not new thing in each others day’s here in California. We’ve realized we needed to give more time to ourselves individually so that when we are together we can really focus on each other. 3. Loving someone is such a blast. Although relationships are work, they are also so fun. We’ve gone on so many trips and done so many fun things already. It’s such a joy to see Russ succeed in school. I love having him close to share all the exciting news I have from the blog and work. But most importantly, it makes me so happy at the end of every day to have someone that makes me laugh and smile the way he does.
HEALTH
2017 was a bumpy ride in this category. But, it also ended on the highest note. After/during studying abroad, my fitness and health were put on the back burner. My first two years of college I ran all the time. I had a lot of free time to go to the gym and had friends that would join in with me. However, after taking a break from it in Italy and NYC, the groove was SO hard to get back into. It made me really appreciate all the coaches over the years yelling at us to run every day. But, it wasn’t until I got out to Santa Monica, we joined a gym and I started to figure out my daily routine that I found joy in working out and eating healthier. If I could say one thing from all of it, it would be to take it at your own pace and don’t try and do everything at once. I started off just doing toning moves to get my muscles built back up to run. Then, I started running a little. Once I started to feel more comfortable with that, I really started to focus more on what I was eating. I have SO far to go. But, I couldn’t be happier with how far I have come. It doesn’t happen overnight, that is for sure. I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store.
CAREER
This category makes me chuckle a little. I took a big risk with the current position I have and it paid off more than I could ever explain. I love my job and the co-workers I get to see every day SO much. However, I gave up fashion and that has been a really funky transition for me. But, that is why I love this blog so much. I get to dabble in fashion, creativity, marketing, and analytics in between my two jobs and that’s pretty darn fun. Honestly, I have no idea what is to come for my career, but what I do know is that I am going to continue to take leaps of faith. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t because you can! I found exactly where I need to be right now and have learned more in the past 5 months than I could have ever expected in my position.
WHAT I WANT MORE OF IN 2018
As we hop into the New Year, I wanted to share the rough list I have compiled. I have never been one to put exact numbers or time limits in my goals, but more so general ideas that will make me a stronger person. All in all, in 2018 I want to be more intentional in everything I do.
- Eat For Nutrients
- Continue To Build A Workout Routine That Pushes Me
- Dive Deeper Into My Faith
- Be More Consistent On Simply Poised
- Find More LA Friends
- Create More
- Travel Frequently
- Save Money
- Read Books Often
- Do Something That Scares Me
Hopefully, everyone has had the BEST start of their New Year. I would love to know what you are hoping to work on in 2018! We saw The Greatest Showman this weekend and it ended with this quote “The Noblest Art Is That Of Making Others Happy” – Barnum. That is my motto for 2018. What’s yours?
