Twentysixteen! We made it! Happy New Year, friends. I’ve been a little MIA since early December. Truth be told, I barely turned on my computer over the holidays. It was a busy few weeks for me, with lots of parties, activities, a little bit of travel, and of course a full day of binging on Making a Murderer. In new years’ past, I’ve created annual themes and big goals for myself—around things like health, lifestyle, travel—and small goals, usually things to do in January to get back in a healthy groove after the holidays—like bringing my lunch to work every day, not drinking alcohol for the month…things like that.
In 2015, my big theme was balance. After a turbulent, head spinning, heart shattering year in 2014, with my dad passing away followed by my wedding (all within a six week time span), I needed a year for things to even out. On a whole, I’d say 2015 was much better than 2014. It was indeed more balanced. But it wasn’t an easy year—just as my mom, sister, and I began the slow steps of learning to live without my dad, my aunt, my mom’s sister, was diagnosed with fast-progressing stage four cancer. It’s been a hard year, in many ways.
It was also a good year in many ways.
In 2015, Evan and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Some say the first year of marriage is hard. Our first year of marriage was the strongest and happiest of our 12-ish years together. I didn’t think marriage would change anything, since we’ve been together and lived together for so long, but we feel more connected, more at ease… more balanced. It’s a small shift, hard to describe, but it’s there, and it’s good.
In 2015, I turned 30! I hiked and camped a little bit, but not nearly enough. I traveled to Panama (photo above!), Sonoma, and Vancouver BC. I hosted a dinner for Dry Sparkling, watched Amy Schumer perform live on New Year’s Eve (hilarious), and helped throw a baby shower for one of my best friends. We celebrated a wedding in Santa Cruz among towering red woods, and we toasted a ton of engagements. We were lucky enough to be there when my future brother in law, Pete, proposed to my sister overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge (and I can’t wait for their wintery wedding next month in Banff!).
So… what’s on tap for 2016? Well, for the first time in several years, I just don’t feel like setting goals. I’ve tried to think up themes and goals and resolutions, but I can’t land on anything. I actually feel a really healthy sense of balance right now. Of course, that’s not to say I don’t want to eat better/work out more/go on more adventures/read more books/be more mindful/spend more time in nature/etc, etc, etc. But those are all part of a lifestyle I’ve slowly started building in the last year, and I still have a ways to go, but I feel pretty good about where I’m at right now.
But let's be real. I also want to lose like, 10 lbs.
