2017 Highlights + My New Year Mentality
Happy 2018 guys!! Another year is underway and I have to be honest, I've been having a hard time getting excited or finding motivation in the start of this new year. Am I the only one?? It could be a combo of the stress of wedding planning, having the flu for Christmas, going back to work post holiday, or having to complete all my continuing education courses to maintain my athletic training certification in 3 days but I have felt like my butt was getting kicked into the new year instead of jumping into it with sparkles and glitter (per my usual self). As exciting as it is to ring in another new year, I honestly find the end of a year exhausting BUT I also realized that maybe I need to change my thought process a little bit. To get myself excited for everything that 2018 is going to bring, I thought I would highlight some of our favorite parts of 2017...I find that sometimes looking back on the year helps you realize how far you've come, how much you've accomplished, and how many exciting things happen when you least expect them. P.S. Read to the end to find out what my "resolutions" are this year!
Easily the most exciting part of 2017 was getting engaged...talk about unexpected!! Truth is friends and family alike had been asking for months when it would happen and B's answer soon became "I'm working on it"...He wasn't lyin! I still haven't come down from the clouds and although slightly stressed, am SO excited to be planning our WEDDING because it's a day to celebrate us and our relationship and how far we've come since that first date!
Another favorite moment of 2017 for me was getting settled here in Kansas...I moved just before the holidays last year and it was such a whirlwind, I look around our apartment now and think about how much life has been lived in our adorable little apartment in the past year! Birthdays, holidays, dinners with friends, movie nights, game nights, a lot of fun has been had here so far. From great nights in to exploring our new city, we have really pushed ourselves to get out and explore everything our new home has to offer and can't wait to have more adventures in 2018.
We started Funny Little Fairytale!!! You guys have no idea how fun this project has been for me (and us) thus far! I love the little community that we have started to create on all the different social media channels and I love that I'm starting to get to the point where I can start hearing from you guys more! I really am excited to continue to grow Funny Little Fairytale and share our life with you guys! You're the best and I just want to say thank you for coming on this ride with us!
I learned to shoot a shotgun! I know that may sound silly to some of you but it was definitely somewhat out of my wheel house and truthfully a day that almost never happened...B and I got the invite to go that morning and sat in bed contemplating whether we wanted to go. Ultimately we did and we had a BLAST!! Not only was it a new experience for me, but it was a great way to take interest in something B has grown up around, and spend some time with friends as well!
I went skydiving! Yep, I jumped (got rolled) out of a plane at 13,000 feet and it was THE coolest thing I have ever done. I got the certificate to go for my 21st birthday (at 21 I decided I wanted to start facing my fears) and with moving around the country and life I had lost the opportunity and maybe a little bit of my nerve but when my parents moved away from CA, that really was my last chance and it was the best day! My dad jumped with me and my mom watched from the plane (they both have skydived several times...bada$$es) To have gotten to share that experience with one of my most favorite people just makes my heart happy and is a reminder that life is about the experiences!!
We met and made some REALLY great friends over the past year! It may seem simple but I'm a firm believer in surrounding yourself with people who enrich your life. Friendships make such a difference in your quality of life and the way you go about your days and we have been truly blessed to find some really amazing, life long friends over the course of the past year! (of whom we literally have no pictures...not even from our engagement dinner when we were all together cause we have too much fun visiting and don't think about pictures until after lol)
Those are just a few of the major stand out moments from the last year but boy were they some good ones. I was really lacking energy and motivation coming into this new year and I didn't quite understand it but then I walked into work today and within 30 seconds found out that the husband of a friends friend had just passed away of a sudden heart attack at the age of 45. In that moment I realized I had to change my attitude and get perspective. With that said, I'm challenging myself to complain less and do more in 2018. I want to stop myself from overthinking every move I make and learn to be just a little more spontaneous. I want to remember to slow down and ENJOY this time, right now, because it's only ever going to happen once. We really aren't promised tomorrow and I want to challenge myself and the rest of you (especially those who haven't thought about making a new years resolution or better yet mentality) to try everyday to live your best life, whatever that means right now, in the chapter that you're currently in! That doesn't have to mean that you spend the next year traveling the world (that would be my dream life but also my broke life lol) or do insane things, I'm just challenging you and myself to motivate ourselves a little more everyday. Learn something or try something new this year, do something crazy or something that scares you, don't give up on love because it finds you when you least expect it, go on the trip you've been talking about forever, establish one new healthy habit or a whole new healthy lifestyle, deepen your faith, find a way to enjoy something in your life every. single. day.
Happy New Year!!! Bring it on 2018!!
