2019 was possibly the worst year of my life, so I can’t wait for a fresh start and have high hopes for 2020.
I won’t go into too much detail on why 2019 was so bad, but basically I dealt with more loss and grief than I ever have in my life (of course ending the year with the unexpected passing of my beloved sweet baby Lilo), and my mental health was probably the worst it’s ever been this year (half from grief and half from being in a toxic working environment). But anyway, I’m in a much better headspace now and instead of feeling negative about this year as a whole, I wanted to point out the high points and also list some goals I have for the coming year.
2019 Highlights
A trip to NYC with Fresh | This was definitely a highlight of my year! I’ve only been on one other brand trip, and it was so lovely and inspiring to meet other content creators. We got to have dinner with the founders of Fresh, see the headquarters, get a sneak peek of a new launch (the Rose Sleeping Mask), and have a shopping spree at the Fresh Beauty Kitchen. It was so much fun, and I still look back on the photos I took on that trip (especially of the gorgeous Ludlow Hotel bathroom!) with such fondness. I was also really proud of myself for doing something so independent - normally I would never travel alone and panic about getting places by myself, but I navigated getting to and from and around the city on my own!
Celebrating our First Anniversary | Brett and I had our first wedding anniversary in June. By then it was already shaping up to be an incredibly difficult year, so we spent a nice day together (our town happened to have a “Strawberry Shortcake and Lobster Roll Festival” on our exact anniversary) and really reflected on how much we love each other and how strong we feel as a couple. We also finally ate our wedding cake topper that had been taking up a whole shelf in our freezer too, and it was disgusting.
Bonding with Olive | The first six months after adopting Olive were mostly just me adapting to and figuring out how to own a dog (I grew up with only cats as pets so I had no clue what I was doing). Once I got into a routine I really became aware of how much I love her and what a sweet girl she is. She really is the best dog. Brett went on a work trip at the end of June, leaving me to take care of Olive on my own. We really bonded! I definitely noticed a shift in how well she listened to me after that week and I grew so much more attached to her.
Adopting Copper! | This is probably the biggest highlight of the year. When we came back from our vacation in Maine, we realized we really wanted another dog. We could tell Olive was desperate for a friend. We applied for a little brindle puppy (named Tootle-Lou) on a Saturday night, and Brett was picking him up by Thursday. Copper is a teeny tiny boy who loves to sleep and loves tagging along wherever I go. Brett is Olive’s favorite, and now I’m Copper’s favorite. Training and taking care of him isn’t anywhere near as difficult as Olive was - I think because 1) I’m now used to the amount of work it takes and also know what I’m doing, and 2) he picked up on a lot quickly because Olive is so well-trained. The best part is that they instantly became best friends! They still snuggle together every day and love playing together.
Getting a new job! | Another main highlight of the year. I mentioned my old job was really damaging my mental health, but I was comfortable there, and I also had great friends I worked with who made it a little better. But eventually enough was enough and seeing my friends wasn’t enough to counter how miserable I was. I started looking for a new job in September, and then in October I started my current job. I can’t even tell you how different I feel. I don’t have panic attacks every night and every morning about going to work, I actually look forward to going in, and I actually feel ambitious and confident about my work now. At my old job I never wanted to be noticed, because I was only ever noticed for negative things. Now I’m excited about the possibility of getting promoted and working my way up. I’m treated so much better and with more respect than my old job, and overall I’m so much happier. And I’m still friends with the friends I had at my old job! I wish I had quit my old job sooner. If you’re suffering at a job you hate, here’s a kick from me to start looking for something you love, no matter how comfortable you feel where you are.
2020 Goals
In the new year I hope to keep nuturing and cultivating relationships with my friends. I became really close with two new groups of friends this year, and I’m really excited to grow even closer with them.
I hope to keep developing my skills in the kitchen. This year I really fell in love with cooking and baking. I’m excited to keep learning new things, trying new recipes, and just getting better. Honestly, few things feel better than the appreciation and compliments I get from friends & family when I’ve made something really good!
I will keep working on my mental health. Getting a new job was definitely a step in the right direction, but I know I can still improve. In the new year I’ll be looking into therapy and changing up some medications to help me feel like the best version of myself again.
I will spend less time on my phone. This year I’ve noticed my attention span has gotten so short because I’m constantly switching between social media apps on my phone. I want to find new hobbies, movies, or books to fully immerse myself in and get away from having my phone be like an extension of my arm.
Speaking of hobbies, I hope to find some new ones. I’m always looking for more ways to be creative. Lately I’ve been itching to pick up knitting again - my grandma taught me when I was little and I used to really love it! It would be cool to get to the point where I could make blankets and sweaters instead of just scarves.
I hope to come up with some new, innovative ideas for the blog. Right now it kind of seems like Instagram is dying, and it’s not as satisfying as it used to be, so I’d love to come up with something new and fresh to really fall in love with blogging again.
What do you hope to achieve in the new year?