J.Crew Factory Merino Wool Turtleneck (So wonderfully soft, I’m wearing a size medium. Also love that this turtleneck is a little on the looser side around the neck. Here’s how I styled it with white jeans for the winter) // Faux Leather Leggings ($72 at Tuckernuck, runs true to size, I’ve also heard good things from everyone about the Spanx faux leather leggings. They’re a little bit pricier at $98) // Lord & Taylor Plaid Scarf (Right now on sale for $33 with code “VIP”) // Zac Posen Leather Satchel (I got this satchel through Rent the Runway Unlimited) // Tuckernuck Crystal Betty Earrings // Sam Edelman Leah Cap Toe Slingbacks (Available in all sizes right now!!)
Hi guys! Did you love your snow day? The big win of my snow day was finally getting Internet up and running at my new apartment! That plus Instant Pot chili and queso. Cannot forget about queso. Gah it feels so good to be back on the grid!
I know we’re already pretty much halfway through January but I still wanted to share my goals and intentions for 2019 both for accountability and because I always love hearing what other people’s goals are.
Okay, here we go!
My Word of the Year
I always really loved picking a word of the year. Just a simple word to be an overarching theme or feeling to what you want the year to be. I chose align as my word of the year. Over the last few years between starting a new job and taking my career to the next level, personal relationships, working on my mental wellness, and moving into a new apartment, I’ve had a lot going on. When I took a moment to myself over the holidays to think about the different sections of my life, it seems like these pieces have been floating around. In 2019, I feel it’s time to really hone in and get them to sync up and align. Does that make sense? That felt like rambling… Good thing I didn’t pick concise as my word.
Health + Wellness
Last year, I focused on getting out of my rut and tackling my stress. I focused on meditation, deep breathing, and figuring out what techniques helped me to calm down. My stress led me to emotionally eat, resulting in a significant weight gain and not feeling like myself at all. Now that I have my stress in a better place, I need to focus on my physical health.
First things first: I booked an appointment with a chiropractor. I’ve carried a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders and by the end of the year, sitting my desk was painful. I had a consultation on Friday, which showed my neck is as much of a disaster as I feared. The chiropractor recommended daily stretches for me and I have my first appointment today. I know it’ll be a long road to be pain-free but I’m so happy to get this going!
To help with my shoulders and neck, I’ve added yoga into my workouts. I’m really loving Yoga with Adriene. You can watch her videos on YouTube, they’re about 30 minutes long and easy to do in an apartment. I’m also taking advantage of having a gym in my building – time on the elliptical goes a lot faster when I listen to a podcast!
My Career
The best thing about my career? There’s always something to learn, a new technique to figure out and having to adapt your strategy because of an algorithm change. The worst thing? There’s always something to learn, a new technique to figure out and having to adapt your strategy because of an algorithm change. What I’m getting at, most days it feels like drinking from a firehose. Especially if you’re a one-person shop like me.
It can be overwhelming feeling like there is just so much to do and learn.
Over the years, I’ve taught myself basic video editing but there is definite room for improvement. So my goal and intention for my career in 2019 is to improve my video skills. I have the equipment and software, now I need to do the heavy lifting and study, study, study and practice, practice, practice.
Which brings us to…
DC Girl in Pearls
The blog! Now that I’m once again connected to WiFi (🙌🏻), the first thing I did was break out my laptop and start blogging. I have a lot of fun ideas for the site for 2019, especially taking advantage of my bigger kitchen. Here’s what you can expect to see on DC Girl in the next year:
Videos
Since I’m going to need to practice video editing, it makes sense to use DC Girl as a guinea pig! I’ve wanted to do videos and vlogs for awhile but honestly, I never had the guts to turn the camera around on myself and just start talking. Back in October when I did my reader survey (You can still fill out here if you’re new. I so, so appreciate it!), one person suggested doing a “Cook With Me” video series so I’m going to give this a whirl!
More Real Life Photos on My Blog + Instagram
While professional photos are beautiful, hiring a photographer isn’t always realistic for my budget. So I’m going to work more to create a mix of blog photos that are mirror selfies and show you more outfits that I wear on a daily basis and don’t always make it onto the blog.
What goals + intentions did you set for 2019?
Photos by Kimberly Graydon
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Shop the Post
J.Crew Factory Merino Wool Turtleneck (So wonderfully soft, I’m wearing a size medium. Also love that this turtleneck is a little on the looser side around the neck. Here’s how I styled it with white jeans for the winter) // Faux Leather Leggings ($72 at Tuckernuck, runs true to size, I’ve also heard good things from everyone about the Spanx faux leather leggings. They’re a little bit pricier at $98) // Lord & Taylor Plaid Scarf (Right now on sale for $33 with code “VIP”) // Zac Posen Leather Satchel // Tuckernuck Crystal Betty Earrings // Sam Edelman Leah Cap Toe Slingbacks (Available in all sizes right now!!)
