Goals for 2018

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer Marlowe Dress (Under $98!) // Sweater: J.Crew Tippi Sweater // Jacks (Marked down from $118 to $89 + available in all sizes) // Marley Lilly Monogram Clutch (A similar and even cuter monogram clutch. I mean, elephants + a tassel?! Plus it’s on sale for $14!) // Baublebar Mini Pinata Tassel Earrings

2018 didn’t get off to the best start for me. I was all set and rarin’ to head into the new year with energy and zip. And then was completely sidelined by an awful cold complete with fever and chills. I had no choice but to burrow under my blankets and my goals for 2018 were temporarily replaced with other goals, like breathing through my nose and not getting winded by walking up the stairs. I’m happy to say I’ve accomplished both of those goals and emerged from underneath my covers (no small feat when it feels like 1 degree!). So now I can re-focus again on my goals for 2018.

Hone My Creative Skills

My #1 favorite part of my job is being able to be creative every day. From graphics to videos, I love being able to dabble and create content to break the Internet (#goals). I stumbled into digital communications as a career 5 years ago and am largely self-taught when it comes to the Adobe Creative Suite. Having a blog has definitely been awesome practice for that! 5 years later, my skills have improved but it’s time to kick it up a notch and really hone those creative skills. Thank goodness for Skillshare, it’s one of my most-visited sites. I’ve been getting more into video production at work and relying on Skillshare to make the videos look somewhat schnazzy. It’s definitely a work in progress but I’m having a lot of fun learning and feel oh-so-accomplished when I do an editing technique right! You can find my favorite Skillshare classes here.

Escape My Cooking Rut

This year, I pretty much only cooked a version of maybe 10 recipes. So so SO many zoodles + pesto. I was working late more often than usual in the past year and when I’d finally get home, I was usually starving and wanted dinner in 5 minutes. Zoodles + pesto, while delicious, became almost 90% of my diet. We’re currently on a break. That’s why I set myself a goal of expanding my cooking repertoire and I’m really excited about this goal for 2018! Two of my friends last month invited me to join their supper club and I immediately jumped at the chance, it’s just too perfect. A built-in excuse to crack open one of my many cookbooks, roll up my sleeves and have fun in the kitchen again. I already have my nose buried in the Love & Lemons Cookbook I received at Christmas, stay tuned to see what culinary adventures 2018 holds!

Travel

In 2017, I did more travelling than I had in the last few years and I caught the travel bug. From New Orleans to day trips in Arizona, I got to see more of this big world and I loved every second of it. New Orleans was my first-ever solo trip, that trip allowed me to be more comfortable with just being by myself and still having a fun time. I’d like to travel more in 2018 and I’m already off to a good start by going out of town this weekend to the mountains with friends. Maybe I’ll go back to New Orleans or revisit Nashville this year?

Think Positively

2017 was a big year for me on a spiritual level. My feelings of frustration over work and my career left me feeling depleted, anxious and just not like myself. It was the worst. But out of this frustration, I began to practice meditation initially just to calm myself. And then I started focusing on switching my thinking from negative to positive and constructive. This goal is still a work-in-progress (I’m human, after all) and would like to continue with it in 2018.

What are your goals for 2018?

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer Marlowe Dress (Under $98!) // Sweater: J.Crew Tippi Sweater // Jacks (Marked down from $118 to $89 + available in all sizes) // Marley Lilly Monogram Clutch (A similar and even cuter monogram clutch. I mean, elephants + a tassel?! Plus it’s on sale for $14!) // Baublebar Mini Pinata Tassel Earrings