I usually don’t say things like this but I am more than happy to bid 2017 adieu. This past year was a big test to me. A test of strength in myself, friendships and trust, patience in my career, and prioritization of my life. This was also a year of exploration and travel. A year full of monthly weekend getaways.

I don’t mean to sound negative because I don’t look at this year as a bad year at all, just a year of growth and learning. And I am glad to put a lot of the year’s hurdles behind me and keep moving forward. I started this year in Scottsdale with my fiancé. Flash forward six months and I was packing up my life into my car with my sister and best friend moving back home to Connecticut. And now six months later, I am ringing in the new year in Newport, RI with the people who truly have been there for me for my entire life.

What I love right now:

I always try to stay away from trendy shows but somehow always fall on the bandwagon against my will. It took me two seasons to get into Walking Dead and six seasons to drink the Game of Thrones kool aid. But only halfway through season two I am fully on board with This Is Us. I binged all of the current episodes in 5 days. Obsessed! I cannot wait for the season to start again next month. Does anyone have any other good Netflix shows to watch?? I hear Riverdale is mindless and great. What do you think?

Per the usual during the winters I am stocking up on cozy sweaters and yummy candles. My new favorite are these DW Home candles that I found at Home Goods. I even picked up a few Rose Quartz for the spring. January welcomes back my weekly yoga classes that have become a good go to during my crazy weeks at work.

Where I went:

Like I said, 2017 is the year of the weekend getaway. I took only one week off over the entire year and it was completely consumed with my move across the country. Most of my other weekends were filled to the brim with weddings, bachelorette parties, visiting family, and exploring new cities. I have been so blessed to have lived in two amazing locations this year where I could take quick road trips.

Besides my west coast to east coast road trip this year I also road tripped to Scottsdale, Las Vegas, Vermont, Salem, MA, Boston and now this weekend in Rhode Island. I also took further trips home to Connecticut at the beginning of the year and down to Atlanta and Orlando this fall.

What I’m looking forward to:

One thing I learned in 2017 is to not plan too far ahead. This year I have two international trips lightly planned and that it so far. (Dates set, but not tickets bought yet.) Last year at this time I had bought and paid for 5 of 6 of my cross-country trips. In 2018 I plan on going with the flow and taking the year as it comes.

Today I started a new job, a promotion in an office much closer to my house. (I’m talking like a mile from home.) I’m excited for this next chapter since this is what I’ve been working toward for the past two years. Truth be told I tried to put this off as long as I could. My manager in California tried to make me take the plunge to the next step but I have this thing about really wanting to know everything about every job that I lead, so I decided to stay in my position and learn more. But sometimes you need to step outside of your comfort zone.

2018 Goals:

I have a big list of goals for 2018. I have personal goals, financial goals, and professional goals all written down in my daily planner where I can see them and be reminded of what I’m working toward each day. I do this every year and somehow, they tend to fizzle away mid-March. This year I created a few lifestyle changes to set me up for my goals. I’m hoping these will keep me in check for the rest of the year.

-Be better about self-wellness

Like I said earlier, I have been doing yoga once a week and since I’ve been back on the east coast, gym has been a semi regular part of my schedule. Both are great me time where I don’t think about anything and just work on myself. I defiantly plan on upping that in 2018.

I am also kicking off January with my third time doing Whole 30. My first time was in April 2016 which was super successful. I felt great and lost a lot of water weight. Then last January I did it again for about two weeks before going on a quick vacation where I blew it all. Plan is to get through the whole 30 days this time around. January 2 through January 30.

-Make a morning routine

Part of my self-wellness is removing the stressors in my life and one of the silliest stressors I have each morning, is not getting out of bed after my first alarm. It’s a terrible habit where I roll out of bed 10 minutes before having to leave for work. It has got to stop! New week, new year, new job. Since I live a whole 3 minutes from my new office I am going to keep waking up when I was before. That will give me almost an hour to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee, while I get ready instead of rushing it on my way to work. It will also give me time for a second cup of coffee so #winning. The extra time will defiantly make mornings more relaxing.

-Create a weekly schedule

It’s been damn cold here in Connecticut and once I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is go out again. All I want to do is put sweats on and watch TV from my couch. But not this year. This year to encourage me to GSD (get shit done) I am going to schedule my weeks. Something like this: Sunday-gym, Monday-write, Tuesday-yoga, Wednesday-gym, Thursday-write, Friday-gym. I usually do pretty well on a schedule but this is a little much. We will see how it goes.

Most of all, in 2018 I just want to grow. Year after year, it doesn’t matter what happens to you, as long as you continue to grow as a person. 2017 you sure kicked my ass. Sayonara!