On a Personal Note—Ringing In the New Year

Happy New Year, friends! Seems that every year I think the same thing, time just flies and I cannot believe another year has come to an end. But I’m pleasantly surprised to say that I’m always quite ready to leave one year behind and look ahead toward the next. Nothing feels quite as good as a bit of a reset and I do love that fresh January feeling that quietly arrives on the 1st.

This was the first New Years Eve that I spent alone. Party plans with friends ultimately fell through due to covid, and after hosting my college roommates this week, I came home from dropping them at the airport Saturday feeling exhausted and wanted nothing more than to stay in. So, instead of my alternate plan of going home to family, I just lit all my candles and cozied in with a Harry Potter marathon and my favorite pizza, plus some champagne and intention setting. New Years has never been a holiday I’ve enjoyed, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve cared less and less about the pressure of celebrating. And though I was a bit nervous about feeling completely lonely or having fomo, it was perfectly fine and felt so nice to relax and wake up feeling amazing on January 1.

It’s been nice taking a break from posting for the month, but I’m very happy to be back. You may see that things are a bit different here, especially if you’re on desktop. I’ve finally updated to my platform’s newer version and it’s nice to tweak every now and then! Certainly has given me a new boost of inspiration. Still working out some of the kinks, but almost there! On another (but similar) note, I’ve been thinking about what I want to bring to this space in the year ahead as I set intentions. Sometimes it feels like I’m talking to no one, but you all still seem to come back to visit my little corner of the internet over and over—thank you for that! I can’t say enough how much I enjoy designing posts for this space and curating finds that I love to share. This site always feels like a warm hug to me. A visual journal that truly evokes a feel-good moment. And I’m so happy that so many of you love it too. I hope to bring you all the inspiration in the new year!

This year was wonderfully filled with friends and family, exploring the city, some travel and weekend jaunts, work opportunities and a raise, lots of books and storytelling, apartment updates, entertaining at home with delicious meals and wine around the table, weddings and reunions, cozy nights in, a little apartment feature in Washington Post, and finishing a personal passion project for my family. Nothing major happened, but a perfectly good year—and I already have so much to look forward to in 2023. I don’t take much stock in resolutions or making big changes at the start of every year. I’m all about small, but noteworthy intentions that I can easily commit to. Plus it’s nice to have a few little things to keep in mind and move me forward.

Intentions for the Year Head

More

- Living slowly, romanticizing my life, and appreciating the ordinary moments
- Community, engagement, phone calls, and time with friends
- Dinner parties, table decorating, and cooking at home
- Traveling to new places and long weekend jaunts
- Laughter, smile lines, and dancing
- Handsome men with British accents
- Fresh flowers in the apartment
- Daily walks and exercise I actually enjoy
- Taking myself to the theater and on dates
- Reading and learning and creating offline
- Getting dressed and refining my wardrobe
- Investing and savings
- Confidence in dating and finding love
- Pasta

Less

- Anxiety over getting older and timelines
- Comparison to others and feeling bad about it
- Time on social media and in front of the tv
- Squeezing into uncomfortable jeans that don’t fit
- Self-loathing
- Takeout, deliveries, and wasting food
- Saying “no” to going out
- Spending… on everything
- Forcing myself to enjoy alcohol when I don’t want it
- Fear of taking on new work opportunities

So, there you have it! A little peek into my personal thoughts for the year ahead. Always love a good more and less list and recommend everyone make their own. Wishing you all the most wonderful start the year! And thank you, thank you, thank you for being part of my blogging journey.

On a Personal Note—October Goodness

Whelp. As per usual, an accidental break from the blog has ensued. But I’m here and ready to talk all things fall!!! I cannot believe we’re well into October at this point and that the holidays are coming so soon. I hope you all have been enjoying my Autumn Film List and Cozy Autumn Playlist. They’ve been bringing me much joy over the past several weeks! I’ve probably mentioned one too many times how this is my favorite time of year.

I’ve got lots planned for the upcoming weeks while the weather is absolute perfection here in DC. I’m ready to dive fully into autumn mode now that we’re finally seeing colder days where coats are in order! Today, my mom and I are doing our yearly tradition of antiquing in Luckett’s at our favorite shops. It’s something I look forward to all year, especially since a few of the stores go all out for fall and Halloween. Very fun! Planning to also hop around DC this weekend and enjoy an extra day off.

Next weekend, I’ll be watching my brother run a marathon and hoping to pop over to one of the fall festivals in our hometown… I can smell the kettle corn already. The weekend after that I’m hosting my annual autumn dinner! It’s something I get SO excited about… going on 4 years. I’m starting to brainstorm my tablescape and flowers and a menu. I cannot wait. Truly one of the coziest, intimate nights with family. And hopefully will end the month with a festive Halloween weekend.

It’s also such a great time of year to really refresh and refine my life in many ways. There’s so much I like to do before the winter months creep in to feel completely cleansed and ready to take on another year. From cleaning out my emails and unsubscribing, reorganizing my closet and donating unworn items, cleaning up my kitchen and any “storage” spaces to make sure nothing stays that isn’t needed, and doing an overall refresh of my space with moodier accessories for the cooler months…new pillows, fresh candles, blankets, etc. I’ll probably pull together a little fall home post with some favorite items. I also like to do a bit of a social media cleanse… unfollowing accounts that aren’t sparking joy for me or finding new inspirations to follow.

This time of year always helps me feel renewed. Autumn just feels so good for the soul. I’m completely soaking in the cooler mornings and that crisp air that settles in this time of year. And I’m ready for the wardrobe change. Sartorially speaking, autumn is my favorite season to dress for. I’ve been bookmarking so many good finds and all the coats. Will absolutely have lots to share here.

Speaking of blog posts, I’m forever thinking about what to do on this space and have a few posts on my mind. I can’t help but think on how much I really miss writing. Sharing products and inspirations is of course very fun for me, but I love to simply write. I was a writing minor in college and have lived my entire life enjoying putting my thoughts to paper, creating stories, writing journal entries, poems, and even back in the day, songs for playing on my guitar! I want to bring that aspect of my life back to the blog in a meaningful way. This space is mine to make of it whatever I wish. I think a break from the usual product pushing we see all the time from bloggers would be nice. So, if you enjoy a little storytelling, I’m thinking of a new Sunday series where I simply just share a written piece about anything and everything happening in my life. Much more for me than you, but hope you’ll find some joy out of it as well.

In other news, as I have yet another friend leaving the area this week, I’ve had friendship on my mind. I’m still thinking about how I really want to find a way to bring together some local ladies here in DC. Being in your early 30s is so weird… my friends are all over the place, both in life and in location. It’s so hard to find new girlfriends at this age who you can really connect to. I figure with my small following on Instagram, I can try to bring together a few of us every so often…maybe a brunch club, dinner party club, meeting in parks, happy hours, museum days, whatever! Just looking for ladies who love the same things I do and want to tag along with me to enjoy. More to come as I think on it.

Ok, that’s all for now!! Hope you all enjoy your weekend. Do something nice for yourself!

On a Personal Note—Mid-Summer Musing

Can it really be mid-July already? Summer, in true fashion, has been flying by. Days spent on the sparkling water or laid out in a field of green. Flowy dresses and sandals, tanned, freckly, skin. Humid walks around the city, little country escapes for pool days and bbqs and warm porch hangs with family. Dinners al fresco, refreshing drinks in the afternoon. Beach vacations and long hours in the sun and sand. Cozy afternoons listening to thunderstorms outside a cracked window. I do quite cherish this time of year.

Somehow it feels as if I’ve done absolutely nothing at all, even through all the somethings I’ve been doing. Summer is lazy and feels like a hazy dream with its long, hot days. I think I’m hitting the summer slump a bit earlier than usual. While I do love this season, I always end up heavily craving autumn after a couple months of heat. Things have felt a bit stagnant and I’m wanting more adventure and that sweet feeling we get as the seasons change.

Perhaps it’s the horrible news cycle these days, or friends being more spread out than usual. Maybe I’m finally really sick of just working from home. Hoping to plan out some more weekend trips and making a point to work out of the apartment several days a week, so I’m not living the usual groundhog day that has seemed to occur ever since the pandemic. I’ve also been taking an unintentional long break from the blog and have missed it. This space brings me so much joy. And with all the nuances of social media, I love having this little corner of the internet to get creative on my own terms. I think getting back to it will help me feel better.

That being said, I do have a few things coming up that I’m excited about. Our annual beach vacation is in a couple weeks with my entire cousin clan. It’s always one I look forward to because it truly is a vacation… pure relaxation and long beach days with no responsibilities. Plus, seeing all my family and hanging out for the week is the most fun. That will absolutely give me a little refresh!

Anyways, there really isn’t much to update you all on! I’ve honestly just been enjoying summer days in DC and been busy with work, and as usual, sharing tidbits of life here and there on Instagram. I’m planning a few upcoming projects that I’ll definitely share here once I thoroughly think them out a bit more. And as far as the blog, I have several posts planned out that were fun to pull together and I’ve recreated my shop page in a way that will be more sustainable for me and easier to update! That’s really all. Just wanted to pop in to say a quick “hello” and get back into the swing of things. Hope you all have a wonderful week!