A Look Back At 2017!

Twenty-Seventeen, you've been a crazy roller coaster of a year, to say the least. This time last year I remember feeling so incredibly optimistic for 2017 and I had no idea as to why. This year I had so many obstacles hitting me from left and right, and even at my lowest I remained hopeful. I knew something great was waiting for me and it was. So many things managed to happen this year that I was beginning to think was never going to happen. Since tomorrow is the first day of the new year, today I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of my year.

Obviously, I'm going, to start off with the fact that I finally got married this year! Yup, after being engaged for a little over two years Rudy and I finally got married. I'm officially Mrs. Zambrano! We ended up eloping but I honestly don't think I would have wanted it any other way. It was so relaxing, even though I was super nervous about the actual getting married part because I didn't mess up on my vows. I'm glad we didn't have to spend so much money on a wedding. It was a nice and quick ceremony. We exchanged vows, said 'I Do', placed the rings on our finger, and Rudy kissed the bride (me). Since none of our family was able to be there to watch us get married I would love to still have a reception to celebrate our marriage one day. I'm still planning on buying a dress so Rudy and I can go get some professional wedding photos taken hopefully within the next few months. I seriously can't wait to take and have those photos, it will be so beautiful to hang in our future home. We've been married for over three months now and It's still so crazy for me to say that he's my husband. It gives me butterflies just thinking of it. I'm still adjusting to the whole thing especially my new name.

Another huge thing that happened for Rudy and me this year is we moved to a new state. I don't know which one, us moving out of state or getting married is the biggest highlight. Ever since we first started dating back in 2012 we both always mentioned that we wanted to move outside of California. Personally, for me, I wanted to go somewhere new to explore and of course, somewhere that wasn't so expensive. In 2016 we were both considering making the move to Seattle. Even though that was something I wanted I never thought it would happen. We had been trying to make the move since early this year. Rudy applied for a transfer to Tesla in Seattle for a few different positions. Finally, after a few phone interviews, he got approved and well the rest is history. Living in Washington is very different than living in California. We've been here for a little over four months now and we are still finding ourselves adjusting. I've been enjoying it, I take things day by day and I always have mine and Rudy's future in mind. Everything happens for a reason and I'm so thankful for this amazing opportunity. If it wasn't for this move I honestly don't think we would be married today.

Since moving so far from my family and friends it's so different to try to maintain a relationship with them. I don't get to see them every day or as often as I used to so I have found myself really making an effort not to lose touch with those who are really important to me. I'll admit I lost contact with a lot of people which is disappointing, but I can only do so much. A relationship works two ways, you can't be the only one making the effort. Luckily, I have managed to keep in contact with many others. My dad and I have a really close relationship, moving out here and leaving him was the hardest thing ever. My heart still aches about that till this day. However, we have managed to talk to each other nearly every day if not every couple of days. He's so important to me and had really been there for Rudy and me this past year. Of course, I have to also keep him updated on how his grandchildren are doing since he and Bowie were the best of friends. He misses them so much. One of my dearest cousins, Sabrina, is another one I've been keeping good contact with. Even though when I lived back home we didn't talk or see each other often, I have found that the 800+ miles distance between us has only made us closer. Lastly, for friends, I still manage to talk to my best friend Imelda nearly every day. It was really hard for me to accept I was no longer going to be seeing her every week once I moved, and I'm still trying to adjust to this. I love that we're still able to talk just as much as when I lived ten minutes away.

I'm so pleased with the attention and feedback my blog has been getting. It always makes my day to see a new comment on any of my posts and that people are actually interested in the content I put out. I'm always saying here how I wish my blog will become successful one day and I'm really content with the way it has been growing the last few months. I love interacting with new people especially fellow bloggers like myself. I'm always on the hunt for new blogs to read and I definitely need more blogger friends! I have discovered many new lovely blogs, especially ones that share similar interests as mine. I always look forward to reading new content that they put out. Whenever I'm in the process of creating a new post I always keep my readers in mind because I want to put out content that you guys will enjoy and also can relate to. I'm always open to new suggestions as to what you like to see on my blog. Also, share some of your favorite blogs you think I should check out!

I've talked a lot about skincare on my blog, it's become something I really enjoy doing. As a kid, I struggled with acne so now as an adult I try my best to have the best skin as possible. I feel that this past year I have tried so many amazing new brands that have really worked wonders on my skin. I probably say this every time I try new skin care products but my skin has been looking it's absolute best. I take my skincare routine seriously and I also take pride in it. Of course, my skin isn't perfect and I do still get some breakouts from time to time depending on how I'm eating. Chocolate will be the death of me! I've been meaning to do an updated skincare routine but for one reason or another, I always push it back. I begin working on it and I'll stop out of nowhere, and then when I come back to it I'm no longer using certain products and added some new items to my routine. It's been a struggle, haha but I promise to have it out sometime in January.

Lastly, I discovered a passion for home interior. As you can tell on my 2017 best of nine on Instagram photo above, interior posts were something my followers really enjoyed, as did I! Mix and matching pieces such as; throws, pillows, bits and pieces on my desk was so much fun! It's really made me excited to decorate and put together my home once the time comes. I know I've mentioned 'my future home' many times already but it's exciting! It's a huge step on being an adult and something I really look forward to and hope will happen for us.

I really hope that 2017 was a good your for all of you but that 2018 is an even better year. I wish you all a Happy New Year! I'll leave you all with my best of nine from the last two years.