2018 Goals!

Hello twenty-eighteen! I still can't believe we are already in a brand new year and halfway through the new month. I've already said it one too many times that twenty-seventeen was such an insane year filled with a lot of struggles, tears, and happiness. I also managed to accomplish a lot of things that had been on my todo list for some time. I feel like twenty-seventeen was the year that my blog really grew! I became a bit more outgoing and did more adventuring with Rudy visiting new places. We moved two states away and got married. It sure was a very wow of a year.

I just wanted to quickly add that I'm very proud of myself for staying optimistic no matter what life threw at me. I feel like that was the main thing that seriously helped me get through the year. I've mentioned it plenty of times how I felt something great was going to happen in twenty-seventeen, and so many things really did. I have that same feeling times ten for twenty-eighteen and I'm so excited to see what this year has in store for us.

And now, for my first post in the new year I'd like to share with you some of the goals I have for 2018, and let's hope I am able to get them all checked out!

01. Take Wedding Photos!
Since Rudy and I eloped I didn't buy a wedding dress and we didn't get wedding photos taken, well not professional ones. I'm determined to find a nice dress hopefully within the next few months, a photographer (maybe a friend or someone local) and take professional wedding photos. I really want to make sure this is something I have to remember such a meaningful day and of course so that we can hang in our house one day. I hope we can get this done around Springtime, I want it to be nice weather and no rain. If that doesn't work out I was even thinking maybe to do this around our one year anniversary. That would be such a neat way for us to celebrate our first year of marriage.


02. Eat cleaner!
Last year was the year I ate the absolute healthiest in my life. A huge accomplishment for me that's for sure. I learned how to cook so many delicious and healthy recipes. I also learned so much more about cooking and it's something I really enjoy doing. Every once in a while Rudy and I enjoy eating out and that's a treat for us. This year I want to try eating even healthier/cleaner than last year along with trying to cut out some not so great foods such as sweets (my guilty pleasure). I want to find healthier options for a lot of items I currently use to cook with. I love following Tasty and Delish to discover new recipes for me to try out especially since they're super simple to make and most times healthy too. I would also love to introduce some new veggies into my diet, you can never have too many vegetables!

03. Buy A House!
This should probably be number one on my list... Mine and Rudy's dream is to buy our own home this year. Rudy and I moved to Washington for a better life and because the living cost here is a lot cheaper than it is in California. I don't want to say a lot regarding this nor do I want to jinx anything. I guess what I'm trying to say is everything happens for a reason and I just hope everything works out for us. I'm feeling very hopeful about the future and once again I'm looking forward to where this year will take us.

04. Save money and spend less!
I always try to accomplish this goal. This year I want to try my absolute hardest to always ask myself if I need something before purchasing it. I've been really good lately to not impulse buy everything I see insight. Ever since reading 'The Curated Closet' book last spring it has really changed the way I buy things especially clothing. I try to remember to ask myself; "do I really need this?" "Yes, it is cute but how often will I actually wear it?". Asking myself these questions always helps with my decision to purchase something or not also with not wasting money either. Everything and every piece of clothing I now buy get tons of use.

05. Read more books!
I've never been a big reader type of girl until the last couple of years. If I come across a book that really catches my eye I become obsessed with it and usually finish it in less than a week. Towards the middle-end of 2017, I was reading less and less with everything that was going on before and after my move. Now I find myself missing having a good book in my life. When I lived back home I loved going to Barnes & Noble with Rudy walking around for hours looking for new books to purchase. I need to do this again! First, I need to write down a list of potential books to buy, I've been wanting to pick up some cookbooks. I enjoy trying out new recipes whether it be for dinner or some kind of dessert. I also realized that I don't really own any cookbooks. Plus I need to find ways to keep me busy and off of the web 'social media' more.

6. Explore more of Washington!
Even though I have been living in the PNW for five months now, (wow!) there are still so many places I'd love to visit. Rudy and I have been discovering a ton of new coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants there are still so many other places we need to see. I want to do more sightseeing and visit small towns. I know in the springtime there's a place that holds a Tulip Festival that my sister+brother in law took my niece to last year and that looked absolutely beautiful. I definitely want to visit it this year along with some nursery gardens. I also want to explore more of Seattle! Go on the space needle and visit the Seattle Troll bridge, I know Rudy has been wanting to check that out.

7. Buy home pieces!
Last year I fell in love with interiors. I had so much fun buying pieces for my room and styling it. I'm so excited to begin buying pieces for my home. I've already picked up some small pieces here and there. Eventually, I will have an entire house to buy things for and style! This is all so exciting to think of, I've even created a 'registry' if you will along with a wishlist board over on Pinterest. That way I can keep track of some items I want. Obviously, I won't be able to have everything styled within a week, these things take time and money. I just get so excited whenever looking at home items, seeing what I'd want and wouldn't want, and most of all daydreaming of all the possibilities. Maybe sometime in the future, I can do a home haul. What do you think?

8. Buckling down on blogging!
This year I'd like to get a bit more serious with blogging. I'm very pleased with how blogging went last year. I had multiple offers for collabs and even sponsorships something I never had before. I would love to do some work with companies, brands, and even bloggers this year. I want to be more into blogging since I had a few breaks during the past year. I also want to put out different content, not exactly sure on what kind. I want my blog to be a mixture of things from my personal life with Rudy, adventure while we are out and about, skin care since I'm obsessed with it, and possibly even bring back some baking posts. Let me know what you guys think, I'm also considering some interior posts in the future.

9. Take more photos!
At the end of December, I created a photo book over on the FreePrints Photobooks app, filled with photos from twenty-seventeen. I fell in love with the final product once I received it in the mail and it really inspired me to try and create one of each past years with Rudy. While I was trying to create them I realized that I don't have enough photos of us and things we do. I'm so horrible at organizing and saving old photos so I really want to change that. Putting photos into a physical book will make things so much easier for me. I am going to try and get as many photos throughout the year so that once the year is up I have so many options to choose from when I sit down to create the photo book of twenty-eighteen!

10. Have Christmas in our own home!
I have always been so used to spending all Holidays with my family. It's something I've always enjoyed as a child even more now as an adult and getting to do that with Rudy. This was the first Christmas that I spent away from home and away from my family. It was bittersweet. If all goes well and we manage to get our own place this year, I'd love to have some of my family over for Christmas. It would be such an amazing way celebrating my favorite Holiday, with some of my favorite people, in a place Rudy and I purchased that is all ours. It's a dream of mine to one day be able to host Christmas at my own house. Also, any excuse to go all out on the Christmas decorations haha.