As the year comes to a close, it is easy to become super nostalgic. It has been an incredible year, full of ups and downs, celebrations, victories, small wins, and more than anything change. I went from living in a new place, to building and establishing a place that feels like home. I went from working full time to working full-time and being a full-time student. It has been a year of incredible change.
Here’s a huge heartfelt thanks from you to me. If I could give you a massive hug through the screen I would. We would have a cup of coffee and I would here about your life. The ups and downs of your year. But more than anything, thanks for coming to this little place on the Internet. Thank you for your comments, for your feedback, and for your input. This blog has a been a place where I can let my creativity flourish and explore. Thank you so much for taking this journey with me. It’s been a wild ride in the 14 months of running the blog, but I’m beyond thankful for every twist and turn it has taken.
The year began with me trying to figure out what this space was going to look like. I was two months in and hadn’t developed a solid rhythm as a creative and blogger yet. Like most of us I was trying to figure things out bit-by-bit. The year started off with goals, life lessons, and nostalgia as I turned 27. With the new year, came the beginnings of a new column you all have come to love. The Getting Real series is a chance to invite you, my beautiful and amazing readers, into my internal world, how I process life, relationships, and the details that fill my days.
see getting real: 27 and single here
see getting real: a year ago today here
see getting real: why at the age of 26 I moved and started over here
Somewhere along the year, I knew I wanted to develop of culture of celebration. One the best parts of working as a creative is having the freedom to work hard and play hard. I love to have fun. I’ve realized that it is a huge pathway to my heart and revives me more than deep conversation as it’s hard to cultivate in adulthood. More than anything else on the blog, I love creating spaces and places where incredible fun can happen. Whether it is a fall dinner party, summer cookout, or a tapas graduation party, life was full of celebrations cherishing moments with those I loved. The tapas and sangria night is still one of my favorite nights in Redding to date. More than a pretty table and good food, it was a night that will remain in my memories for years to come.
see tapas and sangria party here
see summer cookout here
see friendsgiving here
As May came to a close, much of my community left Redding and I got a bit of wanderlust. Bad. The travel bug hit. When it does, I travel and adventure all the time. This summer was no different. It’s fun to now go back and look at all the things on my summer bucket list and see everything I was able to do. Adventure is always around, you just have to go find it.
see the seattle travel guide here
see crater lake here
see castle crag here
see whiskeytown lake here
see castle lake here
see venice beach here
see san francisco city guide here
see napa city guide here
see yosemite here
Outside of weekend adventures, I figured with my spare time, it was time to step up my blogging and business game. The best part about Redding being a small town is that is really easy to collaborate and network with other local businesses and creatives. It has been great to put a spotlight on some business owners and creatives that are killing it in our NorCal town.
see kern + hyde here
see carousel here
see taste & see creamery here
see heritage roasting co here
see floranthropist here
see hadley frances jewelry here
With the arrival of August, came a new space in Redding to call my own. Our little townhome received a lot of love and we thrifted old pieces to create a home that is ours.
see the dining room makeover here
With the start of September, launched the beginning of a new semester for everyone. It was interesting semester. It’s one that I’m sure I’ll share more about in the future, but for now, I’m really content holding it close and processing through all the change that has occurred. As for the blog, I’m learning what balance looks like. There are a lot of ways I still long to grow this space, push it forward, and refine it for my brand. I’m also learning that consistency is key when it comes to blogging. My goal is to continue posting at least 2-3 times a week. There are a few other tricks I have up my sleeve and am hoping to do a bit of a redesign around here as well. (It’s definitely time for a profile picture change on the landing page.)
What was the highlight of your year?