2015 | Looking Back

Is anyone else with me that it just doesn't feel like 2016? I'm not sure if its the unseasonably warm weather, or just how fast this year has gone, but it just doesn't feel like the beginning of a new year. Perhaps I'm just grumpy... :)

No matter, I figured it's time to stop fighting it and try to jumpstart my way into that new year, new beginning feeling. To do so, I'm looking back at 2015 and thinking about goals for 2016.

Before I get to the good stuff, I've got to give a shout out to my friend Christy Batta, who is setting an example all of us can learn from. Instead of pressuring herself to meet potentially unrealistic benchmarks in 2016, Christy celebrated the New Year by making a list of everything she experienced in 2015. I love, love, love that idea! It's such a healthy alternative to the norm, and allows one to feel grateful for everything they have, rather than to beat themselves up for those things -- no matter how major or minor -- that they might fail to achieve. 

On that note, I'm starting off my recap of 2015 with all of the weekend getaways Cliff and I took. After all, doing more traveling is always something I have my eye on, primarily because of the richness it brings to my life!

2015 Resolutions: 

• Take more weekend getaways. Cliff and I both love traveling, and getting out more is something we both wanted to do last year. I think it's safe to say that we accomplished our goal! In 2015, we visited Longwood Gardens | Cumberland, Maryland | Annapolis, Maryland | Shenandoah National Park | Camden, Maine | Manassas Battlefield | the Grand Canyon

• Be mindful of all the things I’m thankful for. This isn't one of those things that can always be measured, but being thankful for the good things in my life is something I always try to do, no matter what time of year it is. I wish Thanksgiving could happen more than once per year, which is why I'm making in happen in 2016. I'm planning a Thanksgiving-esk dinner party for close friends around my birthday this year! More on that later.

• Play hooky! Okay, so this didn't exactly go as I had originally envisioned, but Cliff and I did finally make to to an amusement park in 2015 -- and you know what? It was AWESOME!!! I forgot how much I love roller coasters until we visited King's Dominion. Instead of taking a day off of work to go (as originally planned), Cliff and I went this summer during a free week between new jobs. The experience taught me something I never expected to learn about: the value in a  staycation. Taking another staycation just have to be a goal for the New Year!

• Meet and make new friends. This was something I was super serious about in 2015, and I'm really proud to say that I think I'm off to a great start on this long-term goal. The best part is, photography helped get me there. I'm so looking forward to forging new and stronger friendships with more people in my community in 2016!

• Wear more makeup. This is the only goal I fell short on. As much as I want to wear more makeup, I just don't feel like I have time in the mornings. That said, I don't think it's too late to try, or to set a goal that's achievable for my lifestyle, like wear makeup one day a week.