Every year on the eve of my birthday, I spend time journaling and writing down things I’m thankful for, things I accomplished this past year, and things I’m looking forward too in this next year. I love doing this because a year is a LONG time and you forget everything you did, got through, worked through, experienced, and I love going through the year and reminding myself of everything that happened!

I saw a quote recently that said- ” the amount of beautiful things in your life depends on your ability to notice them.” And I have to say, I’ve never agreed with anything more. I don’t want to sound cheesy or like a cliche, but I really do try and see the beauty and the magic in everyday. And when I have big moments, I feel them whole heartedly, and am just full of gratitude every single time. I can’t even tell you how many times I cried throughout Europe just because I was like holy shit I am so happy and so grateful to be here.

So with that, this year was such a great year. I’ll truly never forget it. Here are some of my highlights that I wrote down in my journal as I reflected on my year around the sun!

+ started the year off in Monterey Bay, on a birthday road trip– which other than Disneyland, is my ideal way to celebrate my birthday!

+ got to take my kids to a Keith Urban concert: major bucket list item crossed off the list!

+ took the kids on their first flight to DISNEY WORLD! & spent an amazing week at Disney World!

+ did an impromptu spring break trip to Zion for 4 days & went to Bryce Canyon National Park for the first time!

+ took on more partnerships & more consistency with my blog & social media channels (thank you everyone for the continued support!)

+ WENT TO LONDON, PARIS, & SARDINIA – THE TRIP OF MY DREAMS (ahh I’m still recapping this trip but I literally will never get over it and for that reason, this year of my life is one that I’ll never forget)

+ went to Disneyland Paris (another bucket list item checked off)

I feel like if I had to theme this past year, for me, the theme would really be exploration. And I mean that in the literal sense of exploration as in travel because we did a lot of traveling this past year, but also in the sense of exploration of identity. I feel like I’ve grown a lot this past year in my career, in my role as a mother and wife, and in the creative aspects of my life- my blog, my personal hobbies (scrapbooking, working out, reading, etc). I’ve really prioritized things that fill MY cup up, which I haven’t always done because as a people pleaser, I’ve always felt like I’ve had to do more or be more for everyone else that at the end of the day, I was too exhausted to do anything just for me. This year I changed a lot of that and really prioritized more of the things that specifically make me happy. And truly, especially as a mother- the more you take care of yourself (however that looks), the more & better you can take care of everyone else, and I really believe that whole heartedly.

The older I get (sorry for sounding like a grandma LOL), the more I appreciate the little things. I’m so grateful for my family and for our health, I’m so grateful to have a job I love and feel fulfilled and appreciated at, I’m so grateful for this creative outlet that allows me to connect to people from all over the world! I’m lucky to have found the things that fill my cup and I hope that going into this next year, I continue to keep it full!

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes and messages! I hope July is a great month for us all!