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17 of my favorite things that happened in 2017

12/27/2017

2017 was the year of firsts and the year of growth and change. I had such an amazing year and I want to share all of my highlighted "best moments".

17. Matchbox twenty concert

Do I really need to explain this one? I love matchbox twenty and had to see them! They were amazing and I loved every moment of their show.

16. 5 billion trips to mill creek park

5 billion may be a bit too much, but I would think at least 50-100 trips. Mill Creek Park is my favorite place (well within 20 minutes of my house) so I pretty much went there every single day whenever the weather wasn't freezing. I also went with pretty much every single person I know at some point or another through the spring, summer and fall. It is one of the most beautiful and serene places in the Youngstown area.

15. home improvements

When we moved into our first home that we purchased in 2016, we had so many plans for all the improvements we wanted to make. This year we started tackling that list and knocked off one of the bigger ticket items, replacing all of the carpet in the living areas with hardwood. We also painted all of our spare bedrooms and replaced most of the light fixtures throughout our house.

14. Finally leaving the food service industry

At the beginning of the year I quit my job and focused on growing my shop and increasing my inventory and sales. I worked in food service for over 6 years and it was just time to move on and begin to work on something that could grow and I could actually see myself doing long term.

13. Steelers games!

After 6 football seasons dating Jon who loves the Steelers and loves watching football, I have finally given in and accepted that I enjoy watching football. This year we went to not 1, but 2 games! Anyone who enjoys watching football and has been to a game knows how hype and fun the games are. There's so many fans and the atmosphere is just very exciting!

12. Red Hot Chili peppers concert

AMAZING! This concert was the most high production concert I have ever been to and Jon and I were lucky enough to attend the show with floor seats. This is the concert that really started to sway my music preference away from country.

11. Brantley Gilbert and Luke combs concert

If you like country music, I highly recommend you see both of these artist at least once because they were incredible. Nicole and I had the best sister night out just jamming out to some country music and having a good time.

10. Cook Forest

I will always be down to take any trip that involves hiking in a beautiful place. Nicole and I took a trip to cook forest and went hiking and exploring throughout the area. Plus any trip with Nicole is always the best because we literally never stop laughing.

9. Mohican state park

Jon and I had a short, weekend getaway at Mohican State Park. We stayed in a cabin in the middle on nowhere and had 0 cell service, which gave us time to just be with each other. We went hiking to see waterfalls, canoeing down and river, and just relaxed for a few days. We also were able to spend time with Jon's aunt and uncle who we never see because they live a few hours away.

8. Giving up meat (and most dairy and eggs)

This was one of the hardest things I have ever done, except quitting smoking. Jon and I changed the majority of our eating habits and had to quit going to a lot of our favorite restaurants. I can honestly say I have never felt better in my life though. I was always bloated and normally ate out way too often simply because I was lazy and did not want to cook. Now I am forced to cook and be very conscience of what I am putting into my body.

7. Key West

We were not able to spend a ton of time in Key West, but the little bit of time we did spend there we spent touring the city. We were able to visit the southern most point, the original Margaritaville, and a few other cool places in town, plus we did some shopping!

6. Halestorm concert

Instead of buying each other cheesy anniversary gifts, Jon and I choose to buy tickets to see Halestorm, We scored amazing seats right by the stage and honestly I had a few too many beers and sang and danced the night away. The concert was absolutely amazing though and totally worth the hang over the next day.

5. Hitting 100 sales

When this year started, I had 1 goal which was to hit 100 sales on my Etsy shop. I originally thought it was going to be very difficult to hit this goal but ended up doing so in April. Now at the end of the year my shop sales are totally 600 (possibly a bit more depending on when I post this). I never felt successful working dead end service jobs, but over the past year I have felt so successful because of the growth and progress I have had with my shop.

4. welcome to Miami

Jon and I spent 3 days in Miami in July right after our first cruise. We spent the entire time laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, eating food, and taking naps. It was honestly the most relaxing and perfect beach vacation. Plus neither of us had been to Florida so we really enjoyed experiencing a new place.

3. Mexico

This was an experience that I will never forget. We visited mexico and we were able to go on a full day tour of Tulum and a Mayan village. The Mayan Ruins in Tulum were amazing! Our tour guide was so full of information and it was one of the most interesting experiences of my life (I love love love history). The structures were so old and the view over the cliff and out to the ocean was breathtaking.

After we toured the ruins we were able to visit a Mayan village. Here we canoed, went swimming in a cenote and jumped off cliffs, and had an amazing homemade Mayan lunch. We even got to meet some the the locals who lived in the village!

2. Bahama mama

Visiting the Bahamas was not only one of my favorite experiences of this year, but one of my favorite experiences of all time! It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen, pictures don't do it justice. We visited 2 islands, Cococay, which was a private island, and Nassau. The water in the Bahamas was crystal clear and very warm, but still refreshing! We spent most of our time relaxing on the beach whenever visiting the private island.

Nassau was very different then what we expected. The tourist areas were very nice and there was plenty of shopping. You could see Atlantis in the distance which was almost magical because it was so grand and beautiful. The island overall needed a bit of love though. There were so many vendors bombarding tourist which is something that can be quite frustrating whenever you just want to enjoy yourself and relax. Plus some of the areas were a bit rundown.

1. memories made with family and friends

Throughout the year I spent so much time with my family, Jon's family, and our friends. A lot of the time we were just spending time with each other, eating food or talking or playing games. I'm so thankful for all the people who are apart of my life and who I am able to spend time with and make memories with, even though we are not actually doing anything significant. I'm also so beyond thankful that my dad is still here and fighting and was able to spend another holiday season with our family.

2017 was an amazing year full of so many amazing memories. It was the first time I had ever been in a different country (except Canada whenever I was younger). It was the first time I had ever been to a rock concert and I ended up attending more than 1 because they were so amazing. I was also able to make so many amazing memories with the people that I love. I hope 2018 brings me more adventures and more experiences. I also hope that I end next year with a different last name and Jon and I are officially married!

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My own happiness

12/10/2017

1 Comment

I know, it has been months since I have published anything, which is not okay. I go through phases where I tell myself that I will work harder to make writing a priority, but I NEVER follow through, I get busy and life takes over so I ALWAYS push writing to the back burner and make other things my priority,

I promise that I will no longer do this. I will make writing my priority because it is something I have always loved and always been passionate about. I love looking at old pieces I have written and admiring how much progress I have made over the years.

Recently, I have been reading You Are A Badass by Jen Sincera and something about this book really makes me want to push myself to do bigger and better things, which I guess is the point of a "self help book". Also, I absolutely hate that books are ever even classified in that grouping because EVERY SINGLE PERSON should have to read this book. The sooner you read it, the better. Everyone needs "self help".

I am only 100 or so pages through, but there's so many incredible passages throughout this book that I can relate to about embracing change and just not being scared to step out of your own shell. This is not a book report so I am not going to recap the book, but I highly recommend picking up a copy if you are feeling a bit lost an uninspired.

The reason I bring up this book is because in recent months I have begun to really just live my life for me, something the book encourages readers to do. I have spent most of my life looking for approval from every single person in my life. My parents, my sisters, my friends, my teachers, my boss, even my fiance, but that was not making me happy...

What makes me happy is giving my dogs 600 kisses every single day. What makes me happy is eating pizza (although I really really really wish I could live a 100% vegan lifestyle). What makes me happy is the smell of candles burning and taking long hot baths. What makes me happy is reading a book on my couch on Sunday afternoon. What makes me happy is the fact that I can make money working from home. What makes me happy is traveling. What makes me happy is watching Friends over and over and over again.

Many of these things are rather pointless things that won't spark any sort of controversy or deep disagreement, but that is the point. Start out small. Start developing your own strength to just do whatever the hell you want to do. I have seen first hand how life can be cut short at any given time, so whatever time you have, you might as well spend it doing what you want and what you love.

Also, you are never too old to grow and change for the better. Try something new, try to be a kinder and more understanding person because you never know what others may be going through,