Happy New Year! 

It feels incredible to be back after a long hiatus. 

I'm not sure about you, but I feel as though the past two to three years have been bit of a blur, and that I've just exited the thick of it. 

That season of my life was filled with bittersweet moments in my personal life, career, and family. I wrestled as I tried to adapt to a revised path and timeline for my life that I didn't quite understand, which left me exhausted. 

Somewhere in the midst of it all, I lost sight of the simple things that bring me joy and perspective on life, like travel, photography and blogging. 

I'm grateful that I made the time to take a step back and rest this Christmas. Here's a few photos from my trip to Cape Cod with my family. 

There's nothing like the crisp ocean air to clear the mind and restore the soul.

We took the time to reminisce about life, acknowledge our progress, and to get excited about our future together. 

I have no idea what this new year will bring for me, but I'm confident and hopeful that there is goodness, beauty and growth in store for 2023. I truly believe that the things that we don't understand in isolation will all come together for good. It's just a matter of time!

Musée Rodin gardens

Make the most of every opportunity. Don’t be vague and thoughtless, but live accurately and purposefully. Ephesians 5:15-17

#5. Get involved and meet some locals. 

Hello and happy New Year! 2015 is finally here, and I'm sure we all have a list of resolutions and goals that we want to get started on tout de suite. Our batteries are fully charged, and we all have a perfectly blank slate to work with! I find the imagery of 'blankness' and 'new beginnings' so therapeutic, don't you? But let's be honest, if we're not careful, our resolutions can vanish faster than retail stores can dissassemble their christmas displays.

I'd be kidding myself if I said that I am the world's most organized person, but I am super goal-oriented. I think I'd be lost if I didn't have something to constantly work towards. I should probably add that this New Years Eve, I had no resolutions. Well not officially at least. Why? I don't think you should wait until December 31st to set new goals or feel inspired. I feel like there are some lessons that we can't seem to escape... almost as if we keep revisiting them until we sort of 'pass' the test. For this reason, I didn't create any new goals by NYE because I plan on exploring and improving my old ones.

Overall, I think that 2014 was a fairly good chapter in my life. The year proved to be challenging. It felt like every four months brought on another wave of tests and new things to adapt to. I'm not opposed to the idea of "the new", but after a while, I find the challenges it brings to be very emotionally trying. I learned to endure these periods by being extremely patient and keeping a positive attitude despite adversity. I built thicker skin, and sort of became better at enduring things until the storms lightened up or passed. What's more, in 2014 I travelled a lot, cried very little, opened up more, judged others and myself less, and got better and enjoying the moment. I still need to work on finishing what I start, worrying less and being decisive.

Some other things I (re)learned:

Contentment takes work. Work daily at it!
Maintaining your happiness should be like a reflex. Everyday a series of good and bad events will occur. But it's your job to keep your cool. Filter out what you don't want in your life, and embrace positive the things that you do want to manifest in your life :)

Keep. things. simple.
I want to spend more time creating and completing things and less time pondering how to start them. This one is mostly in regards to my blogging habits, haha. I want to start writing on a consistent basis, and I think I can do this if I express myself in a clear and simple way. When writing, I have a habit of starting off by using embellishments and one-thousand details. This often leads to my initial message being lost, which then leads to me forgetting the idea all-together, and finally, the blog post is left in drafts (for dismissal, ofcourse). Instead of being hesitant to publish it because it isn't just the way I want, I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. Sometimes it's best to start things and figure it out as you go along.

Laugh everyday. You deserve it.
Ever noticed how kids laugh at just about anything? Laughter is so important. Life seems to get more 'grown up' and 'serious' with every year, but it shouldn't mean that we can't laugh like we did when we were kids!

Wishing you all the best in the year ahead! Stay strong :)

Highlights of the year in photos: