New Year Review

Happy Sunday! My winter break is quickly coming to a close and to mark the beginning of the new year I wanted to write a year in review post. It's amazing all that's happened this year! I remember the major moments (first Working Wardrobe post, first teaching job, graduation from grad school, engagement photos, etc.) as well as the smaller ones (hosting a building dinner, snuggling inside during snowmaggedon, several trips to Omaha, etc.).

2014 has been a great year for me and the blog. I'm coming close to my fourth year writing on here and have just hit 100,000 total views! I feel such incredible love and support for the blog and its something I truly love. Thank you for helping me continue to write. Without your "likes," comments, and encouraging words I know I would be less motivated to stick with it when inspiration fails me. I'd also love your feedback. So let me know in the comments section, what kind of posts would you like to see more of in this new year? Beauty? Outfit posts? Style guides? History? Recipes? Share your thoughts!

Finally, since it is the new year, I want to share with you seven of my resolutions. Sometimes, I feel like these can be silly. Yet I'm giving them a try because writing these goals down can give greater perspective and clarity. So here goes:

1. worry less - this is something I do a lot. I'm constantly worrying about wedding stuff, friend stuff, and work stuff. This year is no doubt going to be stressful with the wedding, but I want to make sure that I take more deep breaths and let go of the things I cannot control.

2. be more creative - I'm already working on this. In January and February I'm taking a pottery class with a friend! I also want to bring this in to my teaching - to make learning for my students more fun, engaging, and enlightening.

3. spend more time with girlfriends - sometimes it feels like work and the constant to-do list gets in the way of hanging out with my girlfriends. So this year I'm wanting to focus my attention more on refreshing those close relationships that I've had with my fantastic friends.

4. run a 10k - this is the most I ever want to run in a single session. I'm not an aspiring marathon runner, but I do want to get in shape for the wedding. So my goal this spring is to run a 10k!

5. connect more with my brother - he's such a special person to me. Our busy lives and distance have made being very close hard. But my relationship with my brother is one of the most important in the world and I need to stop letting outside forces get in the way of developing it further.

6. take technology breaks - this is something Mikael and I are working on. We're giving up cable and working on being more present in our time together. So we are starting to read books together and enjoying those moments more.

7. find daily joy - I've tried to do this more last year and I definitely want to continue it this year. A movie I watched really inspired me to have a new perspective on each day. Appreciating the small moments, finding profound joy in love and friendships, worrying less about the unimportant stuff (see resolution #1). I want to keep working on this throughout this next year!