j-crew-merino-sweaterblack-fringe-skirt
Sweater: J.Crew / Skirt: Nordstrom, similar / Heels: Jean-Michael Cazabat, similar / Earrings: Bauble Bar

I hope you guys had a great weekend!  Mine was pretty low key even though even though my birthday was yesterday.  Things have been so busy at work that I didn’t plan much for my birthday, but fortunately I believe in a birthday month :)!  In the meantime, I picked up these leopard heels and these fringe heels (both on sale!!) as presents to myself.  You guys know I can’t resist my shoes!

I’ve always wanted to do a fun shoot with balloons, but I didn’t realize posing with props is hard!  These balloons had a mind of their own.  I initially forgot to pick up balloons, but my mom photographer surprised me with the awesome balloons above.  Unfortunately, after we got the perfect shot, the “Another Year of Fabulous” balloon got loose and floated away (probably to another county…).  I like to think it means that this year is really taking off (sorry I couldn’t resist!).

Last year was really interesting, with some really high highs and really low lows.  I definitely learned a lot about myself and my relationships, all of which has made me very excited for this year.  I know I haven’t shared any of my goals for the year so far on the blog.  To be honest, I spent most of January reflecting on the previous year and trying to prioritize the biggest things I want to accomplish this year and putting plans against those goals since I didn’t make a lot of progress on my goals last year.  Reading them, I realized these goals all have the common theme of getting me out a rut!  My top 3 goals are:

  1. Meet new people.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my current friends, but I realized I stopped approaching new people.  Before the end of last year, I also didn’t really believe in mixing friend groups, but I’m realizing that mixing friends is actually a great thing.  Recently, I’ve also started making it a goal to talk to one new person a day and set up a certain number of social events a month.  While it was a little awkward at first, it has definitely given me a lot more confidence and opened me up to meeting new people.
  2. Grow my blog (especially through social channels).  I have some very specific targets written down, but for now let me just say one of the big things I’m working on for the blog (and in life) is being more organized.  Many times over the past year it has been all or nothing with the blog or Instagram.   This year my goal is to plan ahead and be more consistent.  While that may not always mean an Instagram post every day or 3 blog posts every week, it hopefully will stop the month long absences on Instagram/the blog…  I’ve realized that doing a little to keep moving forward is better than stopping completely and then trying to restart weeks or months later.
  3. Face my fears/step outside my comfort zone more.  Over the past year, I felt like I was retreating back to my comfort zone.  My first answer to trying new things was usually an automatic no, unless it involved travel.  A falling out with a friend caused me to realize that I was holding myself back, most often out of fear of failure, lack of confidence, or fear of what other people might think.   Basically, I refuse to do it any longer since I was just holding myself back.  I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a little kick in the butt for trying new things!

I’m very excited for the coming year and I hope you are as well!  Thanks for reading such a long post and have a great day!

Linking up with Sincerely Jenna Marie, More Pieces of Me, Fizz and Frosting, Lip Gloss and Crayons, The Fashion Canvas, Walking in Memphis in High Heels, Bless Her Heart Y’all

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