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I’m not one to say, “Oh 2020, that’s going to be my best year yet!!”
Because I mean, how would I know? What if it’s my worst year yet?
Gee, I sound like a ball of laughs, don’t I? 😉
The point is, we don’t know what the future holds. Though I believe in having goals and working towards them, there’s so much that we can’t control.
I can trust God is in control though. Whether life is good or bad. I can just try to take one day at a time. That’s really all I can do.
So while I’m hopeful that 2020 will be ah-mazing, I will try to be okay with whatever happens. I don’t want to put unrealistic expectations on myself (or others) that they must always have to top themselves or be bigger and better.
Sure, it’s always good to improve mentally, physically, spiritually, & emotionally. All the “lees”. But I’m talking about the pressure to always be doing more.
You wrote a book last year? Well now, this year you must write two!
You had a kid last year? Well, this year they must be speaking 4 languages!
You started a blog last year? Well, now it better be the top blog in the United States!
I exaggerate..slightly 😉
To be honest, I’m not really sure where I was going with all of that. But I’ll leave it in here because maybe someone can relate.
Now with that bummer of an intro out of the way…
Without further ado… (or an even longer ado in my case)…I’m going to be highlighting the year 2019 and saying my favorite things of the month!
Whether you’re a new reader and want a crash course on my life or you’re a family member/friend that has fallen out of touch and wants to know what’s new ;), here’s a quick (or not so quick) recap of 2019!
Recap of 2019
JANUARY
January is always one of the hardest months for me because I have a tendency to go crazy being stuck inside with tons of snow, but we did have some highlights. Will started crawling and getting teeth, we went to a friend’s wedding, I got to do a fun collab with The Good Stuff, and we did a photoshoot at a conservatory!
FEBRUARY
We went to Iowa City, IA for a collab with Graduate Hotels and had fun not only creating content for them but also exploring Iowa City, which is one of our favorite places! We also got a new camera and started messing around with vlogs/videos!
Did a collab with Shari’s Berries too!
MARCH
Did my last modeling job and it happened to be with Montchevre. You can see my hands here and here! 😉 People started seeing me online from my Groupon job!
I went to LA with my cousin and it was soo much fun! You can read about my trip here and here.
And we got to do a collab with Maxi-Cosi and Carol’s Daughter. To this day Carol’s Daughter has some of my favorite hair products ever!
APRIL
Birthday month! For my birthday I tried flotation therapy. Will started walking, we went to my step sister’s wedding, I got to work with Pantene, and we soaked up the outdoors a lot more!
MAY
The highlight of this month is easy- EUROPE! Rome, Positano/Amalfi Coast, and Tuscany all took my breath away and will be something I’ll never, ever forget. Not just a year highlight, but definitely a life highlight! I can’t share every cellphone pic in this post ;), but I talk lots more about my travels here.
Oh, but I did get my website redone around this time and I love the updated, chic look!
JUNE
We went to Minneapolis for a collab with Great Wolf Lodge. I did a photoshoot with an amazing creative in my area and I realized I still have never shared the photos! Should do that soon…
Titus & I did an editorial inspired photoshoot this month and I think June was the start of me tapping into my creative, editorial side. Now I’m addicted!
Got to work with Dove as well!
JULY
Another wedding & lots of family and outdoor time!
AUGUST
Probably my second favorite month out of the whole year. We spent a weekend in Wisconsin, had sunny family time, and took some of my favorite photos ever. I mean, give me those two things and my heart is full!
Got to hang out with my wonderful cousin again (you’ve seen her face around here) and do a fun collab with Ace.
It was also at the end of this month that we decided we were going to sell our house!
Will & I did a campaign with Neutrogena too!
So, BIG month!
SEPTEMBER
As a family, we modeled for my city’s tourism board which was fun and loved doing a coffee collab with Mr.Coffee.
And though we came up for some breathers, September was just focused on getting our house ready for market.
Oh, but we did finalize an exciting trip & project for 2020!!
OCTOBER
Lots more housework, listing the house, staying out for showings, and selling it!
NOVEMBER
We traveled to Kansas for a wedding, worked on a collab with Gordmans, had fun working with Contigo, and had a good time with family for Thanksgiving, but yet, November was still mostly all about houses. We house hunted, saw so many, got bummed about the ones we lost out on, but then eventually found one!
Still no break though, because with a 30 day closing on both houses it was time to pack!
DECEMBER
Tiring times yet again. I wish I could say that after moving into our new house we just took a break. But nope. We started on things right away. Literally. I ripped out a table within 1 minute of walking in the door as owner.
We worked on making the place feel like home, hosted amongst the chaos, and most of all, tried to treasure the time with family that we got and remember the True Reason for this Christmas season!
By no means everything in 2019, but I did say it’d be a crash course, didn’t I? 😉
Through my blog and having a family, life has been busier and we’ve had more fun opportunities, but I remember looking at people’s end of the year posts and thinking they did so much and I had no life! They traveled more. Or their life was cooler, whatever.
So if that’s you this time of year, reading people’s highlight reels and feeling bad about it, know that you’re not alone and that life develops at different paces for everyone. Don’t feel bad that you haven’t accomplished so and so yet just because so and so has!
And just remember- people mostly just share highlights! I didn’t talk about when Will dislocated his elbow or when T&I had a really bad and stressful month working on our house. Or the fact that I was lowkey sad the whole holiday season because I never felt like I could enjoy it with so many house stresses. Or the disappointment I felt because I didn’t hit all my goals I set last year.
Nobody’s life is perfect or all it’s made up to be. And to be honest, the people that you’re jealous of and the people that you think have it all- well they’re probably jealous of someone else too!
But of course, I can’t sign off without thanking you for your wonderful support. The MCO tribe keeps growing and I think it’s so fun and amazing to share classic & Parisian style to other Francophiles, and well share whatever you’re following me for hehe! 😉 It must be the jokes, right? 😉
I try to think about you in each post I write and give you something of value. Stick around for 2020 because it will just keep getting better and better! *fingers crossed* 😉
