Hi Navigators,
It has been a long time since I have created a blog post and honestly, I just needed some space and time to reflect on events that have unfolded in my life. I might share what happened at a later time but I’m just not ready and I’m not the person involved – so, it’s not really my place to talk about it without their full permission.
Today is the last day of 2018 – and it has been a really hard year for me. I have learned a lot and faced a lot of things that have broken and mended me. I have started blogging to share my story, faced fears that have opened the doors to many new experiences, and have discovered some things about myself that I didn’t know before. I have tuned into my creativity, figured out what I want to do with my life, and have figured out a lot about the world and people in my space.
Although a lot of this was good – there were a couple of bad things that occurred as well. I hit my lowest point in my mental health journey and I’m surprised (but thankful) that I survived through it. Then, there was that horrible thing that happened as well but again, I can’t share it. I’m sorry for the secrecy but I really just want to respect that.
Anyways, long introduction short – I wanted to create a blog post to wrap up 2018! If you’re curious about the highlights, some favorites, some lessons that I learned, and how I did on my yearly goals – then keep on reading!
HIGHLIGHTS:
Date Nights:
Nathan and I have had numerous dates this year but my top three was our date to Universal Studios when we had a belated wedding gift from my father-in-law and his girlfriend to Florida. They had Aubri for the day and we went to Universal; which was extremely scary for me. Honestly, I loved it! My husband is an adrenaline junkie and I’m more fearful of rides than he was. I wanted to face my fear and ride on a lot more rides (I only went on two) but we still had a lot of fun! I felt sick a lot of the day so I wasn’t as brave as I had planned but it was a blast. The atmosphere alone was relaxing, the rides were mesmerizing, and it was a lot of fun. We are planning on making a trip to Florida so that we experience all that Universal has to offer.
My second favorite date that we went on this year was to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We took a trip to my hometown to see my parents (our anniversary landed on Father’s Day this year) and I asked if they could take her for a little bit while we took a trip to the local ice cream parlor. I ended up ordering a blueberry crisp ice cream (which is as delicious as it sounds) and he pointed to the giant lawn game of Connect Four. I was upset at first because it was embarrassing. But, I caved and we played while eating our ice cream and it was a lot of fun. It provided conversation and a lot of laughs.
The third date that was the highlight just happened a couple of weeks ago when my parents took Aubri home with them after our gift exchange. Every year they give us a gift card to where we had our first date – Olive Garden. I honestly wasn’t in the mood for it, but I asked him to make a reservation and we took the forty minute drive to the closest one. It was delicious and we got to have a deep conversation about how far we have come in our relationship. We laughed, shared our favorite memories, and it really helped us fall in love all over again. Not to mention, it was really yummy! I ordered an appetizer of “lasagna fritta” and a chicken parmigiana with a side of breadsticks and salad – so good!
Florida Vacation:
As I have already stated – we were provided with a belated wedding gift to Florida. They paid for the hotel and flight and we paid for our park tickets and souvenirs. I already shared a post about this because it was the first time I flew on an airplane which was a HUGE fear of mine.
We stayed in a beautiful hotel, visited three parks (Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and both theme parks at Universal Studios). Yes, I thought that Disney was a little overrated but I’m not a fan of long lines or crowds. I didn’t hate it – I just wasn’t a huge fan of the experience.
One of the highlights of this trip (other than our date) was definitely trying the cheeseburger pods in the Pandora section of Animal Kingdom! I have desperately wanted to have some more of those pods because those were SO good.
I truly had a lot of fun and although it wasn’t what I was expecting – I highly appreciate the opportunity and the ability to plan more trips because I did fine with flying.
Blogging:
Obviously, a huge thing that happened this year was I launched my self-hosted blogging site and it has been an experience to be able to share my story, meet other bloggers, and find my voice. I always found comfort in writing so taking the chance to become an “official blogger” was a good choice.
Bullet Journaling:
I have tried many times to stay committed to a bullet journal and this year was the time where I stuck to it! I purchased a green dotted journal and it has given me a place to be organized, dive into my love for planning, and get in touch with my creativity. I highly recommend trying this method to keep your life on track – but know that you don’t have to be elaborate to be a successful bullet journalist – in fact, I stick to minimal spreads and it works for me.
Also, if you’re prone to mistakes (like me) pencils are fine! You don’t need colors or pretty pens – in fact, the cool thing about a bullet journal is you can adapt.
New Addition:
In June – Nathan decided to ask our landlord if we could get another kitten to add to our household and she said yes. I was excited and after a few weeks trying to find a kitten – a lady reached out to me to offer me one of her kittens. Honestly, I didn’t fall in love with her at first. She was cute but I desperately wanted a calico cat for our second furbaby – but, I had a feeling I needed to and to be honest, I think she was abused by this owner.
We went to pick her up and I didn’t realize until we got there that she didn’t have the mother – she was just getting rid of one of her kittens. I was upset about this but felt like I had to save her. We paid, left with our new kitten, and brought her home.
Arlo wasn’t too happy about her at first but now they are best friends! We decided to name her Aria and even though she’s not our ideal kitten – she’s a sweetheart and I’m happy that she is in a place where she is safe.
Family Trips:
We went on a lot of mini family trips this year but my favorites was a trip to the local beach where I got to sit on the shore and read a book, went on our first camping trip, went to a buffet that Nathan and I tried as a date (Aubri loved that experience), and a couple trips to theme parks like Story Land and a day at Funtown.
Family trips whether it’s day trips or vacations are so important to build a strong family dynamic.
College Acceptance:
After a lot of thinking, I decided to apply to my “dream college” that I discovered was a lot closer than I thought. I was so nervous throughout the process but once I got the acceptance letter I was so happy and excited.
I’m going to major in Psychology and will most likely, unless things change, be a student in Fall 2019. I’m happy to feel passionate about something I want to pursue and time will tell how it goes.
College is a huge decision and I wasn’t a fan of my first experience and ended up dropping out (not because I was pregnant with Aubri) because it just wasn’t what I wanted to do then.
New Apartment:
At the end of September, we moved into our second apartment and it was one of the best decisions we made. It is a little more expensive but my anxiety has been much better, our neighbors are a better fit, and everyone is happier here.
FAVORITES:
Book:
The Cellar by Natasha Preston
Video Game:
Dead By Daylight for the PS4
Song:
“Without Me” by Halsey
Movie:
Searching (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ro9ebQxEOY)
Product:
New cardigan & rompers that I got for my birthday
YouTube Channel:
Call Me Kevin (funny gaming channel)
LESSONS:
- The darkest point always comes before your dawn.
- Nothing is ever black and white.
- You have what it takes to change your life. If you don’t like where you’re currently at – change it.
- You are always responsible for how you react to things.
- Sometimes you have to put on the cape and save yourself.
GOALS:
- Face five fears – Yes! I went on an airplane, went camping, saw a shark for the first time (VR), walked to the store by myself, and tried online gaming.
- Write my novel – I only got a few chapters in this so unfortunately, I’m going to have to move this to another year. I had to scrap the entire book and start over but I’m glad I did because I’m much more passionate with this approach to the plot. I still want to write a book but it’s going to have to wait.
- Read six books – I did this! I read “Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver, “Chicken Soup For The Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone” by Amy Newmark (and numerous contributors), “Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi, “The Third Twin” by C.J. Omololu, “Twenty Boy Summer” by Sarah Ockler, “Chime” by Franny Billingsley, and “The Cellar” by Natasha Preston.
- Go on twelve dates – I’m pretty sure I did this but we had so many “unofficial” dates that it was hard to keep track. We definitely learned that we need to spend more time together and make more effort to connect with each other.
- Change my last name – Nope, I didn’t do this. To be honest, I was scared to give away the only thing from my “pre-mom” and “pre-Nathan” life so I decided to skip this one. Eventually I might feel comfortable enough but it’s so scary for me.
- Attempt eight challenges – I’m pretty sure I did this one, too, but I haven’t been keeping track like I should have been.
- Build my confidence: Yes! I put myself out there so many times and have gotten so many opportunities because of it. I definitely want this to continue into future years.
- Make my blog official: I did this as well – it was a big step and even though I lost a lot of my engagement with the community, I’m glad that I actually own my content now.
- Try something new: I experienced so many new things this year but my biggest one was flying for the first time.
- Discover myself and find my purpose: I dived into self-discovery a lot this year. I learned about myself through tests (color, personality, etc.) My color is green (which is also my favorite color) and I’m an INFJ. I also checked out my natal chart (birth chart) and learned a lot through that, too. Not only this, but I discovered that I’m spiritual but not religious. It all seems like simple things – but, to me, they help me discover who I am. As for my purpose, I want to pursue a degree in psychology but, honestly, I don’t know 100% what life has in store for me and I’m okay with that.
Goodbye 2018! I’m ready for 2019 and I’m wishing you all the best of luck with the new year.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
CiCi Marie | Navigation To Happiness
A Whimsical Writer 