Check out my 2018 recap to read about how I lived my year with intention.
Last year, the word I chose for 2018 was “intention.” It’s been a whirlwind of a year, but all things considered, I think I did a pretty dang good job staying true to that word.
JANUARY
I rang in the new year with Kyle and a few friends at a local Shreveport nightclub called Celebrity. We drank, danced, and Kyle wore his ridiculous Rudolph blazer. I got a drink poured on me by a girl I didn’t like during the countdown to midnight, but I managed to wipe the sticky mess off in time to kiss my boyfriend into the new year.
I was working at the hotel I had worked at for four years as a sales and marketing coordinator, and I decided to pick up a second job as a hostess so I could make some extra money. I was lucky enough to have some lovely friends that were willing to hang out with me way too much when I said goodbye to Kyle as he left for a 10-week work program in Vegas, and I was also living with one of my best friends, Rachael, so we could have lots of movie nights and This Is Us watch parties. Before he left, Kyle asked if I wanted to move to Ohio with him, and I took some time to think about it before I said yes.
January post highlights:
Dating with Anxiety: Working Through It Together
My Reverse Bucket List
Your Path is Okay: You Are Not Lost
FEBRUARY
In February, I spent lots of time with my friends, and celebrated the relationship I had with my gals by throwing a Galentine’s Day party. I had way too much fun putting the decorations and menu together, and everyone dressed up in pajamas and onesies.
One of my favorite holidays takes place in February, but I didn’t get to celebrate as much as I wanted to this year – Mardi Gras. Luckily, I was able to make it to a float-loading party with some friends where we got to see all of the floats for the Krewe of Gemini parade and enjoy some adult beverages.
I traveled to Philadelphia to meet up with Kyle to go to his friend’s wedding. I was so excited to get to see him in the middle of his program to break that time apart in half. He looked so cute walking towards me in the airport. 🙂 I had only been to Philadelphia once prior, so I was excited to play tourist and make some new memories together.
I also got to take a trip to Nashville for work in February, which was so unexpected and last minute, but I really enjoyed my time there. I spent the mornings and afternoons in the office, and I spent the evenings solo exploring the city through my taste buds and eardrums.
February post highlights:
Galentine’s Day Party Ideas
Packing List for 6 Months Away
Things to Know Before Working on a Cruise Ship
MARCH
March was one of my favorite months because I got to travel to two new states I had never been to before – California and Nevada. I flew to Las Vegas to see Kyle graduate from his program, and we spent a few days exploring the city, going hiking, eating so much food, going to a show, and indulging in some tasty libations.
After living like royalty at the Palazzo, we drove to Los Angeles where we stayed with my best friends from high school, Tra. It rained pretty much during our entire visit, but we still managed to have such a great time, and it was so much fun catching up with Tra and his partner, Kauveh.
March post highlights:
100+ Questions to Ask to Get to Know Someone
How to Survive a Long Distance Friendship (collab with Darrian)
Harry Potter Bucket List
APRIL
After doing so much traveling over the previous two months, April was a pretty low-key month for me. I quit my hostess job because it was draining me of so much happiness, and it was honestly one of the best feelings.
One of my favorite days in April was when Kyle, a few friends, and I went to a wine event called CORK. I drank way too much wine, but it was such a fun event.
I also brought Kyle to the small town of Ruston to show him my college town. In December, I had won a free night’s stay at a hotel in Ruston, so we took advantage before it expired. We watched one of Louisiana Tech football’s spring practice games, I took him on a walking tour of campus (which had changed so much since I graduated in 2012), and we ate at some of the best restaurants in the area. My sister also drove up to join us for dinner at Dawg House.
April post highlights:
I’m 28 and I Don’t Have My Life Together and That’s Okay
9 Things Mary-Kate and Ashley Taught Me About Being Yourself
25 Ideas for Date Night at Home
MAY
The most exciting thing that happened in May was that my little sister, Breanna, graduated from college! All of us were super proud. Kyle also got to meet some people on my step-dad’s side of the family at her graduation party.
In May, I threw my last big party in Shreveport, which was a 90s party and quite possibly my favorite party that I’ve ever thrown. I had so much fun playing off of 90s puns and making everything 90s themed. Kyle and I also celebrated a year of dating.
May post highlights:
50 Reasons to Be Happy Right Now
30 Spring Date Ideas
Home is Where Your Story Starts + An Announcement
JUNE
I actually started June with an ear infection, which was not ideal, but the rest of the month was spent soaking in the last bits of Shreveport since Kyle and I were making plans to start our journey to Ohio in just two months. The most important thing was eating as much crawfish as possible, and I found my favorite crawfish spot, which is a food truck called Chuck Wagon in Shreveport.
In June, I also celebrated my sister’s 22nd birthday. She, my mom, and I went to dinner together at Cheesecake Bistro, which, of course, included some tasty cocktails. A couple days later, she invited Kyle and I to hang out at the DARE pool with a her and a few of her friends.
One of the best surprises of the month was getting to meet up with my ship friend, Sharene. She came to Monroe, a city about an hour and a half away from Shreveport, to see our other ship friend, Holli, compete in the Miss Louisiana competition (which she totally won, by the way). We met up for brunch at Cotton. You can watch her vlog below to see us meeting up and her reactions to Holli competing (they’re golden).
I couldn’t resist having one last get-together with a few friends, so I held a murder mystery dinner. I put together a make your own pasta station, and everyone came dressed up as their characters. I ended up being a man, because, ya know, had to take one for the team.
June post highlights:
The Story I Never Thought I’d Share
8 Personality Tests to Take with Your Significant Other
30 Day Relationship Challenge
JULY
In July, Kyle and I took one last road trip as Shreveport residents and traveled to New Orleans. I personally love visiting New Orleans and soaking in all of the history and most importantly, eating all of the good food. We went on a culinary bike tour, drank a bit on Frenchman Street, visited the National WWII Museum, and had the most incredible visit.
This was our last full month living in Shreveport, so naturally, I got all nostalgic and wanted to focus on spending time with friends, eating at my favorite restaurants, and watching my favorite local 90s cover band, the Hollow Decks. Of course, I still left room for some new experiences, including volunteering at the Hot Air Balloon Nationals for work, going to a yoga on tap class with Kyle, and doing some rock climbing.
July post highlights:
60 Frugal Date Ideas: Date Night on a Budget
How to Host a Murder Mystery Dinner Party
100 Things to Love About Shreveport-Bossier City
AUGUST
In August, I went on the most epic road trip with Kyle while we moved from Louisiana to Ohio after several goodbye lunches and dinner with friends and family. We traveled to several places in my little Scion, and then we ended with a flight to Washington. I pretty much nixed blogging in August so I could enjoy all of our travels, and it was honestly the blogging and brain break that I needed. You can read more about all of the places we visited by clicking the links below:
Destin, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Orlando, Florida + Harry Potter World
Charleston, South Carolina
Seattle, Washington
Orcas Island, Washington
August post highlights:
FriDIARY #4 | See You in Ohio!
SEPTEMBER
September was a huge month of change for me. Kyle and I found a place to live in Ohio. I started my journey with childcare by landing a job as a lead teacher working with 3-5-year-olds. Since I hadn’t made any friends yet, I spent a lot of time at the house, but Kyle and I made sure to get out to explore the city, particularly the restaurants. We went to a few different local festivals, including a Greek festival and Oktoberfest. I also took my first trip to Cleveland where Kyle’s sister lives and hung out with Kyle’s family for a weekend.
My favorite part about September was getting to reunite with my college besties in Houston to see Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour. It was my fourth time seeing her live, and she seriously just keeps getting more incredible. The night before, we also saw 5 Seconds of Summer. I’m not a fan of theirs, but it was still fun to go.
September post highlights:
Places We’ve Been Loving in Dayton
What I’ve Been Reading
9 ¾ Tips for Your Trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Orlando
OCTOBER
Kyle and I took another road trip in October. This time, we went to Nashville for his birthday. It was his first time in Nashville and my third, but most of the things we did were things I had never done on previous visits. We had zero bad meals and saw so much awesome live music.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and while I didn’t get to celebrate it with close friends like years prior, Kyle made sure that I still had fun. He had friends visiting during multiple weekends in October, so we went to a couple local events and wore different costumes for each. Kyle also got a peek at where I worked and we got to wear a costume for that too.
October post highlights:
Podcasts I’ve Been Loving
Halloween Costume Ideas for Interracial Couples
Best Cheap & Free Apps for Adults
NOVEMBER
November was one of my favorite months because I got to travel to Charleston for the second time this year to spend Thanksgiving with my family. My brother, his wife, and their daughter currently live in England, but they flew to South Carolina to spend a month in the states. This was my first time meeting my sister-in-law and niece and Kyle’s first time meeting my brother, so I had all the good feels during the long holiday weekend.
November is also when I decided that I wanted to go back to school to become a teacher. I loved my job working with 3-5’s, but I realized that I’d like to work with older kids in an organized school system and hopefully have an even bigger impact. I applied to an online college that I’ll be starting next year. This change also meant that I would need to take on a smaller workload, so I made the tough decision to leave my job working with 3-5’s to take a part-time job at a different childcare facility.
November post highlights:
My 12 Favorite YA Book to Movie Adaptations
15 Ways to Actively Practice Positivity
Ways to Give Back During Christmastime
DECEMBER
On the first day of December, I went to a Blogger Brunch and met so many local bloggers that just inspired me to focus more on blogging. I’m so excited to see where these relationships will lead. It’s so nice to finally be living in a city that has an active blogging community.
On the second day of December, Kyle and I went to see Straight No Chaser in concert. I’ve been a fan of theirs for many years, but this was my very first a capella concert, and it was so neat, especially since the whole second set was made up of all Christmas songs.
On the third day of the month, I started working at a different childcare facility. I’m now working with children that are 12-18 months. It’s a huge change, but overall, I think it was the best decision I could have made for myself with all factors considered. I already adore the kids that I’m working with, and my co-workers have all been so wonderful.
I realized I wrote zero blog posts about my birthday, but 29 is such an insignificant age, really. To celebrate my birthday, Kyle and I went to Indianapolis, which helped me check off one of my goals for the year – visiting five new states. I’ll be publishing an Indy recap sometime next month.
For Christmas this year, Kyle and I traveled to Orcas Island to visit his sister and her fam for a week. We’ve been enjoying relaxing and wearing PJs pretty much every day.
December post highlights:
For the Love of Reading | 2019 Reading Goals
Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas
My Favorites of 2018
What were some of your highlights of 2018?
