Hi guys!
Whew it’s been a hot minute since I’ve made a post. As I’m sure all of you can attest to, I’ve been super busy. Christmas seemed to sneak up on me, there were different households to visit for Christmas, my nieces 1st Birthday was right before Christmas and my boyfriends 24th birthday was right after Christmas. On top of all that fun I am going on a family cruise to the Caribbean for 7 days and I leave January 1st! Whhhhhhhaaaaaattttt!? Huge thanks to my mom and dad for that one. So what I’m getting at is I’ve been busy and have fallen a little off the blog wagon but I’m back on!
So for this post I wanted to get a bit more personal and share how 2015 has been the best year thus far of my life and how excited I am for 2016! To start with, I think I really made this year my best by changing my attitude. Cheesy, yes. True though? Also yes. To be honest January and February of 2015 are lost to me. I can’t remember much of what I did that was memorable so I went to social media to recap my year and remembered that I deleted my old Facebook page and created a brand new one back in March. I just wanted a fresh start with only having Facebook friends that were *GASP* actually my real life friends! It really was a nice change and if you’re looking for a way for a fresh start in 2016 I’d recommend doing this! Why I mentioned this is that the very first post I put on my new Facebook page is the picture above. I wasn’t feeling so healthy, my boyfriend was still across the state in college, I was apartment searching for when he returned, and I just needed a change. Looking back this feels like when 2015 really started to change! I also cut my hair the same day that I made a new Facebook page.
When I think of 2015 I automatically think of my niece. She was born in 2014 but just at the end so 2015 was really the year I got to have this little cherub angel in my life! (Can you tell i’m obsessed with her?) My niece is really a light of my life. She makes me so happy, I love that she smiles and runs to me whenever I see her, and I really love that being around her made me realize that I also want kids someday! Being around her makes life happier and the love I have for her hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I got to hold her. So 2015 was absolutely made better by Charlotte Noelle and her little smiles, kisses, hands, hugs, and laughs! I’m so grateful that I get to be an auntie and that I get to be such a big part of her life.
A lot happened in the months of May and June 2015. My boyfriend Shane graduated college, we moved into our first apartment together, and we welcomed Penelope into our little family! I had wanted a long haired miniature dachshund for years and as fate would have it, Penelope became available right when we were looking to add a puppy to our family. She’s my best buddy. Every day I wake up with her cuddled next to me, I come home to her running down the hall to greet me, and she likes to follow me around the house no matter what I do. I was nervous about getting a puppy but it just becomes part of your life. Her little paws and sweet personality have helped make 2015 the best year yet. I’m hoping that 2016 will be the year Penelope gets a friend but we’ll see how Shane feels about it. 
July rolled around and Shane and I boarded a plane and flew to the East Coast to visit his brother and his family! This was Shane’s first time on a plane, first time being so far from home, and first time doing a lot of things. We tried Lobster rolls for the first time, he saw the ocean for the first time, and he also got to see his nephew in person for the first time! This has been my favorite trip we’ve taken together and we’re definitely looking forward to going back. The fact that Shane and I were both finished with college at the same time and were able to make a trip like this was really special to me. This trip was extra special because the day before we left for vacation Shane was offered a job as a teacher! He is halfway through his first year as a teacher and I’m so proud of him for accomplishing that milestone.
July 2015 is probably the most important part of my year because this was the month I decided once and for all that I wanted to live a healthy life. It wasn’t just about weight loss, it was about taking care of my body and mapping out a long, healthy, and fit life. It hasn’t always been easy but it’s surprising how easy it is to wake up one day and say “I’m going to change.” If it’s for the right reasons that helps 100%. I started cooking again, I started going on hikes, taking Penelope for long walks, and I remembered how much I missed having a passion for health. I’ve lost 20 pounds just by eating healthy. It does get hard but just know you’re human and cut yourself some slack. If you stick to it you will see changes. I started adding regular exercise into my daily life last month and I’m excited to see how else my health changes in 2016!
In September I turned 23! I had the best and most relaxing birthday to date. I got to see my brother, my niece and sister in law, and spend the whole day with P and Shane. This was also an important month (and the last week of August) because I started this blog! I had wanted to blog for so long and finally sat myself down and said “Let’s do this.” It’s something I love to do and in 2016 I really want to put more time and effort into making this grow! I have so many ideas and I’m looking forward to putting them into action.
September and October were my travel months for work. I love to travel and I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again; I love having a job that lets me travel! This year I was able to go to Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon for work related travel. My mom was able to join me for a week in Minnesota and I give huge thanks to my parents and Shane for watching Penelope while I’m gone for weeks and keeping our apartment from burning up. I also was able to go to Denver with my grandma for a weekend but I need to find those pictures!
The overall best part of 2015 was family and being happy. I’m lucky and grateful for all these people pictured, my grandparents, my friends, and much more. I hope that your 2016 is filled with happiness, family, love, laughs, hard work, and health. I also wanted to share a few things I’m looking forward to experiencing and blogging about this upcoming year!
- 7 day Caribbean Cruise
- Starting my MBA (eek!)
- Traveling to Texas
- House hunting with Shane!
I had no idea going into 2015 that this would be such a great year. However I think once I set my mind to enjoying life and trying to make every day a happy day (keyword: trying) I DID enjoy life and most of my days ARE happy. I have a best friend to come home to every day (furry and non furry), a family to spend time with, and a job I enjoy going to every day. I’m excited to see what 2016 brings for me and you! Let me know down below what your best moments of 2015 were and cheers to a Happy New Year!
-Kinsey
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