2014 Reflection & Resolution Recap
The last day of 2014 is tomorrow, and I feel like the year just started a month ago. Time seems to fly faster now that I'm older. I'm not even sure that the phrase--"Time flies when you're having fun"--completely applies to this situation, haha...though I guess I can't say I've had a boring year!
I've been blogging for a little over a year now. This year, my blog has had quite a bit of growth! I had nearly 25,000 views (which isn't a LOT, but it's more than I was expecting) and grew to nearly 100 Wordpress/e-mail followers and 80 Bloglovin' followers. Thanks to Franish, my record number of views in a single day was about 1,700! That was about eight times greater than any other day, haha. Thank you all so much for following along! It truly excites me to know that others are inspired by me. My favorite posts to share were definitely outfit posts, and I hope to create even better outfits and hone my style even more in the new year!
As far as my academic life goes, I finished up my Master's degree in October, presented my research at a couple of symposiums/conferences, and am gearing up to start my PhD full-time next month (remember when I was considering going on for my PhD?). It has been a busy last few months writing my thesis and working on a paper that will be published in an academic journal next year (as long as the reviewers are satisfied with my edits!). I'm looking forward to diving into my PhD research, though I'm also a bit nervous since I'll be doing a lot of probability and statistics and that is definitely not my strongest math subject. :)
At the start of the year, I made and shared some resolutions and thought I would go through each one and explain how those turned out. In the past, I haven't been the best at keeping my resolutions. I usually made resolutions that were way too elaborate and required too much of me, if that makes sense. I realized I needed to stay simple for them to have the greatest impact.
My first resolution was to maintain a budget. While I didn't have an overall budget for all of my spending, I did start a clothing budget and having been budgeting every month since March. It has helped me keep my spending in check, though I can't really tell if it's helped me save more. I keep track of bills and grocery spending, but I haven't done anything with that information. I want to, but I'm lazy. Lol.
But hey, I did happen to go somewhere new this year! In June, Chris and I spent a few days in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with his grandparents and extended family. Additionally, we visited two national parks, Canyonlands and Arches, near Moab, Utah. I'm so excited that I fulfilled this resolution.
I did make healthy choices this year...for the most part. I started flossing regularly and fell in love with some healthier meals. I've also kept up with ballet. However, I'm still a big snacker; I don't think I'll ever not snack on things (potato chips and chive/onion cream cheese is my weakness). And my sweet tooth is still very strong. :)
Of course, since I'm writing this post now, I kept up with this blog! Blogging has been a fabulous way to connect with others who share the same interests, evolve my personal style, and keep myself busy when I'm not at work. I've made connections with more bloggers than I expected--yay! I love it and don't see myself stopping anytime soon.
I wish everyone the best in 2015! xo