2016; A Recap

Wow. Another year has flown by. This has probably been the fastest year yet (I think i say that every year) but i really mean it!

Too much has happened this year which has also made it seem like it has flown by at rocket speed! I really wish time would slow down more, or we humans knew how to appreciate it more.

I wanted to do a recap post discussing some of the things that have happened this year to me, my blog, and in life in general!

This is in no particular order, just whatever was coming to my mind! So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Weddings & New Beginnings-
So as you guys know, my 1 and only boy first cousin on my moms side got married this May (mA). And if you are desi, you know how family desi weddings basically consume your life for months leading up to it! I recapped all my outfits for the wedding after the wedding (you can check em out if you missed them: here & here)
That was a lot of fun and has me itching for my next family wedding…
Speaking of, my other cousin on my moms side, also got engaged this August! She and I are very close (she’s the older sister i never had) so i flew to CA for a few days to attend her engagement! I didn’t blog about this because a.) I repeated an outfit you’ve all already seen on my blog last year here and b.) Since i couldn’t do an outfit post, not much else to blog about, plus i will definitely recap it next year after the wedding iA for you guys, so stay tuned! August 2017 iA!
As for myself…Alhumd as many things have progressed in the right direction there as well. Can’t go into too much detail right now because it’s all still on a holding process/waiting period, so we shall see!

Travels-
Nowhere abroad or exotic this year, but some local America travels!

• Went to Atlanta, GA in March to visit family and explore downtown. Haven’t been in probably 13+ years, it is a frikin fantastic ‘new’ city. I could totally imagine living in downtown ATL (but not outside/suburbia…) so hey, maybe someday!
• Virginia-for my cousins wedding in May (see above)
• California-for a few days for my cousins engagement in August (see above)
  And that’s about it for out of state travels for me!
• Pocono Mountains (PA) – Labor Day weekend in September with the family! It was fun and adventurous short trip filled with hiking, zip lining, horse back riding and sun!
• Have an exciting family vacation coming up in January…so stay tuned for that, will definitely blog about it afterwards!
• And the rest of 2017 will most likely be consumed with my cousin’s wedding, plus a few more cousins who are all in process of most likely getting married….EEK!!

Blogger Life-
I hit the big 1 year mark of blogging this April! Again it feels like time flewww, sometimes it feels like yesterday was just the beginning!
If you’ve been following me for some time, you know that my blogging schedule has also changed a few times since I began. At one point, i was doing 3 posts a week (wow, sounds crazy to me now) and then i think it came down to 2/week, and now to 1/week.

At the beginning, i was just  crazed with wanting to post about whatever i thought was remotely interesting and to get myself out there. But over time i realized, my content was loosing substance and if i didn’t feel my heart in it 100% 3x a week, there was no point in posting so much.

I am happy with myself for dedicating myself to this blog though. I love it! I love writing creatively with no boundaries and am thankful to my overly critical brain, to have let myself go down to 2 and now 1 post a week.

You guys may even know that i took a few breaks for a couple weeks here and there this summer & fall. And i didn’t beat myself over it. Because we all need breaks.

So now i can say, i post 1x a week, and take breaks sometimes here and there as well. I think it is what’s best for me.

School & Work-
The beginning of this year, i applied for a senior role/next step up for myself at work and after months of HR being slow and networking with the team lead in charge of the role, i was told ‘i lacked the adequate experience necessary for the role’. You can imagine the stress and sadness i had after this all happened. Ultimately, in June/July of this year i ended up getting the promotion i was looking for / needed and alhumd things have been well!

Ah, the struggle sometimes. Working full time and doing school part time, does basically eat up a lot of my time. I’m glad i did take the first part of the summer off (during my cousins wedding) and didn’t take any classes then. I fully enjoyed the break and wedding more, with the lack of stress school typically has.

Since then though, i’m back to taking 1-2 classes at any given time, in the evenings, after work. Alhumd for making it this far, and i hope the next year of schooling goes with ease as well, then the end is in sight!

Me, Myself & I-
My oh my, not sure how i can put into words how i’ve felt this year or how this year has changed me for the better or the worse.

This year for the most part, was good to me. I grew professionally for sure, and now feel really at home at the place i work. I’m coming up close to 2 years now – and i wouldn’t change it for the world. iA onto bigger things right where i am.

Personally, i think the later part of the year, i finally began to just sort of give myself a break. I really am trying to not take everything so seriously and take breaks when i can and just do things i enjoy. It’s always been difficult for me to do that, and still is from time to time, but it’s so necessary to keep your sanity.

The spring time of this year, i joined the 8 week fitness challenge at my workplace gym (anyone who follows me on  Instagram saw the weekly posts) and it made me feel SO good. But once Ramadan came around, i could not work out and since then basically been lacking. I restarted going to the gym actually late November – so let’s see how long i last this time.

I got into my first ever car accident this summer after almost 5+ years of driving. It was horrific, but not my fault and probably could have been much worse. Thankfully i drive a big enough car that it was not impacted too much, but i’m basically sccared from driving since. Unfortunately, my commute to work is just so long that i have no other way of getting there, but i wish i could just not drive as much as i do. This accident also changed my life because i’ve always had soreness and stuff in my back, but this made it worse, and i ended up having to do Physical Therapy for about 2 months after that. I LOVED PT! I wish it never ended lol but of course its $$ even after insurance so i can’t keep going unless i really need to. Thankfully, i have at home exercises i attempt to do daily to keep the back pain at bay. Any one have any tips on this – please let me know!

And what else! Lots of food, shopping, meeting friends and family and enjoying myself as much as i could. I hope 2017 brings more of the same and even better!

Misc.-
Discovering and using Netflix was one of the best things to have happened to me, LOL wow i sound like a grandma. But yeah, if you don’t have or use Netflix, go sign yourself up for it please. It literally numbs my mind and allows me to do something unproductive and enjoy myself without feeling guilty. Favorite shows: House of Cards (oh my god, everyone please watch this!), Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, Fuller House and for my Gilmore Girls fans – how good was the revival?
P.S. If you have any Netflix show suggestions, please let me know below, i’m on the hunt!!

BTW How cute is this Kate Spade planner i got for this year? So perfect and girly, love it! Especially the little ‘things to do’ for each month – so perfectly summed up, small, life things!

And that is all i think! Let me know how your year was and what exciting resolutions or things you have planned for 2017!

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Until next time, XOXO