Stay Organized in 2018

I pride myself on being a pretty organized person... well most of the time, unless I'm throwing away Mark's credit card or losing my social security card lol, other than that I keep it together. I attribute all my organizational goodness to my planner. It truly keeps me on track when it comes to my to-do list, important dates, and when our bills are due. It things aren't written down, I won't remember them, so it saves me. Everyone has different organizational needs but I think that starting with a planner will help to get you on the right path.

Pineapple Happy Planner   |   May Planner   |   Erin Condren Planner
Plum Planner   |   Rifle Paper Co.  |   Leopard Paper Source Planner
Good Vibes START planner   |   Passion Planner   |   Purple Trail Flower Planner

There are so many planners out there so it can be a little overwhelming. I've round up a bunch that I familiar with and/or have used in the past. Currently, I am using the Erin Condren planner and I LOVE it. My exact version is show above, but with my name on it of course. I know that it's on the more expensive side but it has everything that I'm looking for in a planner. I like the horizontal layout the best because it's easiest for me to write in on a daily basis but also has a monthly view that I need. Plus it holds up for the whole year. Worth every penny!

Target also has several great options in store but I couldn't find as many online. If you have a Target close to you, definitely go check it out. I hope these planners help you start your path to a more organized year!

Word for 2018: Devote

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that the first week of 2018 has treated you well. We've spent the last day surrounded by snow which is a bit unusual for the Virginia Beach area. It's fun to have snow days but I'm already dreading having to make them up hah!

During the past few days, I have really been working on finding my word of the year. I've chosen a word the last two years and I love that they give me something to focus on and a way to set my intentions. I have to be honest, I lost track of my word after a few months in 2017. I let the this busy season of life swallow me up and the word "perspective" seemed to go out the door. So I am declaring now that I will intentionally focus on my word this year, not just now but month after month, finding what it truly means for me.

I decided that to help me along my journey I would join the One Little Word class put on by Ali Edwards. I LOVE her style of memory keeping and how she documents her year alongside this focus word. I used to scrapbook by hand, then went to digital scrapbooking, then sadly stopped altogether. In many ways, my blog is a memory keeper for me and it just took over the rest of my creative time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE writing my blog and I love the creativity it inspires. I am just looking for something a little more tangible and specifically focused on curating a dedicated space for my word. If you're interested in what I am talking about, head over to Ali's website and see what she offers. So neat!

So let's get to it... my word for 2018 is {DEVOTE}. I thought about this for a long time and this word really encompasses what I want to focus on.

I want to DEVOTE myself to my relationship with God more than ever before. Now that I'm not working at a Christian school, I find that I have to work even harder to find those moments with Him. At my last school, there were opportunities all around me. I could pray with a coworker, sing worship  during Chapel, and spend time in fellowship during Devos. I know that to deepen my relationship with the Lord I need to create time for my devotionals and not just pray every now and then. My relationship with Him comes first and foremost.

I will DEVOTE time to finding balance in my life. As most of you know, I moved this past year and basically everything in our life has changed. We are in a new state, a new side of the country, a new home, a new job, new friendships, etc. I focused so much on setting up on our home and digging in deep with my job that I let everything else go to the wayside. I need to re-establish balance.

I will DEVOTE this year to my health. Since we have been going through tons of fertility issues, I have let my health kinda go. Sounds strange when fertility has to do with health as well but I am focusing more on healthy eating and exercise. Since I spent so much time not being able to workout, I let that become my new norm and my habit. I have had the hardest time getting back into a consistent routine and I know that the excuses need to go to the wayside and it's time to get back to being me.

I will DEVOTE more time for my business and my blog. These are two things that I LOVE so much but when everything else starts to get crazy, these are easy for me to push aside. My business has done so much for us in the past two years and I have seemed to lose sight of what else it can do. With some exciting things happening fertility-wise it's even more important that I set my sights even higher in R+F. This business will give me the opportunity to choose my path for when we have a baby and what the future of my career looks like.

My blog is the creative outlet that I crave and need to fuel my soul. Creating things is a huge passion of mine and I have been able to funnel a lot of that attention into my house. Sharing what we are doing and where we are going in life is a way that I am able to connect with friends and family that live so far away. This needs to be a priority now more than ever. I will DEVOTE my time in those relationships.

So I hope this gave you a snapshot of what my intentions are for the year. I am excited about this word and everything it brings to light in my life. I have to be honest though, it's hard to reevaluate where we are compared to where we want to be. I don't think I'm going to be perfect in any area but being more intentional in where I devote my time is the goal. I hope you join me by choosing a word of your own and share it below if you do! :)

My word for 2016 
My word for 2017

Year in Review 2017

Happy New Year everyone! I seriously can't believe 2017 is over and we are starting a new year. What a crazy whirlwind it was for us! I know that 2017 was tough for a lot of people and honestly it was a big year of change for us too. Most of the change was great but also pretty hard at the same time. Writing these year in review posts really helps to put things in perspective and reminds me of all the incredible people I have in my life. So thankful and grateful for all of you!

30th Birthday Surprise in Temecula

I celebrated my 30th birthday this year and Mark and my mom did an AMAZING job of surprising me in Temecula. I was surrounded by good friends and family. The perfect weekend! 

Nashville

I met Mark halfway across the country on his drive out to Virginia Beach. We stopped in Nashville and had an incredible time exploring the city. Going to the Opry was one of the best parts of the trip! Also, this was the last time we would see each other for 3 months, so we soaked up every minute. 

Greg & Kayla's Wedding

the best dates!

Our bestie got married this year! Such a beautiful wedding, just missing Mark :(

Girls Trip to SD

My Reno friends came out to visit me over Memorial Day and it meant the world to me. I was so glad that they could make a trip out to my neck of the woods (or beach I guess lol) before I moved. 

My Parents Last Visit to SD

My parents and Brittany came to visit this year too. So fun exploring SD one more time with them!

Chase Got Called Up!

Chase got called up to the big leagues this year and I was able to go to his first game with the Wooster side of the fam. We made the trek up to LA and it was so cool to see him out there on a big league field. Sadly, we didn't get to see him play that day but it was so neat to just be there. 

We watched Chase's major league debut while Mark was home for the week. Needless to say we were pretty darn excited!! 

Going Away Parties

Our friends Emily and James threw a going away party for us. So sad to say goodbye to these wonderful people! I got so lucky with my group of friends!

During my last week in Vegas, Katie and Lauren threw me a going away party too. I was terrible at taking pictures that night but their decorations were so cute! Two going away parties... I am a lucky girl!

5 Year Anniversary/ Moving

Mark had a week to come back to SD and get the house ready to move. It just happened to fall on our 5 year anniversary which we were stoked to be together but bummed to be spending the whole time at our house with the movers haha. 

Trip to Des Moines

I've worn this dress a ton this year lol

I spent a few days with my mom's side of the family in Iowa this summer for my uncle's wedding. We danced, drank, and ate a ton of food. Miss them all!

Cross- Country Road Trip

My mom and I drove from Nevada to Virginia Beach together. It was a loooong week of driving but we managed to have a lot of fun, especially in Nashville! We made some other interesting stops along the way and I'll cherish these memories forever. 

Move to Virginia Beach/ Buying a home

We finally made it to Virginia Beach! The next day, Mark and I closed on our first home. Such a crazy whirlwind but sooo exciting! We bought the house without ever stepping foot in it ourselves since Mark was away working and I was in Vegas. Our realtor, Sandra, really helped us a ton to make sure this was the right place for us. 

 I also started a new teaching job out here but I don't have any pics lol. 

R+F Convention

I flew home to Vegas in October to attend my 2nd Rodan+ Field's convention. This time was extra special because my mom joined me!

Our First Visitors

Aunt Kathy, Uncle Mark, and Tracy were our first visitors out to VB. We played tourist for a few days but mostly just soaked up the family time. 

Hosting Our First Thanksgiving

My parents, Mark's mom, and his brother, Chase all came to see us for Thanksgiving. This was our first time hosting and I have a new appreciation for my mom and all the hard work that she has done all these years hosting holidays. Whew, so much work lol! 

First Christmas in Our New Home

We weren't able to travel home to Vegas for Christmas this year so the holidays were a little bittersweet. We made some new traditions, just the two of us, and spent the time with friends who were also in town. We even had a special visitor from our SD fam so it was a great time! 

It was a pretty busy year for us with all the changes that have happened. I'm so lucky to have this incredible man by my side through all of it. I am SO ready for 2018 and all the great things it will bring. I'm working on my "word of the year" post so get ready for that!

Check out my Dear 2016 post

Five on Friday: Post Christmas Blues

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had a wonderful time with your family and friends. It was strange to be here in Virginia Beach instead of home in Vegas but we made it work and had a good time.

I truly get so excited for this time of year, especially Christmas. It's such a magical time and as a Christian, it's one of the most important celebrations (other than Easter of course) because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born. I spend the whole month relishing in the excitement of decorating the house, listening to Christmas music, wrapping presents, and soaking in every moment. Then all of a sudden it's over and I'm majorly depressed. This year I tried to avoid the post Christmas blues by keeping our Christmas decor up longer and just trying to really live in the moment. So far so good but I do feel the sadness creeping in a little... I think that's because I have to go back to work an entire week earlier than all my other teacher friends back home. Why Virginia Beach, why?? Anyways, lets jump into this Five on Friday!

A little piece of home in VB

One of our closest friends came to visit us last weekend. She was in Virginia to visit her family and made the trek over to VA Beach to hang out with us. It meant the world to us that she would brave the traffic on such a busy holiday weekend to come see our new home. We had a blast with her, per usual, and miss her so much already!

Rodanniversary

Today is my 2 year Rodanniversary! I can't believe it's been two years already since I did something that scared the tar out of me and decided to start my virtual skincare business. I was nervous about how people would react, what they would say,  and if I would be good at it. Now, two years later I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have grown so much from this business and have learned a ton about myself. I know that I can work extremely hard at something so out of my comfort zone, even when it scares me. I know that I can do other things than just teach. I seriously thought that was my only skill lol. Turns out, I can help people feel confident in their own skin and build a serious second income as well. It has also helped me to come out of my shy shell. Once you get to know me, I can be very outgoing but I get anxiety in new situations and around new people. R+F has given me confidence to be who I am and to not shy away from new places. And lastly, I have met the BEST people. They are friends that I never would have met if it wasn't for this business. They live all over the US and some even in Canada. They encourage me, push me, and uplift me when I am feeling down. They are not only my business partners but my friends too. So thankful for them!

The last two years have also helped us financially. I have paid off two student loans, my credit card (a few times lol), two trips to Vegas for convention (including airfare, hotel rooms, and ALL expenses), new furniture for the house, and countless other things. The biggest blessing that it has helped us with is saving enough money to do a round of IVF. We were able to put money aside this year and now feel very comfortable to make that next step. Looking back, I had NO idea how much we would need this money or how it could help us, but I am so grateful for the sense of security it has given us. Thank you Sara for caring enough about me to introduce me to this incredible business!

The Crown

I finally finished Gossip Girl, just in time for the 2nd season of the Crown to come out. I wasn't in love with the first season but I liked it enough to watch the 2nd. Well this season turned out to be sooo good and I was immediately sucked in. I finished it last night and I'm so sad it's over! I'm hope there will be a 3rd season!

Miracle Morning

buy it here

This book was recommended by several friends and has incredible ratings on Amazon. I knew it would speak to me because I am NOT a morning person and want help in that area. I'm only about 25 pages in and I am already loving everything the author has to say. I'll keep you updated on my final thoughts.

Slipper Socks

buy them here

Mark got me these Ugg slipper socks for Christmas and they are seriously my favorite thing right now. They are so comfy and have been perfect for these VERY cold days we have been having in Virginia Beach. I can't seem to stop wearing them and they also make me want to never leave the house haha. That's a bad thing!

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Can you believe Christmas is only a week away?? It came so fast! I have been looking forward to it for weeks now but I also want this time to slow down.

I am pretty much done with my shopping but have to pick up a couple last minute items. Thank the Lord for Amazon and it's two day shipping! I have picked some of my favorite items from Amazon and I have something for everyone on your list.

Kindle Paper white: Mark got me an e-reader several years ago and I LOVE it. I was hesitant at first to buy one for myself because I am such a purest when it comes to books. What I have found is that it's soooo nice to be able to instantly download a book when I want it. Plus it's less expensive. This is a great gift for anyone on your list!

Moccasins: These slippers look so comfortable and are perfect for the man on your list. I know my hubby would love a pair.

Half Baked Harvest: This cookbook is on my list this year and it was written by one of my favorite bloggers. The pictures look beautiful and is a great gift for the cook on your list.

Amazon Fire Stick: We switched over to a Fire TV a few years ago and haven't looked back. It's so easy to use and I love that our Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu accounts are all in one place. The Fire stick is less expensive than the Fire TV and still does a ton.

The Not Very Merry Pout Pout Fish: The Pout Pout Fish books are adorable and this one is no exception. This is a great stocking stuffer or a gift for a new mom!

Star Wars Monopoly: I'm a huge fan of gifting games because it's something the whole family can take part in.

Pajamas: My mom always gifts us pajamas on Christmas Eve and I know a lot of other people share in this tradition. If you haven't found the perfect pair yet, take a look at these. So cute!

Qalo Rings: I talked about these rings in my Five on Friday post last week. My hubby wears one everyday and I always wear one when I workout. They are great!

Instant Pot: I know that kitchen gadgets aren't the most romantic gifts but when they make our lives easier, I'm on board. I've had my eye on an Instant Pot for a long time and people swear by them!

Milk Frother: A milk frother is an easy way to elevate your coffee and this one has great reviews.

Hydroflask: This is my favorite insulated water bottle. They keep beverages super cold for 24 hours or even hot for 6 hours.

Paw Patrol Mini Figures: Paw Patrol is seriously adorable and these little guys would be perfect for the kiddo on your list.