2017 in Review + 2018 Goals

Happy 2018 friends! I have LOVED reading about everyone’s resolutions for the new year. Since I don’t always have the best luck with resolutions, (my unused gym membership from last year…) I decided to set both personal and professional “goals” for 2018 instead.

Dress: BOOHOO Similar here Coat: Old Navy (old) Similar here & here & here Leggings: HUE Boots: Vince Camuto Heeled version here Earrings: Ivanka Trump HQ Hat: Target Lipstick: Urban Decay

2017 in Review

2017 was a big year for me. I would definitely say that it was a year of growth. Growth in my marriage, growth in friendships, spiritual growth, and professional growth. I made many tough decisions in 2017, some of which included walking away from friendships that had become a source of negativity and toxicity in my life. While it was hard, I felt God’s presence through every step. I knew that He had brought certain people into my life for a season, and that the season was now over. I cried a lot, prayed a lot, and stepped forward in faith every day. Faith that God was leading me to where I was meant to be, to friendships that would encourage and grow me, and to a place of freedom. You never realize how much something is weighing you down until the weight is lifted. I am so thankful to be on the other side of that season of my life. It was a long journey, but God has restored every friendship that I felt was being taken away, and shown me the importance of obedience. Even when it was hard, and even when I didn’t understand, I trusted Him and the path that He was leading down. I learned so much about myself during that time and I grew closer to God, which looking back, I know with certainty was the entire reason for that time in my life.

In March, Adam and I will celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. Each year, we have learned more and more about each other, and grown closer through it all. He has also learned more about photography.. 😉 probably more than he cared to! But he understands my love of teaching and blogging and always supports me in both.

As far as blogging goes, 2017 was my biggest year yet. As I mentioned in this post, 2017 was the year that I finally put more focus and effort into blogging. I am so thankful for all of your support, and the support of the wonderful brands I worked with last year. I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store!

Goals for 2018

For His praise to ever be on my lips – Have you heard that song? Ever Be by Kalley Heiligenthal – It’s one of my favorites. I think often times it is so easy to draw near to God when we are going through times of crisis. Yet when things are going great, we somehow forget our need for Him. I’m guilty of it too. I get caught up in my plans, and what I accomplished, and my next steps, that I forget that without Him, I am nothing. Without God, I would not accomplish these things. And I don’t have to worry about where I’m going or how I’m getting there, because He already has it all figured out. My goal this year is for His praise to always be on my lips. For me not to forget my dependence on Him as my provider. This life is His, and His praises should always be flowing from me whether it be a time of prosperity or a time of crisis.

To disconnect and be present – Gosh this is a hard one for me. And I already know this is going to be a struggle throughout the year. As a teacher, I’m not on my phone during the school day. So, when school is in session, my only focus from 7-3 is school. That means, that in the afternoons, I have just a couple of hours to devote to blogging/social media before Adam comes home in the evenings. To get everything accomplished in a day’s time, I have to be on my A-game. And let’s be real, no one is on their A-game all day, every day. So I’m going to have to give myself a little grace, which can also be difficult.

But I’ve noticed that instead of cuddling on the couch and talking about the day with Adam, I’ll be writing a blog post. Instead of engaging with family during a weekly dinner, I’ll be responding to Instagram comments and direct messages. When social media is a large part of your “business” it’s easy to get caught up in it. In my mind, I think I’m multi-tasking, but if I’m being honest, my phone has the majority of my focus. I have really made an effort over the last week to put my phone down, spend time with the ones I love, and just be present. I’m going to need an accountability partner here.. ha Anyone else struggle with this?

To continue to grow in both professions – I love my teaching job, and I always have goals for that area of my life. (Including finishing my Master’s this year!!) But since most of you follow along because of your interest in my blogging, I will share about those goals. For 2018, my biggest goal for Vogue for Breakfast is to add a travel section to the blog. I have always loved traveling and some of my favorite posts to read from other bloggers is about their adventures. I have a few plans/ideas in the works, and I hope to share more information about that with all of you very soon! I also hope to add more beauty content this year. That always seems to be a favorite of y’all’s and something that I get requests for pretty regularly, so I’m going to make it happen in 2018. Finally, I hope to share more about my faith. While I’ve had ideas about the best way to do that in the past, I have yet to be able to perfect the outlet/execution. I’m working on it… 🙂

Do you have any suggestions of what you’d like to see more/less of around here? I’d love to hear your thoughts, because ultimately, this is for you! AND what about your 2018 goals? How are they going so far?

Until next time…