Reflecting on this previous year is not the easiest task. This year has been a major rollercoaster rides with way too many dips to count and I'm glad to see it over. Despite all of the challenges that I've been thrown this year, I'm grateful for the learning experiences and the chance to grow as a person.

The year started off strong while I was finishing my student teaching placement in January. I was sad to leave my class of Kindergarteners that I had spent three months with. The spring was when I focused all of my energy on completing my Master's courses. I'm very proud to say that I finished all of my courses with an A or A-! This spring was also when I was hired by my first school district as a substitute teacher! I finished up the spring with an amazing 3 day trip to Disneyland with my oldest niece just before she turned 11.

I began the summer with a 2 day trip to Los Angeles, where I got to see Darren Criss in concert and finally visit the new Ladurée in Beverly Hills. 

Right around this time, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and the news really took a toll on me mentally. I spent the rest of the summer spending time with family and going with my mom to tons of doctor's appointments. In October, my mom had a successful surgery to remove the cancer from her body. We were able to find out that the cancer hadn't spread. This was the biggest relief to know that everything was okay!

I finished up this year with a perfect day in Los Angeles with my mom. We saw Hamilton at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The show was absolutely phenomenal and definitely lived up to all the hype! Over the show, we had an amazing dinner at Bottega Louie in Downtown LA. I had never eaten there before but had always heard good things. The food was incredible and I'll definitely eat there again!

Here on the blog things were definitely not as challenging as my personal life. This was the year that I really tried to take this blog more seriously and work on growth. I was able to start working on campaigns with great brands, such as Jord and Smile Brilliant. I grew my following quite a bit on all of my social media platforms, especially on Instagram where I grew by about 1,000 followers! Lastly, I made some amazing friendships through blogging that I'm super grateful for!

END OF YEAR FAVORITES

I want to finish off this post with a quick list of some of my favorite things from the year. These are things that I really enjoyed, made me happy, and things I used a lot this year.

TV Shows | Riverdale, Stranger Things, Glee, The Office, The Crown, Shameless

Movies | Beauty and the Beast, Coco, Star Wars, A Christmas Prince

Songs | No Surprise by The Shacks, California Sunrise by Dirty Gold, Lost Boys Life by Computer Games, I Don't Think So by Ben Phipps

Skin Care | Origins Rose Clay Mask, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, Caudalíe Vinoperfect Radiance Serum

Make Up | Becca Highlighter in Champagne Pop, Bite Beauty Lipstick in Pepper, MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 1.5

Perfume | Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette

Accessories | KJP Tortoise and the Pearl bracelet, Target Mule Loafers, Louis Vuitton Favorite MM

Technology | Apple iPhone X, Apple AirPods

Here's to a better 2018!