Year in Review | Twenty Nineteen ♥

Happy twenty twenty, everyone! What an incredible year to be alive 💕

I used to be a hardcore journaler growing up but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found less and less time to journal as much as I once did (there’s also probably less of a need for it since I no longer have the teen angst I once did!). Nowadays, journaling for me takes on a lot of different forms. Saving plane tickets, to-do lists, and taking loads of photos are just some of those forms. Today, I decided to take a trip down memory lane to review all the photos I took and the things I experienced in twenty nineteen. I was struck by all the things I’d done that I’d completely forgotten about! Below is my year in photos — the many slow, simple moments as well as the big, very exciting moments in between.

---

did a little traveling to visit both new and familiar places

washington, dc

turks & caicos

new york

chicago

minneapolis

boston

---

spent much of the year studying and frequenting coffee shops

---

watched a childhood friend get married!

---

had lots of adventures at home in madison ♥

---

spent time with friends & family

---

turned 26 - cake by my talented momma :)

---

got engaged!!

---

and took way too many pictures of cats - if there is such a thing as too many pictures of cats :)

I hope you all enjoyed this little review of my twenty nineteen ♥

thanks so much for reading along with me this year ♥

Things I Love: Spring Favorites!

Every season there are always a handful of new things that I snatch up or old things I find in the depths of my storage space that really deserve a shout out but don't always fit into any one category! Here are the things I've been loving this season!

Lavender Nails: Admittedly, this is a style I've been loving for the majority of the past year – but it's most appropriate for spring! Lavender nails are so pretty yet classy at the same time. My favorites are the lavender shade in this pretty gel set from BMC and this classic OPI one!

Mini Orchids: I've never had much of a green thumb (plants die as soon as I touch them, I swear), but my boyfriend gave me the cutest little mini-orchid for valentine's day and ever since, I have been trying my hardest to keep it alive – so far so good! It has really added so much extra brightness and color to my desk area that I'm thinking about getting a couple more for the rest of the apartment! 

Pact App: Like most people, I give up on my New Year's exercise resolutions usually within a couple of weeks of making them. I try to stay active, but when life gets busy, it can be very hard! If there has ever been an app that has motivated me to start working out more, it's this one! Pact is an app that allows users to make a health-related pact (whether that's eating more vegetables or working out 4 times a week) and users will either earn money if they keep their pact but lose money if they don't keep their pact. For me, the idea of losing money for not keeping my pact is actually more of a motivator than earning money for keeping my pact (the amount of money you earn is minimal) but either way, it has effectively motivated me to hit my 10k fitbit step goal regularly!

Dried Mangos: I am obsessed with all tropical fruit but unfortunately for me, living in the Midwest means zero tropical fruit (that's any good at least). Dried mangos have become my lifeline to all things tropical, plus, they make me think I'm eating fruit when in reality, I'm probably eating straight up sugar :P

Harvest Snaps: This is a new discovery for me as I've been trying to replace the junk food in my apartment with healthier munchies. Harvest Snaps are these crunchy little dried snap peas that actually taste way better than the horrible description I just gave – just trust me on this one. I still haven't quite figured out if they're actually any good for you or if they're just "less bad" but given that I have a pretty bad habit of snacking when I'm bored, I've found it safer to have these snacks around rather than potato chips!

Cute Post-Its: Planner addict over here, guys. And what is a must-have for planner obsessed girls? Cute Post-Its. I love decorating my planner with spring inspired colors and cute post-it notes provide both decoration and function :)

Podcast - Here to Make Friends: I've been listening to this podcast nonstop for the past week - it is so addicting! If you're a fan of the Bachelor (sorry not sorry) then this podcast is a 110% must listen. All of the hilarious commentary on this podcast is exactly on point and they do a fantastic job of poking fun yet appreciating the show for exactly what it is.

Coffee Mugs (that declare my love of coffee!): I have always been a little obsessed with buying mugs but recently I've been really into buying mugs that declare my love of coffee directly on the mug. I feel like these mugs have really helped me enjoy my mornings and embrace the fact that, yes, I'm addicted to coffee, and not afraid to admit it! :)

Some of the coffee mugs that are currently on my wish list: 

What are your favorite things this spring? I love taking the time to just sit down and appreciate the little things that I love every season – especially when they're re-discoveries! Happiness is really in the little things :)

Thanks for reading! ♥

Adding More Learning into Everyday Life

As cheesy as it sounds, I really feel that learning is one of the greatest joys in life. Even though I'm no longer in school, constant learning is something that I have continued to try and insert into my everyday life. With smart phones and the Internet nowadays, learning resources have become so available and accessible to nearly anyone! I know everyone is busy so it can be hard to think about learning when there are a thousand things to juggle at work - and I totally get it! That's why I do my best to place learning into the little breaks in my life that already exist and thought I'd share some of these strategies with you all today :)

1. Duolingo

Truth be told, I probably pick up my phone to scroll through Instagram or Snapchat at least once an hour at work. While these are both enjoyable activities, they aren't always the most productive! Instead, I try to open Duolingo every once in a while so that even if I need a short distraction, it's one that is teaching me something new! Duolingo is a language learning app that turns learning a language into short game-like sessions. Currently, most of the languages offered are European languages so I am working on maintaining my Spanish skills while also learning French!

2. Coursera

Coursera is an online platform that offers University classes for anyone to take online for free! As one of those kids in school who was always getting FOMO because I couldn't fit "Intro to Cooking" or "Yoga 101" into my class schedule, Coursera is this nerd's dream come true! Most of Coursera's classes are very low pressure and many can even be completed at your own pace - which works perfectly for people like me who have full-time jobs. I'm currently enrolled in Child Nutrition and have loved every minute of it!

3. Documentaries

Like most people, I love binge-watching TV shows. It'scomforting to have something playing in the background while I'm cooking or doing household chores. Recently, I've gotten into watching documentaries as I'm tidying up my apartment and I feel like I'm learning so much more! Don't get me wrong, there are days when I really just need a Gilmore Girls marathon to lift my spirits, but on the days when my brain is ready for new information, documentaries have really become a great way to learn a little more every day (while getting chores done!). I use Amazon Prime for this because they have a great selection of documentaries to choose from.

4. Podcasts

I'm pretty sure I've already raved about podcasts in previous posts but they really are a commuter's best friend! Currently, I drive to work, so outside of listening to the radio there's really not a whole lot I can do to keep myself occupied. Podcasts have really come in handy here and I love that there are so many different topics available to podcast listeners. Being the psychology nerd that I am, most of my educational podcasts focus on new psychological research but I've also listened to quite a few language learning podcasts in the past.

5. Other People!

I am lucky enough to work with and meet a lot of talented, and intelligent individuals. As a kid, I always loved hanging out with older kids because they were one step ahead of me and I felt like I learned so much from them! As an adult, I still love learning from people - whether they are older than me or not! As we become adults, everyone becomes an expert in one thing or another and there is always at least one topic or theme where the other person knows more than you! I find this to be such an awesome opportunity to learn from someone else's real world experience - and it's really the best form of learning you can get :)

Is there anyone out there who is as obsessed with learning as I am? I just feel like there is so much out there that I still don't know - it makes me want to go out, grab it, and cram as much of into my brain as I possibly can! Let me know how you fit everyday learning into your life - I'd love to hear from you!