This picture is honestly, the perfect depiction of how I feel leaving 2019.  It has been quite the bittersweet year.  I left my home state of 30 years and moved my entire life over 1,000 miles away for a brand new start.  We opened up not just 1, but 2 family owned businesses.  I lost 3 loved ones this year, and along with two of those, a ton of family.  That is a drama that I would like to keep private, but all I have to say is that I’m incredibly disappointed in people, and would have never expected that from people who are family.  We finally set a date for Halloween 2020.  I had the job from hell.  My Youtube channel has taken off, and I was able to get my channel monetized!  I went on my first press trip with a site I write for.  All of these things that happened this year have brought so many amazing people in my life.  People who are so supportive and rooting for me to succeed.

Let’s take a look at last year’s Goodbye 2018 post and see what has changed since then.

My Health

My love for dieting and working out took a backseat when we moved.  I tried to keep up with it, but because of the move and not really getting into a routine (I know these are excuses lol), it’s been extra hard.  Now that we set a date, I do have a goal to start getting healthier after the new year so that I can make this a lifestyle and not just a resolution or just to get fit for the wedding.  As far as my epilepsy, I have been 2 year seizure free as of November (yayyyy!).  When we moved I had to change health insurance and the new insurance would have made buying the brand name medication incredibly financially straining.  I asked my new neurologist if we could try the generic version again (about 10 years ago, the pharmacy switched me to generic without consulting my doctor and I had a seizure).  Ever since August I’ve been doing really well on the generic version and it seems like it’s working!

Save for a House

Well, with the move, saving for a house kind of went out the window.  We left NJ and moved into a house here in Florida that we are renting.  Getting a house is becoming more and more feasible!

Save for the Wedding

Since moving to Florida, we have started to live a little simpler.  We are always working one of the two family businesses so we don’t really have time to enjoy certain things and buying a new pair of shoes every week hasn’t been something I want to do anymore.  I buy myself things here and there, but I’m not WASTING money like I was before.  With moving to Florida and having everyone we love in different states, we’ve decided the Wedding will be really intimate and maybe about 10 people (our family), and a backyard BBQ or something like that.

Less time blogging and more time with family/friends

This year, was the year I put my foot down and decided that I no longer care about Instagram.  I know, I know, first world problems.  However, I noticed just how much time I was spending making my Instagram aesthetically pleasing, and just how obsessed I was with likes and followers.  This year, I decided I needed to put my phone down.  I also went down to posting a minimum of once a week on my blog and up to maybe 2/3 times.  My blog has taken a bit of a backseat since September because of my Youtube channel, but I will be honest, I make a lot more off of my tiny little channel, than I do on my blog.  Even though the editing takes longer, it’s more convenient because I don’t have to use my only day off to go out and take beautiful photos.  On my channel, I record videos while I’m at work.

More things I’ve accomplished this year

Moved to Florida

We moved to Florida and I’m so incredibly happy we did.  Life is simpler, more relaxing, and I no longer have to be part of the daily “9-5” grind.  Of course when we first moved I had the job from hell (read that post here), but I now took over for the CBD store.  Along with being able to take over the store, I was also able to start my YT channel.

Finally got my hot pink hair

For my birthday this year, my fiance paid for me to get my dream hair which is hot pink.  I am so in love with it!  It’s still pink because my hair stylist had me buy this conditioner specifically made for the pink.  That way, I can put the conditioner in and not have to worry about going to the salon often.

Our family owns two businesses

The reason why we moved to Florida was to open our businesses.  My fiance’s brother and his wife/kids have lived here for quite some time, and we finally made the move to be able to open up these businesses.  It’s been great, and I can honestly say my job at the CBD store is so fulfilling.

Success of my YT Channel

Who knows how long I’ll continue with my channel because it is a lot of time and work that I put into it and I don’t want my blog being put on the back burner, but because I make more money over there, it’s more enticing for obvious reasons.  By the end of 2020 my goal is to hit 10k subscribers.  That is, if my channel doesn’t get shut down with all of the crazy changes on Youtube.

My goals for 2020

• Grow my channel to at least 10k subscribers
• Keep our wedding budget under $5k
• Get healthy for the wedding and stick to a healthy lifestyle
• Stick to an ACTUAL skincare routine.  Those lines on my forehead aren’t going anywhere, but I can prevent more from forming
• Convince my parents to move to Florida haha!

IN LOVING MEMORY