Bring on the New Year

It's the end of 2016 and—like everyone else—I am spending this week looking back.

Aside from the tragic celebrity deaths, the overwhelming election season and your typical life issues, it's been a pretty good year. I started my current job on Jan. 4, 2016, and I am approaching the one-year mark. I've learned a lot and have had many accomplishments, as well as a few to-be-expected mistakes. It's all part of the growing process, and I'm happy with how I've grown. Our magazines look great and the content is top-notch. I look forward to continuing to improve them into 2017. We are working on two winter issues now, which will be out in late February.

My favorite thing about 2016 was all of the weddings we attended. Sure it was expensive and time-consuming, but I was so glad to be able to share in the love and happiness of so many people. My husband and I were in two of our best friends' weddings, respectively, two weeks apart, which brought us to the Outer Banks and Connecticut. We had a great time. We also had a few other weddings, including two of his cousins—one in Center City Philadelphia and one in Ocean City NJ. Always fun to celebrate with the family.

For 2017, I want to make a few goals that I actually plan to accomplish:

• Buy a house. We are looking now, and plan on purchasing int he spring. Super excited about this. We have an apartment now and I am dreaming of more space.
  
• Set a five-year plan. Once we're in the house I would like to make some concrete plans for the future with respect to my career and family.
  
• Stay healthy. I'm pretty good about going to the gym and eating healthy, but I'd like to get better. Trying new workouts, healthier meals. Also want to look into more alternative medicine: massages, acupuncture, herbs.
  
• Keep up with this blog. I know I say it all the time, and then it gets away from me. Writing is therapeutic and fun for me so I want to continue. I'd like to write a post at least once per week.
  
• Be more appreciative of what I have. I really have a fantastic life and I tend to become negative and forget what really matters. I want to focus more on the positive. 

That's the gist of my upcoming year plans—I hope it's a good one, for me and for you!