Disney Bucket List

May 28, 2020

Disney World announced their proposed re-opening dates today. I don’t have plans to visit til the fall for my annual birthday trip but I’m excited nonetheless for their re-opening. It’s a glimmer of hope in these uncertain and scary times. There’s a lot of really sad, scary, violent things going on in the world right now separate from the covid problems and at a certain point, it’s overwhelming to process all the injustices. I just want to be numb from the world’s problems and go back to my happy place. I feel like I need a vacation. I want to turn off from the world, in the “ignorant is bliss” state. That’s what I love about vacation. It’s what I love about cruises, actually. There’s no signal and you’re cut off from the rest of the world so no news is good news. You have no choice but to completely relax and enjoy yourself.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already planning my next Disney trip. And the next 2 years to come, because issues. I know it sounds insane, but there’s a reason why I have so many Disney trips already pre-meditated. Right now, I’m trying to set a timeline for my running goals and the Disney races are time sensitive for challenge medals. 2022 is going to be a very ambitious year, to say the least. I’m also excited to visit for their 50th anniversary. I was there for their 25th but don’t remember any of it so this time I want to do it up. I’m excited for the completion of Tron at Disney World since it’s my favorite coaster. I can’t wait to do these things in the coming years, especially more so because quarantine has us missing Disney like whoa. So if you’re sick of me posting about Disney all the time in my blogs, IG and life, well, please show yourself the door because I’m not going to be stopping for a while.

I’m setting out on this Disney Bucket List for the next decade.

WDW Marathon
Dopey Challenge - Castaway Challenge - Paris Run for the Castle to Chateau Challenge (hopefully in 2022)
Keys to the Kingdom Tour/Taste of Magic Kingdom Tour
Disneyland California for Chinese New Year & Valentine’s
Disneyland Hong Kong
Grand Floridian stay during Christmas season for the gingerbread house lobby
Animal Kingdom Lodge stay
Polynesian stay with Ohana
New Year’s at any Disney resort
Disneyland Shanghai again for POTC and Tron ride
4 park challenge (do all 4 parks in one day - 1 ride, 1 snack, possibly a different outfit each park if I’m being ambitious)
Mountain challenge (ride all the mountains in Disney in one day - Thunder, Splash, Space, Seven Dwarves Mine Ride, Everest)
Empty Main Street and close out MK & Disneyland
Try the other Disney cruises to see how they compare and all other restaurants unique to each boat
Complete my gallery by doing a photoshoot in each park. NOT phone pictures.

How To Survive All 3 Races at RunDisney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend

March 14, 2020

If you’re a clown like me and interested in tackling a 5k, 10k and a half marathon back to back, well then you’re in luck because cue the circus music, this blog post is for you!

RunDisney

So what is RunDisney? For those of you that are not familiar, it is Disney’s road race division and they host Disney themed race events all through the year, where you literally run through the parks. There are currently 4 held in Disney World annually, the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Princess Half Marathon, the Star Wars Rival Run and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. The Walt Disney World Marathon is always held in January and is the only event with a full marathon. The other three events have the following 3 races: the 5k, 10k and half marathon races only. They also hold races at Disneyland Paris and virtual 5ks for those who can’t travel out to the parks (because these race trips are definitely quite costly) but still want to partake in them and receive a Disney medal.

Registration

Registration for these races are quite competitive as they sell out pretty quickly. You have to be on the website when it opens if you want to get guaranteed into the race of your choice. I signed up myself, my sisters and my best friend back in May, the morning registration opened up last year. I got in right away, thankfully and everything went smoothly. If you’re a runner and already familiar with this process, my only advice for you would be to read the fine print carefully because they don’t always make it clear about what the guidelines are for those wanting to submit a time from a previous race for better corral placement. They didn’t tell us til we asked at the expo why my friend was placed in the last corral when she had a qualifying time, that the times had to be from a race within the last 2 years. I guess enough people had the same misunderstanding/issue because this year’s registration for Wine & Dine that occurred this week had that stipulation clearly outlined and a box was there for you to check off that you were aware of this rule.

The prices for these races can be pretty steep and honestly I haven’t really run a non Disney race to know the difference but my friend who’s been racing with me has and she attests that Disney definitely does a great job at the entertainment they provide, the stops along the way, and the beautiful medals. I mean, you get to run THROUGH THE PARKS. And depending on the race you do, you get to run through Cinderella’s castle. I’ve ran through it twice and let me tell you, it is an absolutely amazing experience. So yes, the price of these races are a pretty penny just like anything Disney, but I would say they’re worth it to do, at least once in your life if you want to see what the fuss is about. Most people end up coming back because of how much they end up liking it. And trust me, back in May 2018, I was NOT a runner but here I am coming back again and probably again next year because I am ADDICTED.

Training

If you’re just doing a 5k, I would say you can probably go into it with no training, as it’s not timed and you can walk the entire route if you really wanted to. But for 10k and longer distances, I would definitely recommend some training, especially if you’re not a runner. I looked up training schedules on Pinterest as well as the free training program provided by RunDisney on their website by Jeff Galloway. I ended up modifying the training schedules I found to my personal liking and pace as everyone is different as to how they want to progress and how aggressively they want to train. But if you’re wondering if you can train for a half marathon in a month, I can tell you, yes, it can be done. It might be hard, but it is definitely doable. This year, I basically did one long run a week, increasing in distance each week by 2-3 km until I reached 21 km which is about the length of a half marathon. I cross trained during the week lifting weights and doing short 5k runs and some walks in between to get steps in but give my legs a break if they were a little too sore and needed extra time to recover before the next long run. Details of this year’s training can be found in this blog post. I did ease up on my training the week of the race and I found that doing all 3 races was actually a great way to warm-up to the half, as opposed to last year where I only ran the half marathon.

During my training period, I kept on top of my nutrition, making sure I maintained a clean and healthy high protein, low carb diet, with lots of water to stay hydrated constantly. I switched over to high carb the week of the race to carb load. I also made sure my sleep was on point as I learned last year that even if you have problem sleeping the night before a race, as long as your sleep every night leading up to the race was normal, you’ll be fine. Think of your body as a battery you’ve been charging for a month. Lack of one night’s sleep isn’t going to kill you and ruin the race. You got this. This year though, I found myself being able to sleep much easier than last year’s insomnia, but it’s also probably because I tired myself out doing the parks all day everyday this year. Depending on your own energy levels and capabilities, you should gauge this for yourself if you can handle both. Last year I thought it would be too much but I saw plenty of people out and about in the parks all day so I figured if they can do it, I can handle this too and I did. It helped in both getting me to fall asleep sooner because I was tired, but also helped me experience the park and have fun instead of worry myself with race anxiety.

Race Weekend

The first thing you’re going to want to do when you get to Disney is head to the race expo. There are complimentary shuttle buses provided at every hotel if you’re staying on Disney property. The race expo is where you’ll get your bibs and shirts which you need to pick up in person and get your photo taken if you’re running the challenge (the 10k and half marathon race together is called a “challenge” and when you complete both races, you get a third additional medal to commemorate the occasion.) The photo is used to make sure you’re the same person at the end of the race picking up the challenge medal, to prove you didn’t cheat and send someone else in your place to run it. I’m a newcomer to racing so I’m not familiar with this lack of integrity in the sports world, as I feel like it just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t earn my own medals myself as I worked hard for them but I can see people wanting the medals without putting in the actual work. I believe you’re personally cheating yourself though if you’re the type of person who does this.
Other things you can find at the race expo are official RunDisney merchandise as well as outside vendors selling cute wares like last minute costumes for those wanting a tutu or a tiara or a cute shirt to race in. I also saw some really cute booths selling wall displays and frames for your medals and bibs. There are also various super cute photobooths and photo ops inside this area as well. I would say take photos of everything because it’s a magical thing to experience and you’re going to want to take it in if it’s your first time.

Pre-race to dos

Lay everything out - The night before each race, my biggest advice would be to lay out everything you’re planning on wearing and having with you to the race. I put on each costume/outfit when I was originally packing for my vacation and then placed each outfit and all its parts into a ziplock bag. That way I know everything I needed was all in one place so I wouldn’t be scrounging all over my luggage last minute at 3am trying to run out the door.
Pin your bib on - What I also do before bed is pin my race bib onto my outfit. This way I’m not fumbling and pricking my finger at 3am as well. Then I turn out the lights and hit the hay for that 3am wake up call. Yes, you heard that right. Disney races start at 5:30am but the buses start at 3am. Last year I got on it at 3am but found myself waiting around for 2 hours and wanting to die so this year I started waking up at 3am, leaving at 4am, and getting there around 4:30am, leaving me ample time to walk to my corral and try to mosy on up to the front before it starts. You could probably leave later but I don’t want to risk missing the last bus and not starting on time.
Makeup - Personally I like to run with makeup as I look forward to the race photos that get snapped when you’re running through the parks. I do a light makeup, with just simple foundation, eyeliner, mascara and lip as these aren’t portraits or anything, just fast quick photos as you run past the photopass tents. I found that primer and setting spray will be your best friend. This is how I get away with my makeup looking still in place at the finish line. Waterproof makeup is also your best friend if you have those products on hand. But if you don’t, setting spray is your insurance. I also try not to touch my face the whole time I’m running, even if I’m sweating. I just let it bounce off to not risk smearing or smudging anything. Personally for me, I found my makeup perfectly intact after both the 5k and 10k as I didn’t sweat that much and nothing ran or smeared. I only had to do simple touch ups and adding false lashes post-race before hitting the parks. I was able to shower so I was fresh to go to the parks, but was able to leave my face intact without having to start over. The half marathon was a different story though. Running over 2 hours will take more out of you and I had salt all over my face after my sweat had dried. Gross, I know, but I’m here to give you the reality of it if you’re interested in running and want to know what to prepare for. After the half, I definitely did a full shower and full redo of all my makeup before hitting up the parks for the day. But because the parks are my priority when I’m on my runcation, I’ve learned to get ready a little faster than I normally do because I really just want to get going.
Eat something - I’m not talking about a full hearty breakfast but like before a workout, you always want to fuel up with something. When I trained at home, I always found that I ran better, longer and farther when I ate a banana versus a protein bar. Find what works for you. Eat something small, light and easy. You don’t want something that will hurt your stomach during the race. But you also don’t want to run on empty either. You’ll feel the effects of your stomach grinding and growling the whole time or you’ll feel light headed, dizzy, or low energy. It’s just not a good idea, especially on race day, trust me. Lucky enough, after each race you're provided bananas. I saved one after each race for the next day's pre-race fuel.
Go to the bathroom - I’m not a fan of port-a-potties, especially in the dark at 3-5am. And luckily for me, I don’t have that type of race anxiety but I do see long lines from the race waiting area all the way up to the corrals and then even on the race course itself. I don’t know how people get like that so early on in the race, but all I can say is I’m lucky enough that when I run, my body engages into fight or flight mode so all that gets shut down. I honestly for some reason never have to use the bathroom at all when I run, or even when I work out in the gym for 3 hours. But if you’re the type of person who does find yourself needing to use the bathroom more often than me, then my suggestion would be to try and go before you leave your hotel room as it’s more sanitary and comfortable, and then try to drink as little water as possible before the race starts. During the race itself, yes it’s important to definitely hydrate but try to take small sips and be mindful of your water intake so you’re not hunting down a bathroom the entire race. The good news is on the race course, once you leave the highway/road portions and enter the parks portion, the park bathrooms ARE open! So definitely use those instead of the port-a-potties.
Charge everything - And I mean everything. Phone. Battery. Wireless Headphones if you use them. Update everything so you don’t catch yourself in the middle of a mandatory auto-update like I did 5 minutes before my half started and then freaking out if you don’t have your running app on and your music playing to help push you through that first mile. The funny thing is when I trained at home, I realized I was able to run the full length of a half marathon with my phone on one charge. So I didn’t bring my portable charger and running belt with me. But I did NOT anticipate that forced auto-update that drained 20% of my battery that morning. Luckily, I left my running belt with my portable charger inside all ready to go, on top of my dresser back at the hotel getting ready that morning. Once my phone was back in service, I messaged my baby sister during my run and asked her to bring it to me when I met her at the first spectator checkpoint when I got into the parks. I found her, threw her my hoodie as it got warm during my run and didn’t want it hiding my race costume for pictures, snapped on my belt and plugged in my phone and gunned it back down on the race course. I was back in business and my phone/music lasted the rest of the race.

Post-Race To Dos

Smile smile smile - Smile for the cameras as you cross that finish line! Smile as the volunteers bestow that medal upon your neck. Smile at the volunteers handing you bottles of water, Powerade, and your treat box. Smile and take your finish photo at the booths with the I DID IT paddles. Smile and take a damn selfie with you and your medal. Hold that medal up and give it a nice portrait shot. Take every pic possible because you want to remember this moment. And smile because DAMN YOU DID THAT.
EAT EAT EAT HYDRATE - After I finally settled down a bit from my finisher’s high, I always find that I’m really thirsty. That’s why I say to grab those bottles of water and Powerade they hand you. Grab a lot. They’re yours! Remember that hefty race registration fee? Don’t feel guilty about grabbing more than a few bottles. It’s just water and Powerade. Get your money’s worth because you’ll want to hydrate your money’s worth as you wait on the bus/monorail getting back to your hotel. Plus they're $3 a pop in the parks so definitely take advantage of these free drinks. And once you’re all showered and ready to go for the day, you’ll probably find that you’re hella hungry too because of all you ran. My advice would be to make sure you have breakfast reservations somewhere or at least a gameplan of where you want to go to eat if you’re doing quick service dining. You don’t want to be fumbling around last minute as you’re probably starving right now and want a hearty breakfast to reward yourself as well as fuel you for the rest of the day.
Wear comfortable shoes - If you plan on hitting the parks for the rest of the day/event weekend, and you still have more races to run in the next coming days, this is a definite must. Don’t wear new shoes that you haven’t tested or broken in yet. This is not the time for that just because you found a pair of cute shoes you wanted to go with your outfit the day before your trip. You want a nice, comfortable, tried and true pair of shoes that will get you through the rest of the day, especially if you have a lot of activities planned and there’s going to be a bit of walking all over the parks. And I know this sounds funny but WALK WALK WALK. I know you might feel tired after running all that, but trust me, if you keep walking for the day, it’s going to help your recovery that much more and feel better in the long run (pun intended).
Rest - Build in free periods in your day if you think you’ll need time to nap because of that early wake-up call. I didn’t do this because I found my vacation energy allowed me to stay up without feeling tired til I got back to the room at night and got into bed. So instead, I tried to make sure I was back at the resort a semi-reasonable hour to get to bed in time for the next morning’s 3am wake-up call. But definitely make sure you listen to your body if it’s telling you it needs an extra hour of ZZZzz’s throughout the day. You don’t want to collapse and jeopardize the next day’s race. Nap for a few hours if your body is telling you to rest.
Show off your medals! - You spent so much money to do this and then you woke up all those mornings to put in that work so do not feel ashamed or embarassed to wear all your bling to the parks! Wear them proudly and show them off everywhere you go! Last year the waitress was so sweet and gave me priority front row seating to the Epcots fireworks show because she saw my medal. Some photopasses will be on the lookout and they’ll be more than happy to help you take photos to commemorate your visit and achievement. Take advantage of it! You already paid so much to be here and do all this, so take it all in and enjoy it. It’s your time to shine!
Have Fun! - After all, it is a runcation! Make sure you still have fun and enjoy everything. Do everything you want to do, eat everything you want to eat. See the parade, see the fireworks, visit all the characters, ride all the rides. Soak in every Disney minute in the bubble as you possibly can. And remember YOU DID THIS and absolutely no one can take that away from you.

Goals for 2019 & 2020

December 31, 2019

GOALS FOR 2019

M̶a̶i̶n̶t̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶1̶0̶5̶-̶1̶1̶0̶ ̶l̶b̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶r̶a̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶u̶s̶t̶a̶i̶n̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶x̶e̶r̶c̶i̶s̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶l̶a̶n̶c̶e̶.̶
R̶u̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶ ̶m̶a̶r̶a̶t̶h̶o̶n̶.̶
- You know what they say; once you accomplished one goal, you’ll just go look for another mountain to climb. See goal #1 for 2020, lol.
F̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶p̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶r̶o̶o̶m̶.̶
- It’s not 100% but it’s pretty close! It’s basically my sister’s room now and pretty livable for a guest room so hopefully we just expand further into furnishing it and putting final touches next year.
Italy in the spring? or Paris in the fall? D̶i̶s̶n̶e̶y̶l̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶H̶a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶e̶e̶n̶,̶ ̶D̶i̶s̶n̶e̶y̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ for NYE possibly.
- We stayed domestic for the most part this year but I’m not mad. Did both Disneys so again, can’t be too mad.
Learn to drive stick.
- I didn’t find time to do this since the boy and I are on opposite schedules and rarely have days off together, only twice a month if that so we didn’t really get to use it for me to learn this. One day though.
Finally pick up photography. Learn the basics so I can take and edit my own photos.
- I was just lazy. I’m going to do this for 2020 though! I promise. I just have to sit down and actually read material and watch videos.
Learn how to drive a motorcycle.
- See #5 above.
T̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶t̶o̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶y̶!̶
- I did this! I love this and want to continue this further as we grow old. <3
W̶o̶r̶k̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶v̶e̶s̶.̶
- I did this too! I worked with a few new people this year. It’s really hard to sift through the GWCs and find the gems but I always want to give new people a chance and discover new people to work with because once upon a time I was new too and needed someone to give me a chance so I could grow and develop my own skills. I worked with new photographers, wedding vendors, videographers, brands, and venues. I want to continue this into the new decade too and compare where I end up in 2030. Especially since I started modeling back in 2009. 10 years later and looking back, I definitely grown as a creative myself. Back then, all I had was a Model Mayhem page and barely knew how to pitch ideas to get photographers to work with me. If you asked 2009 me, she would never have imagined that her portfolio today would look the way it does now. Hell, I never even thought I would make it to be fully blonde because of how many hair stylists originally told me it can’t be done.
F̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶p̶h̶a̶r̶m̶a̶c̶y̶ ̶C̶E̶s̶ ̶e̶a̶r̶l̶y̶.̶
- I sat down in September and raced the hell through this! I’m so glad I locked down on it and got it done. Now I can rest easy for my renewal period in 2020. I still got my superpowers.

GOALS FOR 2020

Disney Princess Fairytale Challenge: 5k/10k/Half back to back
- Don’t ask me why but I’m excited but terrified at the same time. I know I run nearly every day but taking all 3 on back to back is nerve-racking. And for some reason, I noticed at the beginning of a race, whether it’s a 5k or a half, I get really nervous and feel like I want to drop out and give up. I have no idea why since I can obviously do this and know I can do it because I do it on the regular. Race jitters.
CUCB 10 miler
- This is scary too because this will be the first race I’m doing on my own as my friends and coworkers missed the deadline to sign up. I thought about backing out but at the same time I really do want to do this and race through those cherry blossoms in the spring. Plus it’ll make for a beautiful quick weekend getaway.
Disney goals: Empty Main Street photo, 4 park challenge’
- I don’t know if I’ll actually get either of these done during February because of all 3 races back to back so early in the morning so I worry about energy levels to stay up late enough to get the empty photo done and energy levels to do all 4 in one day but we’ll see.
Learn the basics of my camera already.
Wear more green.
- I worked on a big goal of making my photos rich in color and color schemes when it came to coordinating wardrobe and background but the one color I didn’t really wear much of was green. Let’s change that for 2020! I’m a color queen when it comes to my feed so let’s live up to it.
Work on upper body strength to be able to handle/pull up my own body weight: chin-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, planks. Work on flexibility to be able to do a split.
- I want to be able to lift myself up if I’m ever hanging off a cliff, with my life on the line. It’s the few things in the gym I can’t do so let’s tackle this on too.
Find new places to shoot that I haven’t shot before yet.
- I worry about it getting monotonous and boring that I keep shooting at the same flower fields and places every year. I want to find more places on Long Island to explore and more nooks and crannies in NYC, as well as my travels.
Work on a balanced relationship with food. Wean myself off checking the scale obsessively.
- Self-explanatory. I want to stop the guilt mentality that comes with eating, and stop placing so much value on a number.
Closet makeover. Get rid of cosplay, downsize further from clothes and items I haven’t used/worn in past 5 years.
- I’m over the cosplay scene. With the exception of a few items, I want to get rid of everything and clean my closet up. Get rid of the dumb posters and make this room look more polished.
Cut down credit card debt. Hopefully get rid of it and get back to a clean slate by the end of 2020.

REFLECTION ON 2019

Travel - I didn’t travel anywhere new this year but the cruise did set me back a bit. I don’t regret it because I really love that I finally got to check off a Disney cruise off my bucket list and experienced it for myself, but had I not taken the trip, I would probably have made a nice dent in fixing my credit card debt rather than making more dents into the debt. So for 2020, I’m going to try and put traveling on the backburner for now and focus on fixing my financials to get them back in order first. It makes sense anyway because the vacations I want to have require more money, time and research. I don’t want to make repeat trips because I didn’t have enough funds the first time to do everything the way I want. Not that I don’t want to go back to certain places more than once, but like how I relentlessy re-did cosplays over and over because I wasn’t happy with them the first time, I don’t want to keep wasting my time revisiting a place because it wasn’t how I wanted the first time. I’d rather wait, and be able to afford it and go on the trip I want, the way I intended it the first time around. No more shortcuts and compromises.
Blog Growth - This year was filled with collaborations, content, outreach, engagement, invites. It was a nice year of growth and learning how to network and navigate public relations with brands, venues and companies. I get rejected and ghosted a lot when I reach out for collaborations but I also found that for every one that wouldn’t work with me, there were still many more opportunities reaching out to me, asking me to work with them and wanting me to stop by and visit. I tried to do as many as I could fit in my schedule. I really didn’t expect all this to happen so I’m grateful for these opportunities when they do come my way. I still don’t have a central theme like fashion, makeup or travel or anything unfortunately, as I’m still all over the place with my writing and posts. Maybe 2020 will be the year I hone in on this and find my niche.
Exercise - Last year I worked on losing weight, this year I worked on maintaining it and staying in shape year round, with slight weight loss a few weeks before each trip to give myself wiggle room for impending weight gain. I’m really proud of myself though to finally laying down good habits because I really did go to the gym nearly every day this year. I only had a few days off a month, if that and mostly on days where I went to the city to work on shoots, gram tours and content for my blog. I practiced at least 60 minutes of active time a day (mostly 2-3 hours in the gym but if I was strapped for time then I made sure I did at least 1 hour of activity), and averaged about 15-20k steps a day. I told myself I would stop running after the half but here I am today still at it. I run at least 5k when I do a short run and I try to do at least one 10k run a week. During the spring and fall when the temps were moderate, I was running 10ks every 2-3 days. I worked a LOT on my endurance and stamina. This is a huge step up from last year as well as my active life overall in general. I really hope to continue these habits into the new decade.
Diet - I feel like I’m still working on this but it’s forever a work in progress. I do make a conscious effort to eat more protein and less sugar and carbs. I’m also more conscious of watching my portion sizes. I go back and forth still from diet days and cheat days. For 2020, I want to continue with diet control and smarter eating. I want to aim for eating clean 90% of the time and reduce my cravings further to eliminate moments of weakness. I do notice the difference in energy levels and physical well-being when I’m eating clean so hopefully I can cement that into my mentality to make that better choice.
Photoshoots - In 2017, I had set a goal of doing at least one shoot a month and since then I kept the same goal and fulfilled it. In 2020, I want to continue this, but hopefully build upon it even more and step up my game further as well. Last year I said I wanted to show that ordinary places could photograph extraordinary, to show that you can turn any place into something magical through photos. You can take beautiful photos anywhere as long as you have a good eye. And that’s what I did. I used everywhere I went as a natural backdrop for shoots and worked it. Although I worry sometimes about running out of ideas, wardrobe and places to shoot. 2019 was so good to me in all the opportunities I had and all the places I got to shoot. I worry about peaking and not able to come up with more. I’m not sure how yet but I really do want to up my game further for 2020. I want to do more new styles, find newer locations I haven’t shot in yet and work with more new people to expand my network. I want to expand my body of work further and build upon my forever evolving portfolio.
Adventures/Time Spent With Family/Friends - This year was packed with even more dates with my sisters! I enjoyed this a lot and I really hope to continue this trend next year. I’m excited for our trip in February and now my mom’s coming too! We also spent this past year taking my parents out to eat a lot and showing them new places and spending time with them in general. It’s a big shift and change in our family dynamic compared to how we were growing up with our parents. Wounds are healing and new relationships are forming. There have also been some rough bumps in the road along the way this year unfortunately but we’re working on it. I learned that sometimes, you have to let people learn some lessons on their own. You can still love them but you have to stand aside and let them figure out situations on their own. You can say all you want but in the end, the individual will make their own life choices and you have to either choose to live with them and see how it plays through or lose them. I’m afraid of losing this person in my life so unfortunately I have to sit tight and let this one ride out. As for my friends, we didn’t get to really spend time as much as I would like to but I’ve also come to terms with this. Again, you have to give people room to grow and find their own path. Everyone is not on the same path and that’s okay. I miss the old days where we would do everything together but I know one day when we all have it figured out, we’ll be together again. I do appreciate the times when the stars do align and we do get to make time to see each other once a month or so. I’m rooting for my loved ones to excel in everything they’re working on so it’s really amazing to sit back and watch them work on their goals and see them make their dreams come true, one step at a time.
Downsizing - I feel like I did pretty well this year. I sold a lot of my dresses, donated a lot of clothes, and didn’t shop as much as I usually do. I didn’t have any big purchases or hauls. When I do shop, I do try to consciously choose versatile pieces I will use again and again. I try to find pieces I can invest in that will last more than a few wears/seasons. I want to continue this trend further into 2020 and start working on a new mindset for the next decade of my life. When shopping, I’m going to try and limit myself to just a few trendy pieces for the season and ask myself before purchasing if I see myself wearing this more than once. Will I use this again? If it’s a one and done look, drop it. If it’s something that can be styled and restyled and last through time and become something classic, then definitely purchase.

2019 was a great year, even though I didn’t go anywhere new or did anything “groundbreaking.” Like 2018, it was another year of personal growth. The personal wins were still groundbreaking to me. I mean, I still can’t believe I conquered a half marathon. It seems like forever ago but it was just 10 months ago. And I thought it was the end but it only set me up for another challenge to take on, hahaha! And I worked extensively on my portfolio and honestly loved a LOT of the work I did this year. The quality in my photos has improved and I’m walking away with a lot of my top favorite photos ever created, from this year alone. I put a lot of work into this blog this year too with all the emails and networking and research. When comparing my 2019 me to my past self, I would definitely say I leveled up further. And that’s what you’re supposed to do. Don’t compare your timeline to other people’s timeline. The only competition you have is yourself. Conquer your weaknesses, improve upon your strengths. Unlock your potential and tap into your power.

Did I peak in 2018? I mean, how much more can I do in 2019 to step up my game in everything? But you don’t know if you don’t go. I’m ready to jump into 2019 and see what great things lay ahead. Cheers to 2018 and it’s great gifts, and here’s to what the new year will bring us!

I wrote this in last year’s reflection and it’s funny because although in retrospect I feel like I definitely didn’t peak in 2018 but further stepped up my game in 2019 and did even more that I’m proud of and expanded further in my portfolio and everything I do, I’m still afraid of this for 2020. I mean, it can only get better from here, right? And yet at the same time, I worry that 2020 might not live up to everything I rushed to do so far in life. I’m scared but excited to see what new unexpected challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for me. For those of you still following along and reading, thank you truly for following me on this journey! Let’s sail into 2020 full force and show this bitch who’s really boss.