2019

So I’ve never actually made a list of things I want to achieve in a given year so why not try something new for a change. The past year has been a rough one for me with regards to my health which In turn affected all over aspects of my life and well-being. So this year I’m really going to focus on being the best version of my self and improving some skills within reason. Seeing as over 80% of these resolutions fail within the first month of January I figure A. Writing them down will make me keep to them and B. Even just trying to meet some of these goals will better me in the long run (even if I don’t meet them all).

1. Publish AveryAbroad and continue to post relevant and interesting content.

For the past year, I’ve been talking about how I’ve wanted to start a blog and how I want to share my tips and tricks for travel with everyone. I’ve decided that 2019 is my year to do so! Figuring out how to blog and share my content has been a great experience these past few weeks and I want to continue to learn how to produce more and more content. While the main purpose of this blog is to show people what’s possible on a small budget and big dreams I still have a lot to learn and other categories I would like to explore when it comes to AveryAbroad. Which brings me to my 2nd goal.

2. Get back into photography/improve editing and design skills.

Since content is such an important focus for me this year I really want to get back into photography and incorporating design in my everyday life. With a background in photography, I let it take a back seat when I became a graphic designer right out of college. Photography was my first creative outlet and I want to start getting back into it. I found the most perfect lo and sons bag that will hopefully help me take my camera out more often. I also hope to continue taking photo classes and tours when on my trips. On the design front, I want to get better about taking Skillshare courses and learning new techniques and styles to improve my daily work. My current obsession is stop motion and can’t wait to show you what I’m working on. :)

3. Have more adventures and plan trips for more people!

Part of the reason I started this blog was to help and encourage people to travel more. For me, that means research. Travel for me is obviously a lot of fun, but what gets me really excited is the planning of a trip. Finding the hidden gems of a city and planning the perfect trip give me the greatest joy. If you ever want help planning a trip let me know! I’ve helped friend travel to Cuba, my boyfriend travel through Europe and next to a co-worker traveling to Turks and Caicos. Also, a huge goal of mine would be to get out of LA once a month now I don’t know if that’ll be possible but might as well try! For January I’m hitting up Vancouver so let me know if you have any tips! If I can’t get out of LA every month I at least want to try something new or spontaneous once a month. I love small adventures as well, whether it be a cooking class, a sip and paint night, or even ax throwing I want to get out and explore LA one way or another. Doing this I hope will help me creatively and open my eyes up to new ideas!

4. More effort into self-care

Gone are the days of waking up 10 minutes before class and rolling out of bed with unbrushed, pulled back hair. I want to start making a habit of going to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier and put more time into my daily appearance. I also want to set aside a self-care budget for facials, massages, haircuts all that good stuff. If you feel good about yourself and get enough sleep amazing things can happen!

5. Simplify my wardrobe.

Time to start dressing like an adult. Simplifying my wardrobe is also something I think would help this process. After watching hours of Tidying Up on Netflix I’ve got some serious cleaning up to do. No more clothes that fit poorly or have small holes in them (Madewell T-shirts I’m talking to you... ) its time to get it together and as my dad would say “Dress for the job you want”. This means sticky to neutrals and making sure my clothes aren’t fast fashion. I want to be able to step into my closet and have all of my pieces be interchangeable

6. Continue to workout

After all of the health issues I experienced in 2018 it’s a goal of mine to continue and improve on my work out regime and eating habits. Pilates has become a huge part of my fitness routine through Classpass (use my link for $40 off!) and I hope to continue taking different fitness classes. Pilates has been a great work out but it’s time to mix in some cardio and new forms of exercise

7. Eat Health-ish

Eating health *ish* is still something I struggle with. It would be a lie for me to tell you I eat a perfectly balanced meal every single meal or that I don’t eat cookies with my roommate or drink wine with my girlfriends, but I could definitely work on doing it less often. With my silly MODY diagnoses, I started doing low-carb / less sugar and let me tell you I didn't completely hate it. I slept better, had more energy to exercise and definitely started getting in better shape. I learned that you don't always have to stick to a strict diet and sometimes it's alright to have a cookie or 3. I also just bought an Instant Pot so if you’ve got some recipes to let me know!