We did it, guys! We made another trip around the sun. Like most, I love to spend the end of this year reflecting on what the last year has brought my way, so I wanted to review some of those here with you! If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to sit down at some point soon and do the same. It’s easier to see where we’re going if we stop to take a look at where we’ve been. So without further ado, let’s recap 2022 and look ahead to 2023!
January
We rang in the new year with a small get together at our best friends’ house where I was gifted a refurbished, full-size Taco Bell sign. It’s the most hilarious gift I’ve ever received. It was a busy month too, because we also broke ground on our house, took our first trip out to Sonoma Valley for a wine-filled weekend, and vacationed to Italy with some good friends who hadn’t been out of the country before. Looking back on it now, I realize how wild it is that this all happened in one month, but it was so much fun!
February
We wrapped up our Italy trip, and then headed out to Big Sur for our first trip to Ventana Big Sur! We loved the resort so much, that we booked another weekend there within 30 minutes of arriving. It was also during this trip that we sold our home which was exciting, but so bittersweet. I remember feeling ALL the feelings about it.
March
This month was less fun… We were under contract to sell our home and had to be out of it by the of the month. It was stressful, but we somehow managed it. We packed up the contents of our entire house and put most of our belongings in storage while moving the bare necessities into a teeny tiny one bedroom apartment in downtown Tulsa. On the bright side, it was exciting to be moving downtown for a temporary chapter!
April
We really took advantage of our time living downtown. It was BEYOND fun. The weather was great, so we took city walks in the evening after dinner, ate at SO many delicious restaurants we hadn’t tried, and really embraced apartment life. This was also the month I found out I was allergic to shellfish! I had done a ton of research and experimenting to try and figure it out. After eating a bowl of shrimp pasta, the answer became apparent, and so did my need for an EpiPen prescription.
May
This was the month we made a lot of final decisions on designing our new home! Our appointment to pick out lighting was scheduled in May, and that was the final step in the selection process. We also headed out for one of our biggest trips of the year. To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, we spent 2 weeks traveling to the Maldives. On our way back, we also spent a quick stopover in the Middle East. It was such a surreal trip, and one of the few places we’ve been that ACTUALLY looks like the Instagram photos.
June
This month was a lot of watchful waiting on our house. The trim work was finished and cabinets started to be installed. After several months of non-stop traveling, we laid low and enjoyed being home for a while. We lived it up downtown and continued to explore more places in our temporary new neighborhood.
This was also the month I decided to make some major lifestyle changes. I haven’t talked about it at all online, but I was really feeling uncomfortable with my weight. It definitely had an effect on my physical health and my self-esteem (more than I realized at the time), so I took steps toward making a change and improving my health!
July
We celebrated Independence Day with friends and continued to monitor progress on our new house. The tile started to go in, bricking was finished, and they started to prep for paint! R spent a lot of time at the golf course, and I spent a lot of time at the pool.
August
We celebrated R’s birthday with dinner at one our favorite spots downtown! It was also a momentous month because we started making purchases for the inside of the new house. We purchased our refrigerator on sale (yay!), and started thinking about some furniture choices. This was all spurred by the interior paint going up and us finally being able to see what things were going to look like!
September
I threw a girls’ weekend for my mom’s birthday. She and 3 of her best friends came out to Tulsa and we stayed in an Airbnb near Cherry Street. We wined, dined, and celebrated all weekend long. Our house continued to make progress during this time as well, and we really enjoyed seeing floors and tile going in. I also remember playing a ton of golf during this time because the weather was PERFECT. Especially toward the end of the month.
October
This was a BIG month. We started out with our 2nd trip out to California for a long weekend at Ventana Big Sur to celebrate my birthday. It has become our favorite domestic destination, and I have a blog post reviewing the resort coming soon!
We also took our epic 3-week trip to Japan. It was over 2 years in the making, so it was a surreal trip and extremely special for both of us. We will go back again in a heartbeat when we get the chance.
November
We closed on our house! We signed our contract to build in May of 2021 so this was a big moment we’d been waiting for. We also moved in and hosted a (very low key) Thanksgiving with my parents. It was really fun to settle in and make the house feel like home just before the holiday season.
In the middle of all that, we also took a random trip to Germany for the weekend to check a bucket list flight off our list. (You can read about all our favorite flights of 2022 here!)
December
We hosted Christmas for both my family and R’s. We also pressed pause on travel to be more present with friends and family and enjoy being in our new home. We didn’t stay up until midnight to ring in 2023, but we did have a quiet evening at home. It was a great time to reflect on how incredible of a year we had!
2023 Word of the Year
Every year for the last several years, I’ve chosen a word to help guide me toward goals I have for myself both professional and personal. Last year, I chose the word courage. I wanted to kick imposter syndrome when it came to my job, and I wanted to say “yes” to things that scared me to encourage me to grow. This spurred a lot of excitement in me and I gained a lot of confidence. I feel like I definitely achieved my goals, so in 2023, I wanted to choose a word that would build on the progress I made last year.
For 2023, my word of the year is focus. I want to tune out all the “noise” that distracts me from reaching the goals I have. I want to focus on bettering myself mentally, physically, professionally, and personally. To do that, I plan to avoid things, people, and habits that do not enrich my life or propel me toward my goals!
Do you choose a word of the year for 2023? Do you choose a mantra or set specific goals for yourself? I’d love to hear about them in the comments! I wish you all the very best year, and I want to thank you sincerely for being here to read about and follow along with mine. I appreciate you being here!
