Happy new year everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve whether that looked like curling up on the couch or going out with friends and celebrating!
New years eve over here looked like a little bit of both. We were visiting Casey’s parents through the new year, so we of course had to tune into the Georgia game that night since his parents are huge fans. It was nice to spend the whole day as a family & get to do sparklers with Blakely & let her see a few fireworks before we put her down for bed.
Around 9pm, me, Casey, his brother and brother’s girlfriend all spontaneously headed to a lakeside bar that was having a big NYE celebration. With delicious skinny margs in hand we got to see a beautiful firework show at midnight after the ball dropped (and Georgia won at the same time the ball dropped!!) The night was super fun, but I was definitely feeling those margaritas the next day!
To recap December as a whole, it was a busy busy holiday season. Coming off of Thanksgiving, we dove right into celebrating Blakely’s second birthday with family and friends at the beginning of December. I wrote a blog post recapping the party in full, but it was the perfect celebration at a nearby park.
On the wedding side of things, my wedding dress came in!!! AH! I got to go try it on in person at the shop AND take it home with me! It is seriously so beautiful and I fell in love with it all over again. It was still way too big, so I’m excited to start the alterations process soon! I got to try on some stunning pearl earrings with it too, but didn’t end up buying either.
Blakely got to meet Santa for the first time mid December as well… & the pictures show exactly how it went. LOL! Poor Blakely and poor Santa! I was so confident she wasn’t going to cry because she was so excited to meet him all day! She kept saying “ho ho ho merry Christmas” all morning long. But of course, as soon as I hand her over she screams at the top of her lungs. Not a picture perfect moment, but definitely a hilarious memory!
Lastly, to briefly recap Christmas. We drove the almost 4 hour drive from Atlanta to visit my family in South Carolina for the week before Christmas. It was so wonderful to see my family & get to spend such quality time with them! They loved getting to see Blakely too since she grows so fast!! Blakely is the only grandchild so far on both my side of the family and Casey’s, so she was totally spoiled for Christmas! Lots of new toys & fun things to play with!
Some more rapid fire December moments:
- Attended my moms group Christmas party at our mentor moms home!
- Blakely had a random virus with a 103 fever that was super scary, but she ended up testing negative for Covid, flu and strep!
- Went to Casey’s work holiday party which was really fun! Casey’s parents watched Blakely for the night so we even got to go to a fun rooftop bar after.
- Visited a cute German style town in Helen, Georgia with Casey’s family. Very touristy, but beautifully nestled in the mountains!
December was an unforgettable month full of lots of family time + holiday traditions and memories. 2022 was such a wonderful year with so many blessings. 2023, if you’re anything like 2022 I’m ready for ya!! Now, let’s dive into the December Favorite Things.
DECEMBER FAVORITE THINGS
1.) BOOKS
My goal for 2022 was to read 24 books total, which would be about two books per month. I am so proud to say that I hit my goal for the year! I actually wrote a blog post on all my 2022 favorite books + a whole yearly reading roundup with ratings in case you missed it!
To sum up my December reads, I finished The Paris Library which I had started at the end of November. I loved this book so much. I ultimately gave it a 4.5/5 stars because I not only fell in love with the two main characters Odile & Lily, but I feel like I got a sense of what the librarians in Paris during WWII went through. It was equally heartbreaking and incredibly moving to see their courage & tenacity.
I then started and finished The It Girl which is more of a thriller and murder mystery. I really enjoyed this one as well, and also gave it a 4.5/5 stars. It was the first book I read by Ruth Ware, but I definitely will be reading more. I loved her writing style and the book was based in Oxford & England which was super interesting to read about. I was guessing until the very end “whodunit!”
2.) PODCASTS
My top 3 podcast episodes that I listened to this month:
- How To Build Your Rich Life with Ramit Sethi | The Blonde Files Podcast
- One of my goals for the new year is to become more educated on money, investing, budgeting and all things personal finance. This episode really broke down a lot of topics about money including renting versus buying, paying of debt, investing, & restrictive attitudes about money in an easy to understand way.
- Super Soul Special: Steven Pressfield Unlock Your Creative Genius | Oprah’s Super Soul
- This episode is incredibly moving and helpful for anyone looking to figure out their true calling in life. Oprah and Pressfield chat about 4 thought-provoking & important questions you should ask yourself and ultimately how to use those answers to unfold who we are truly meant to be.
- Brooke Miccio Book Episode | ILYSM Podcast
- If you are a book lover like myself, this was a great episode full of must-read books recs, debates over certain books, where to start if you want to become a reader, unpopular opinions and more. I love Brooke Miccio from her podcast, Gals On The Go, & found this collab between her and Kenzie Elizabeth so fun to listen to!
3.) SHOWS/MOVIES
TV:
- Firefly Lane (the new season was eh to me)
- White Lotus (just started this and am curiously hooked)
- Emily In Paris (literally SO GOOD)
Movies:
- Don’t Worry Darling (Harry Styles. Nuff said.)
- Fall (my hands were clammy this whole movie – didn’t love)
4.) FAVORITE THINGS
5 Things I’m Loving Right Now:
- MAYBELLINE LIFTER GLOSS… you guys. This lip gloss is SO GOOD that I can’t believe how affordable it is!! There’s a reason it has over 20,000 5-star reviews!
- BELT BAG LULU DUPE… I have wanted a belt bag for so long, but didn’t want to spend the money for it just to be Lululemon. This Amazon find is the best dupe for it. The bag is surprisingly spacious, but doesn’t look big or bulky on! I got the black one and am SO happy with it. I’ve already taken it on a hike, running errands + to the gym multiple times!
- SUPERGOOP GLOW SCREEN… I have seen the hype about this product for so long, and finally I got myself the sample size of it from Sephora. Oh my gosh it is SO good!! I want to be better about wearing sunscreen on my face daily in 2023, so I got an early start on that goal with this glow screen. It gives such a good glow for that glowy no make up look!
- EVERYDAY SMALL GOLD HOOPS… I needed an upgrade to my jewelry collection, so I started with these highly rated gold everyday hoops. They are the perfect size for daily wear & are such good quality for less than $15!! With how easily I lose things, I don’t feel bad about spending that on a surprisingly nice pair of earrings!
- LONGCHAMP PURSE… This is seriously my favorite brand for purses. I have been eyeing this cream tote bag for a while now, and am so grateful I was gifted it for Christmas. It’s the perfect size for what I need as a mom with a million things to carry!! I have used my black Longchamp purse since high school, so that just shows the quality on how long these purses last!! I can’t say enough good things!
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