Best of 2019
What a year! It’s hard to believe that another year — heck, another decade — went by. Each new year, I share with you my word of the year. With a new decade just hours away, I thought I’d get a kickstart in practicing my 2020 word of the year by reflecting on 2019.
After ending 2018 in a state of depression, I mindfully set my 2019 word of the year as JOY. I truly believe that God gives you whatever you ask for … when the timing is right.
In order to experience joy, I needed to let go of who I thought I was and seek who I was meant to be. This year, I did a lot of self evaluation which ultimately lead to my best year yet. What a way to end the decade!
Thank you, 2019, for being a year of growth. You challenged me in the best possible way and born from it was the resilient woman God created me to be.
Here I am, ending this emotional, yet amazing, year looking back at life’s best moments and using it to make way for the next one. I’m excited to see what 2020 has in store!
Best moments of 2019:
1. Prioritizing my mental and physical health
This was by far the best decision I made all year. In March, I finally sought help from a therapist to help me navigate through my stress and anxiety. Seeing a (good) therapist gave me the tools I needed to understand me, communicate my feelings effectively and set boundaries. It requires me to dig through my insecurities and have important (and sometimes difficult) conversations. The benefits of prioritizing my mental health went beyond living my best life — it improved me and Angel’s relationship and lead me to doing what’s best for me professionally.
I also joined a virtual gym and signed up for a 100-workout program. Moving my body was the missing puzzle piece to ultimate well-being.
2. We traveled … A LOT!
Angel and I are extremely blessed to be able to travel. This summer, we went to Disneyland (here’s our recap from October 2018) and stayed at the newly renovated rooms at the Howard Johnson. (I still can’t get over how comfy the beds were!) After Disneyland, I went to my first Angels baseball game and then we stayed with Angel’s family until it was time for us to go.
In the fall, we made our way back to California, but this time to San Francisco! We spent the weekend in the city and that Sunday, made our way to Oakland for a Raiders game. Although it was short, it was amazing and a much needed break from reality.
In December, Angel surprised me with a weekend staycation at Aulani, the Disney resort in Hawaii. It was our first time there and the most relaxed I ever felt while on vacation.
3. Rekindling my relationship with God
Over the years, I questioned God and His plans for me. So much so that I often found myself going through the motions of my religion. My faith has been an anchor in my life since I was a little girl so it felt weird to question it. As I peeled back the layers of who I thought I was to discover who I was meant to be, I found my faith at the core of it all and it allowed me to ask for forgiveness and rekindle my relationship with God.
4. Doing ALL the wedding things
Angel and I did so many wedding things this year it’s insane! We got a lot of the big stuff out of the way: secured our venues, bought my wedding dress and Angel’s outfit, ordered our cake, booked our musicians, started pre-cana and some other things. I have wedding updates coming soon and I can’t wait to share our progress with you all.
If you stuck around to the end of this post, THANK YOU! It took me a day and a half to write and edit (probably because I was preoccupied watching Friends in the background). There’s always so much to say when it comes to recounting the year. Thank you for another great year in this space. See you in 2020!