A Little Review of 2016 and Goals for 2017

WHAT. A. YEAR.

Even though we’re a few days into January, I’m not sure it’s ever too late to reflect on the past year in order to look forward to the year ahead. Here are a few of my top highlights from this past year:

FRIENDSHIPS
Was gonna wait to post this one until later BUT it was perhaps the most wonderful thing about this year for me. I met my very best friend (who I absolutely must see once a week or I have ACTUAL withdrawal symptoms), Erin Krespan. She also happens to be an insanely talented photographer who I’ve gotten to work with a ton on the blog. 

I also got to meet and shoot with a number of killer photographers thanks to the Insta-web like Leah, Dennis, Emma, Brittany, Carl, Luke and Jen to name a few. SO grateful for the creative community DC has built.

FOOD
This has also been SUCH a great year for food in my book. For my birthday, we finally got to visit Rose’s Luxury which I’d been DYING to visit for ages. I also discovered the best ramen spot in DC (s/o to Daikaya - but feel free to refute this if you think you’ve found a better spot that serves vegetarian ramen.) Then we proceeded to eat our way through San Fran, Portland (Maine), Napa and Chicago…which I NEED to get post on the blog ASAP because who has time to wait for good food?

TRAVEL
While we made the decision to stay within the country this year, we did a LOT of traveling. A few of our favorite spots we traveled:

Yosemite: Growing up, we’d camp here for a few weeks each summer. This year, I finally was able to take my hubby to experience it and it was everything I’d hoped for and more (minus the insane swarms of mosquitos!)

Napa: I’d been here once before and I can’t believe it took 5 years to come back! Great wine isn’t the only thing that lured us to return - the food is phenomenal. From brunches to little BBQ stands on the side of the road to the *HANDS DOWN* best English muffins that exist, we’re hooked.

Portland, Maine: Another foodie hotspot - this town has so much character and SO MANY great eats that it’s worth the visit JUST for the food alone. When we visited, it was rainy and cold, but somehow still remains one of my favorite trips of the year.

Marco Island, FL: This is a yearly visit for us. My Papou lives down there a few months of the year, so we always try to take 4 or 5 days to soak in the bright sunshine in the midst of our East Coast winter.

New York: I can’t believe it, but I visited the Big Apple three times this past year. THREE. That’s more than I had in the previous 5 years. Each time I fell more and more in love with the city. The first time I traveled to Soho with my bestie for 24 hours of food, shopping, coffee and shooting photos. The second was for Fashion Week, which, TO BE HONEST, wasn’t my favorite. This last time was for New Year’s and we happily ate our way through Chelsea’s cutest neighborhoods. And we’re already planning our next trip.

Chicago: When the hubby had a business trip here, I couldn’t help but come along for the ride. The city, it’s architecture and, surprise surprise, its food scene didn’t disappoint. 

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BLOG
Lots of exciting things happened on the blog front this year. I was featured in Northern Virginia Magazine’s April issue and was also voted their Top Fashion Blogger of 2016! Made in the District featured my blog in their page, and last week, was featured by Brightest Young Things. I got to work with a number of exciting brands like Lucky Jeans, Ralph Lauren, Cuyana, Rent the Runway, South Moon Under, Urban Outfitters, Diesel, Banana Republic, Lacoste and more. Stay tuned for more exciting projects underway for 2017! If you have anything you'd like to see more (or less of!) over here, shoot me a note or comment on this post!

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LOOKING AHEAD
Besides the usual 'get back into exercise and clean eating,' I want to learn to work smarter. I want to spend more time on figuring out my finances (YIKES), working on improving our home, getting organized, and building relationships. I want to spend less time in front of the TV (easier said than done) and on my phone. I want to live more in the present, and while I think I did better last year, I know there's still a lot to be done. I also want to make my health a priority. This means choosing yoga class to ease my back pain over happy hour sometimes, taking the time in the evening to take off all my makeup and set up a regular skincare routine, and making dentist appointments and eye doctor visits a priority too. I want to put laziness on the back burner, which is also easier said than done in the winter months when all I want to do is be a sloth at home. Any tips on productivity would be SO greatly appreciated!

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Fall Staple: The Duster

FRIDAY. FIIINNNALLYYYY.

I mean, every Friday I’m grateful for the pre-weekend feels it brings into my life. But this Friday is even MORE SO.

I’m just getting over the crazy wonderful madness that was New York Fashion Week. Let me tell you - it was a whirlwind. Between hopping uptown to downtown to midtown to crazy town, it was an experience I can’t wait to share about.

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But FIRST - I want to share a fun look from my last trip to New York I’ve been frequently wearing most weekends ON REPEAT. 

Introducing - one of my favorite Fall staples, the duster. 

I met said duster when I visited NYC with my bestie, Erin, a couple months ago. We were wandering around Soho after brunch (as one does), and popped into this cute little shop, Mo:vint. We basically fell in love with everything. 

But this linen duster really caught my eye. I tried it on and right away I knew it would become one of my most-worn items. It was one of those finds that really make you feel COOL. And, it was on sale. Which I, of course, took as a sign that it was meant to be. 

Paired with the perfect striped tee and a velvet choker (both of which I snagged only hours before we took this photo,) I know this will be a combo I’ll be repeating every weekend from here until eternity. 

Wearing duster from Movint (similar), Lucky Brand denim, Banana Republic suede pumps c/o, Aritzia tee (sold out, similar), Cuyana bag, Toyshop choker (sold out, identical), Sophie Blake bracelet and earrings (part of her latest collection!) Some photos taken at Greecologies, NYC.

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Weekend Snaps - Memorial Day Weekend

There’s nothing, and I do mean nothing, like a 3-day weekend. (Well, except maybe a 7 day weekend! HA!)

On Friday, I flew down to Orlando to visit some of our best friends who moved there last year. It’s funny - we’ve visited them twice in the last 6 months but didn’t manage to visit once during the 4 years they lived in Nebraska lololol!

Airport style // wearing Lucky Brand jeans and ADIDAS sneakers

After a three hour delay (not getting me into Orlando until about 9 PM), I was more than ready for a few drinks. We headed downtown to Artisans Table for dinner then over to Tap and Grind (also best name ever) for some beers and people watching. LET ME TELL YOU - the people watching on Friday night in Orlando is like no other, friends.

Saturday we quickly got ready and headed to Daytona beach. I’ve been waiting to wear my new favorite Triangl bikini since it arrived in March and the bright color seemed like the perfect fit for the Daytona atmosphere.

I don’t always go into the ocean, but the temperature was too good to miss out on. So we played monkey in the middle (as a an upper twenty-something does) in the water until our arms got sore. Then we  ate all the guacamole and chips and soaked up every last bit of sun. But not before the tastiest ice cream from a local shop. 

I joked on Instagram that before a trip, I’m all green smoothies, brown rice and cooked veggies. But once I’m on vacation, all my willpower disappears and I end up eating everything in sight. Except I wasn’t joking and I actually did eat ALL THE THINGS.

Genuine Glow collection, exclusively at Blue Mercury // Ditto sunglasses (use code ITSJULIEN for a free month!) // Angela Roi bag

Before going out that evening, I tried out the new Estee Lauder “Genuine Glow” collection that just launched at Blue Mercury. YOU GUYS - these pieces just took me summer makeup routine to a new level. My favorite of them all is a blush and lip creme in “Peachy Keen” which you’ll be seeing my wearing non-stop until Fall arrives.

Sunday we went to Waikiva Island, the most fun little “island” that had corn hole, kayaking and live music. We rented a few canoes (and even spotted an alligator in the water!) and raced down the stream to a natural spring…luckily, it was netted off to keep all the crocs away. We swam and relaxed there (with about a trillion other people) until we got hungry and canoed back. 

Wearing Cocosand Swimwear bikini

We took it easy that evening and started planning our trip to Yosemite coming up at the end of this month! I can’t wait to share all the fun things we have planned for it!

Wearing Cuyana slip dress and saddle bag

Monday we enjoyed a pool day and we made a new puppy friend. We went out to a nicer lunch so I got to wear my new Cuyana slip dress! It’s absolutely stunning. You’ll definitely be seeing more of it around these parts.

Tell me - how was your MDW?!