Reflecting back at all that has taken place in 2018 brings a smile to my face. This year has been one of the most eye-opening years of my life and a period of incredible growth. Before a new year starts tomorrow, let’s look back at 2018. 🙂
- Countries Visited:
- New States Visited:
- None, unfortunately. 🙁
- Alabama Football Games Attended:
- National Championship (Georgia)
- SEC Championship (Georgia, again)
- Books Read: 33
- My favorite was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
January
Twenty-eighteen started with a celebration in the form of Alabama winning it’s 17th National Championship, and I got to witness it! 🙂 This is my third National Championship to witness in person, and it was so great to see my alma mater defeat the Georgia Bulldogs on their “home” turf. (Sorry, to all my UGA fans! But you have to admit that was a great game, and y’all put up quite the fight!) With such a huge start to the new year, the remainder of the month was pretty quiet. I continued interviewing for a new job. Atlanta also received its first snowfall of the year, which was quite the surprise since we had one just a month earlier.
February
February brought what has to one of the best highlights of the year – a new job. After four months of being unemployed, I secured a position as an admissions counselor. With almost 11-months under my belt, this job has become the start of a new career path and I’m excited to see where it leads. 🙂 The new job does require a lot of time on the road (my favorite!) and so I have been able to explore new parts of Georgia and South Carolina – starting with a visit to Redcliff Plantation.
March
March introduced to me, in a small dose, the life of a road warrior. It also was an excting time as my family prepared for my brother’s upcoming wedding. The month was filled with bridal showers and a bachelorette party for my wonderful sister-in-law. The warmer temperatures of March, also brought out a new side of homeownership, yard work. I spent a good portion of the month preparing my yard and garden beds for spring and summer.
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dirt tired: a condition that occurs after spending all day in the garden. 🌺 #HelloSpring
April
April was a thrilling month with lots of new adventures. Taking advantage of trip to Chattanooga for work, I spent some time exploring all that Lookout Mountain had to offer. A spontaneous weekend to Gulf Shores with my boyfriend’s family was also the perfect R&R dose I needed after my first spring travel season. During this month, I was also voted in as Vice President of the local alumni chapter for Alabama. It is a huge honor to serve in this role, and I absolutely love getting to be a part of this organization. The biggest celebration of April took place on April 28th when my baby brother married the love of his life in Birmingham, AL and it was quite the party!
May
May brought with it a slower tempo to life. The busyness of travel season had passed and the quieter summer months were yet to come. Taking advantage of three day weekend, my boyfriend I traveled to Warm Springs, GA for a weekend getaway. Having driven past the exit on the halway probably a hundred times, I was excited to see what this historic, sleepy town had to offer.
View this post on Instagramwhen you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. // fdr · · · vest: @cozibearboutique
June
June was all about new discoveries. I kicked off the month by being a tourist in my own hometown with a food tour of Marietta with Marietta Food Tours. The new discoveries trend continued when my mom and I decided to spend a girl’s weekend in Rome, GA, and we discovered this city has so much to offer.
July
The month of July continued May and June’s themes of quiet and new discoveries. For the most part, I spent the month finishing up home projects and working. I did have the chance to head back to Tuscaloosa for the annual Alumni Workshop. I love any excuse to visit this city. I also was whisked off to Charleston to start of the birthday festivites by my boyfriend. This city is absolutely one of my favorites, and I enjoyed showing him around and discovering places that have been on my list for a while.
August
Yay for my birthday month! This year I celebrated the big three-oh! Last year, I set some goals I wanted to accomplish before I hit this big benchmark birthday and I was pretty proud that I accomplished most of them. I spent pretty much the whole month celebrating my birthday and getting back into the swing of travel season with the start of the new school year.
September to November
The words I would use to describe the months of September to November are exhasting and busy. I spent the majority of these months traveling all over the state of Georgia and most of Florida with work. I got to check out some fun hole-in-the wall restaurants, explore adorable small towns, check out new wineries and hike some fun trails all in between driving all over the place.
The biggest highlight of this time period was getting to check off my 17th country: Ireland. My family spent a week exploring the country in celebration of my parent’s 35th wedding anniversary and their 60th birthdays, my 30th birthday, and my brother’s marriage. With a rich Irish heritage on my father’s side, it was a blast to see where our family started.
December
December is always one of my favorite months with the holidays, and this year was no different. It started off my dad and I witnessing Alabama defeat Georgia in another game for the SEC Championship. This month also brought about two opportunities for Southern Exhilaration. The first was with the Marietta Visitors Bureau for the annual Marietta Pilgrimage and the second was a trip to Kinston, NC to do a feature on Mother Earth Motor Lodge. I aboslutely loved getting to close the year out with these two opportunities and seeing the hard work I put in this space pay off.
Thank you 2018 for being a year to remember, and I cannot wait to see what 2019 has in store for myself and Southern Exhilaration.
View this post on InstagramThank you for being a part of 2018. Stay tuned for some exciting happenings in 2019! #2018bestnine
