2013 obsessions

2013 was quite the year for me. If 2012 was the year of transition (getting laid off, job searching, house hunting, quarter-life crisis), then 2013 was the year of putting down roots. Although this year was filled with a lot of major life changes, they were steps towards settling down rather than uncertainty. I found myself at the end of 2013 just feeling more comfortable in my own skin and confident in where I am in life. Now that 2014 is here, I'm not anxious about the future; I'm excited. For now, I'm taking a look back at the highlights from my crazy & amazing 2013, both personally and on the blog.

IN REAL LIFE
1. Buying a house. In February 2013, we became first time homeowners. Talk about a life changing moment, right? We threw a housewarming party in May and were blessed by our loved ones coming to celebrate our new house with us. Now that we are coming up on one year of being in our little home, we can't believe how lucky we are to have found the right place for us in such a short amount of time. It's more than just a house; it's the setting of our life journey for the next chapter of our story.

Husband & I at our housewarming party
2. Travelling to Berlin. In April, I flew to Germany to visit my sister who was studying abroad in Berlin. I had the most incredible time and got to see so much of Berlin. I was thankful to have my little sister as a tour guide and together we had a lot of fun adventures exploring the city. My family on my mom's side immigrated to America from Germany, so the trip was satisfying on more than one level. If you are ever looking for somewhere to travel in Europe, I highly recommend Berlin!

Sister & I in front of the Berlin Wall
3. Adopting a puppy. Oh, Chewie. This little puppy has turned our lives upside down ever since we adopted him from a local shelter in May. I am not ashamed to say that I am a crazy dog mom and I love this dog an insane amount. We love being puppy parents and I'm now an even bigger advocate for pet adoption! Our little monster turned 1 this year and has provided us with a lot of laughs, cuddles, and fun memories already.

4. Two year wedding anniversary. We spent our two year wedding anniversary this June in San Diego and had a lovely time reminiscing about our wedding day and all the days since then. Marriage is still the best ride I've ever been on, and I love being my husband's wife more and more each day.

5. New job opportunities. My husband and I both got new jobs pretty recently and we really enjoy them. To be honest, this is the first job I've had that I actually like. It's a miracle! We've both had a lot of "professional transition" over the past few years, but in these new positions we feel happier and more fulfilled than we have in awhile. I'm more hopeful and confident than ever that I'm on the right path towards a satisfying professional life.

6. Finding a church. After searching for a church since before we got married two years ago, my husband and I finally found a faith community where we finally feel like we might belong. It's no easy thing to find a church where you can grow in your faith and grow as a person. We haven't been there long, but for now we are fully committed to investing in this church and seeing where it takes us in our faith journey.

ON THE BLOG

2013 marked two years that I've been blogging at All Things Beautiful! I know my blogging habits have been erratic lately, but I'm still committed to making this a place where I can share what I'm learning about marriage, faith, growing up, and the pursuit of happiness. I want to keep writing boldly and truthfully about the things I love and the things I believe in. Thank you to every single person who reads All Things Beautiful! I truly appreciate it and am still amazed that anyone besides my husband reads this little old blog. You guys make this whole blogging thing even better than I could have imagined and I'm going to keep trying my best to give you all the best content possible.
In 2013, I launched three new series: Married to A..., The Happiness Profiles, and My Happiness Project. Each one has been so much fun and are true blog highlights for me. I also had the wonderful opportunity to guest post on the following blogs: Grace Biskie, Integrated Memoirs, The Baking Yogi, and A Beautiful Mess. I've loved the increased interaction I've been able to have with other amazing bloggers and I continue to enjoy my little blogging community! Some other blogging highlights from 2013: attending and writing about two Macy's fashion events (here and here), two thoughtful gift guides for the holidays (here and here), Beyonce, bacon, and my message to girls everywhere.
After becoming obsessed with Twitter in 2012, I decided that 2013 was the year I would jump on the Instagram and Pinterest bandwagons. I'm absolutely addicted to Instagram and slowly figuring out Pinterest. It's fun to connect with friends and other bloggers across different social media platforms.
And now, here are the top All Things Beautiful posts from 2013! I'm so proud of each of these (even the ones that weren't written by me!).
5 Most Popular Posts of 2013
5. race, reality, and television's diversity problem 4. breaking all the (modesty) rules 3. married to a Type B personality 2. i'm listening 1. married to an introvert
2013 wasn't perfect. But it was a good one and I'm thankful for it all. Even through the difficult times, I feel healthier, happier, and more inspired than I've been in a long time. I've taken so many life lessons from 2013, and I only hope that 2014 provides more of the same.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!