A Touch of Teal

1.22.22

96 Hours in Charleston + Mount Pleasant

Editor’s Note: I’ve also written about Charleston a few other places on the blog that might be helpful to read if you’re planning a trip to CHS:

So let me just preface this post by saying, I was not supposed to be in Charleston for New Year’s Eve. Long story short, those plans fell through because of the pandemic—and since my one of best friends and favorite travel partner, Emma, was supposed to come along for said plans, when they fell through, we immediately started working on our Plan B. Given the holiday, we were priced out of a lot of options, but when we could both find flights for around $300 from our respective cities to Charleston, it was a no brainer. Charleston is one of my all-time favorite places, and no matter how many times I’ve been, I’ll never complain about the opportunity to go back—plus, there’s enough in the Holy City to explore that I never feel like I’m taking the same trip twice. I would absolutely love to live there one day—there is nothing quite like the Lowcountry life.

Getting out of town for this trip was just what the doctor ordered. As I’ve mentioned, at the end of last year, I was at the end of my rope. So many things about this trip just felt like divine intervention. I know this trip was meant to be, and so many things about it just unfolded perfectly—I know God was looking out for me. I truly don’t think I’ve ever been on such a restorative trip. Between the amazing weather—I was able to wear sandals on January 1, the amazing food and drink, and the amazing charm of Charleston, it was just so much FUN.

We flew into town on Wednesday morning and I stayed until Saturday evening—it was the perfect amount of time and let’s just say, quite the reality check to land back in DC to snow two days later. I’m excited to recap this amazing trip below as we did so many new-to-me things that I am excited to share with you today!
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home decor

1.20.22

Jenn Thatcher ‘Black Jack’ Painting

While my apartment is still very much a work in progress, and I will definitely shoot a full apartment tour at some point, I also want to take you inside little updates I make to my home along the way.

Over the past couple of years, I fell in love with Jenn Thatcher’s ‘Black Jack’ paintings. As soon as I saw one on Instagram, the Baader Meinhof phenomenon took over for me, and I saw them everywhere. I had this blank wall in a hallway in my apartment, and it’s actually one of the first things you see when you walk in. I was looking for the perfect piece of art to hang here, and decided it would be the perfect spot for a Black Jack of my own.

(Since all the ‘Black Jacks’ are original works of art, I can’t link to the one I own—but this three circle one is really similar! You can shop the whole collection here, and she regularly adds new pieces, so if you don’t see one that speaks to you, definitely check back!)

personal notes

1.12.22 2

My 2022 Goals

I saw this tweet that basically says last week was onboarding, and 2022 actually starts this week—and I so relate to that sentiment, especially because I only worked two days last week! But during “onboarding week,” while I wasn’t necessarily the most productive since I was still on PTO for the majority of it, I did spend a lot of time thinking about my goals for the year ahead.

Last year, I didn’t set any goals that I shared here on the blog—but my biggest goal heading into the year that I didn’t share publicly was to get promoted at work. Other than that, I didn’t really have any big goals for the year—especially given there was still a lot of uncertainty about the course of the pandemic at that time. (Hopefully, when I write this post next year, that won’t be the case!) I earned my promotion in July, and spent the back half of the year working on the biggest work project of my entire life. It was really rewarding, but all-consuming, and I know that lifestyle isn’t sustainable for me for the long term. At the end of the year, I was really burnt out and my life was out of balance.

As such, I knew going into 2022, I wanted to be a little more intentional about where my energy and time are going. I was texting with an old friend this week and I told her the vibe I want for this year is more fun, less fucks. I will always care a lot about work and will still do my best, but I don’t want work to be at the expense of other things going on in my life anymore—especially my physical and mental health.

Given all that, I wanted to share a few of my 2022 goals + priorities for the year. Like last year, I have a few I am going to keep private for now—but maybe I’ll share one day when they are a reality. I have a good feeling about the year ahead!