It is hard to believe that 2015 ends today, and 2016 starts tomorrow. A part of me still thinks it’s 2006, only with less awkwardness and less 15-year-old drama. Then I remember how glad I am that it’s no longer 2006.

While any day could technically be a clean slate, I really like the mental fresh start of a new year and the opportunity to reflect on the past year. I’ve gathered some of my thoughts to share with you today, and am looking forward to hearing your insights about the past year and what’s to come in 2016.

I’ll be ringing in the New Year with some of my best friends in DC, and you can bet your bottom dollar we’ll all go around the room and say our high and low for 2015. Feel free to leave yours in the comments below, and have a safe + happy New Years Eve! xx

WINTER // 

• Kicking off 2015 in Charleston with three of my best friends and my cousin and her fiancé was perfect. The city was gorgeous, the weather was warm, and the good times were abundant. Note to self: go on a New Years Eve trip again next year!
• My roommate and I have lived in our apartment for nearly two years now, and 2015 was really the year I feel like it stopped being a college apartment and turned into a “real person” apartment. Perhaps the biggest impetus of that was our gallery wall, which has since grown dramatically!
• I wrote one of my all-time favorite posts, and Hallie, one of my all-time favorite bloggers featured it on her weekly link love round up.
• I started grad school last January, and the first few weeks were definitely an adjustment. I had to learn how to balance work, school, blogging, and my social life. I’ve really enjoyed the classes and getting to meet others with similar academic and professional interests. It’s hard for me to believe I am halfway done!

SPRING //

• I FINALLY finished my mardi gras beads champagne art after working on it for nearly 11 months. My friends were definitely relieved they no longer had to cut beads off strands at my pregames.
• Seeing A Touch of Teal turn one and knowing how far I’ve come since then still amazes me! I started blogging as a creative outlet, and it’s brought me so much more than that—business experience, new friends, and new experiences
• Monica and I showed you how to dress for rainy days in this really fun springtime shoot.
• Perhaps one of the largest (literally) collaborations to-date which my friends still get a kick out of of: riding around town with Pure City Cycles.

SUMMER // 

• Without a doubt, one of the best trips I took this year was to the 2015 Southern Blog Society Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. Three days in one of my favorite cities with some of my favorite people? Sign me up. The collaborations to come out of it were also so rewarding! To name a few: Kendra Scott, Vera Bradley, and Hallmark.
• My family memories were digitized and I was able to watch my parent’s wedding video for the first time. I got a kick out of seeing all my aunts and uncles in their younger years.
• I bought my first jumpsuit ever, proceeded to wear it at any opportunity, and featured it in one of my favorite outfit posts.
• I dealt with some boy drama this year—though who didn’t?!—and while I opt to keep that side of my life off the blog, a conversation with a dear friend lead me to write my favorite post to-date: On Finding Happiness.
• My family went on a week-long beach trip to Ocean Isle, North Carolina, and I decided I need to be better at vacationing.

FALL // 

• Collaborating with IZZE for not only one, but two drink recipes as part of my holiday content was definitely a dream come true. The best part? My Aunt had all the sangria supplies on-hand for Christmas dinner so we could enjoy it together.
• I can finally cross Texas off my bucket list! Visiting Dallas with Monica, eating In-N-Out, and experiencing authentic Tex Mex was a true highlight of 2015.
• I finally wore white after Labor Day.
• My roommate and I hosted our annual holiday cookie exchange. Looking around the room at all the wonderful people in our life was truly a grounding moment and real highlight.
• Through Carpe DC Food Tours, I was able to eat my way through unfamiliar neighborhoods in my own city.
• I served as a bridesmaid in a wedding for the first time ever. Considering there are already three weddings on the books for 2016, I have a feeling this won’t be the last!
• I turned 25, and have not yet had a quarter life crisis.

2016 GOALS //

• Fail faster. I want to learn to let go of people, ideas, and things when they are no longer a positive influence in my life, and do so much faster than I did this year.
• Finish grad school. If I ever try to enroll in school again, please stop me. Wink. 
• Say yes more. To new people. To new experiences. To things that scare me. (Can you tell I’m reading Shonda’s Year of Yes?)
• Exercise more. Eat healthier. No post is complete without a cliche y’all!
• Be present. I need to work on not always having my phone out and wanting to snapchat everything. If you see me with my phone out, slap me.