A Year Full of So Much BLISS

I honestly don’t even know where to start when it comes to this year and the pure bliss I experienced in so many precious moments. “Bliss” was my word for 2023 (more about that here) and it manifested itself in so many ways throughout the year.

Of course it all kicked off with “wedded bliss,” when we had our dream wedding in February and said our vows in front of everyone we love the most. I cannot tell you the pure joy, relief, and gratitude we felt after putting so much work and heart into the whole weekend, and then experiencing it as it exceeded our wildest dreams. In so many ways God was all over it, and it was honestly wild to see how things worked out so perfectly because of His doing.

Then the year was full of so many celebrations that (refreshingly 😂) weren’t about Johnny and me, but about some of our closest friends and family members. Sharing in the bliss that our people had was the very best.

Here were a few major highlights:

Meeting my Christian life coach in person for the first time! / kicking off our wedding week with a pickleball party / my sweet bridesmaids’ luncheon / our rehearsal dinner / our first dance !! / spending a week on our dream honeymoon island / the birth of my best friend’s first baby!! / being MOH in my best friend’s wedding / having our wedding featured / Eras Tour with my sister / weekends in LBI, the Hamptons, and Maine / launching my own clothing rental business / visiting France for a girls’ trip / designing my (first 😉) collection with Lisi Lerch / going to Disney for the first time as an adult

And of course there were low moments too, and I struggled with body issues (weight fluctuations, stubborn acne, and extreme night sweats) as well as my finances as I navigated how to be smarter with money, especially as Johnny and I start planning for the future. I also developed the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my jaw (TMJ), and am still trying to figure that out so I can get back to eating normally.

There were also two fender-benders, one major flood in our apartment, and of course my heart palpitations-inducing anxiety through it all. But looking back now, I feel so grateful that these were all tiny blips in the scheme of things. I always think that if this world was perfect, then why would we ever aspire to go to Heaven?! 😂 Bliss definitely reigned supreme in 2023. Or should I say– no notes.

My Word for 2024

This year I will hopefully be planting my roots for what I want my 30s to be like and beyond– I’m thinking that it will be a huge transitional year for me, so I’m aiming to take a step back from the details I usually find myself wrapped up in, and keep my eye on the bigger picture and on my overarching goals. As I brainstormed with Alexandra, my Christian life coach, on what my dreams and goals for this year would be, words such as “planted,” “rooted,” “mature,” and “develop” were mentioned. We noticed that they all had a nature-related connotation to to them that denoted a lot of care and intention. The word that came up the most however, was “nurture.”

We dedicated one of our calls to brainstorming my word for 2024, and by the time we talked about it next it was blatantly obvious. The word “nurture” encompasses everything I want to accomplish this year, in terms of caring for myself and others and growing/developing both personally and professionally.

The word seamlessly applies to how I categorize my yearly goals, which I broke down into three sections of my life– my family goals, my business goals, and my personal goals (I’ve done my goals like this in years past too and find it easy to structure that way). I really love that I can nurture each of these areas of my life, and encourage development and growth in them.

I also love the idea that the word can apply to not only nurturing and caring for yourself, but someone else as well. I feel like in years past my words of the year have been very self-centered (and for good reason, they are my words of the year after all), but maybe for the first time this word will mostly apply to others outside of myself.

That’s largely why I want my word of the year to be more present in my life than any of my prior words have been, and why I want it to permeate absolutely everything I do and apply to all of my goals. I am aiming to have the word “nurture” act as a filter to prioritize where my care and attention should be going this year.

I’m going to be turning 30, making changes to how I work/relax, and growing up in a lot of ways. I cannot thank you enough for being there through it all and entering this new year and chapter with me. Let me tell you, it’s going to be so good!!

See my 2023 best sellers in this post