2018 Reflections & 2019 Resolutions

To say that 2018 was the most challenging year of my life thus far would be an understatement. Let me put out a disclaimer right now--I know I am very fortunate and my struggles are INCREDIBLY small in the grand scheme of things but in my 29 years, 2018 was a tougher one.

The year started out rocky with my company that I had been with almost 4 years being acquired by another. I moved into a new role with the new company and had no idea how that was going to go. After getting adjusted to that change, everything was shaken up yet again with the news that Steven was offered the opportunity of a lifetime in Boston. Within a couple of months we picked up our lives, put half of our house in storage (aka my parent's basement) and moved to New England in July.

The city was/is definitely picturesque especially while the weather was averaging 70 degrees and sunny with no humidity but the adjustment was (and still is) hard. Going from living in a house in the most suburban of suburbs to living in an apartment just three transit stops away from downtown Boston was definitely a lifestyle change. Aside from that, being 9 hours away from my parents and almost 16 hours away from Steven's family was an even bigger change.

I went from having a great team of co-workers and friends at work to miserably working from home with no human interaction to finally deciding to give up my familiar job for something new and exciting in the city that would get me out of our apartment. Basically 2018 was filled with life change after life change.

If I were to sum it up in one phrase it would be "Don't get too comfortable."

Well that definitely sounds like a lot of complaining but don't get me wrong, 2018 was a great year. As hard as it has been, I think the change of pace was necessary. It got me, the most routine-driven person ever, to get out of my routine and get out of my comfort zone. It has challenged me emotionally and intellectually, and no matter where we end up after this, I will always remember 2018 as a pivotal year in my life. It was also a GREAT year for Steven. He completed his PhD program and all of that hard work paid off when he was offered a fellowship with Mass General and Harvard. To say that I am proud, would also be an incredible understatement.  

So what now? Where will 2019 take the Roberts family?

Honestly...I don't know. I know that we have at least one more year left in Boston and at the end of the year we don't know if we will stay or pick up and move on to a new location. While it's kind of unsettling for me to not know exactly where we will be "growing our roots" I'm just trying to stay focused on the journey and the "adventure" of living in this new, unfamiliar city. If you haven't read this post already by Kathleen, from Carrie Bradshaw Lied, I highly recommend! Her situation is almost identical to mine so it really spoke to me but I think it's an important message for everyone.

Things that I do know about 2019...
--We will FINALLY be traveling more in 2019. With Steven finally being done with school and working a somewhat more "normal" schedule that actually allows for vacation time, we're hoping to get a few good trips under our belt this year. Right now we're in the process of booking a trip for our 2 year wedding anniversary in April/May. We're deciding between a trip to Ireland, a combo trip of London/Scotland, or Paris & the South of France. I'm also hoping to do even more local trips to different New England towns. There is so much within driving distance from Boston and we are so excited to continue exploring. We'll likely be making more regular trips to the Cape and I'm also hoping that in fall/winter we can go somewhere tropical like the Bahamas or Mexico.
--My career is going to be a huge focus this year. I started my new job in November with a great team and a great company. It's an amazing opportunity all around to be more strategic and to hopefully make big impacts at an organization.
--I'm going to continue to step out of my comfort zone whether that be exploring new places, trying new things, and meeting new people. I want to take advantage of this "personal growth opportunity."
--I'm going to continue with the blog and I really want to continue to focus on documenting the things we're doing and experiencing in Boston. It has been so fun to look back at all of the fun things we've done since we moved here and I hope y'all have enjoyed following along.
--We want to hike more. I know that may sound like a stupid resolution but we enjoy being out in nature so much and Toby (our fur baby) LOVES it too.
--I really want to save up for a new camera and enroll in some photography classes. From the blog, I've learned that I really enjoy the photography aspect and want to learn more!
--One of the biggest goals for 2019 (which may end up being pushed to 2020 depending) is starting the process of buying our first home. We have been saving and have been feverishly flipping through Zillow and Realtor.com but we're not fully ready to commit to staying in Boston yet. If we decide to leave Boston after Steven's fellowship, we won't be buying until 2020 but if we decide to stay, we hopefully will find something in 2019. Regardless, we know we want to buy soonish so we at least want to meet with a lender to see what our options are and to get their advice!

I hope y'all enjoyed this post--sorry it was such a long one! Thank you so much for continuing to read. I appreciate every one of you and my little corner of the internet so much!