2019 Year in Review
2019 was a year!! It was the first year I set intentions for myself, and boy did it make a difference! I always set goals for myself, but this was different. Thanks to Renee Roaming (if you don’t know her, she’s an amazing photographer and my inspiration for life), I wrote a letter to the universe. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is a form of manifestation. I wrote a letter last December dated 12/31/2019 talking about all of the things I completed in 2019. I wrote it as if everything had already happened, so it was in the past tense. It was weird to do at first, but I ended up pouring my heart into it. Since I recently read the letter, I thought I would share my year with you and review the good and the not so good.
The Good
When I wrote the letter to the universe, I was shooting for the stars. And you know what, I didn’t care if I didn’t hit all or any of my goals. It was nice to write down on paper what really mattered to me and what I truly wanted to work towards. Out of my 10 goals, I accomplished 9! So the goals I thought were potentially unrealistic weren’t! If that isn’t motivating, I don’t know what is!
Alex and I bought a house. We have been saving for quite some time and really wanted to purchase a house in 2019. BUT THAT DANG MARKET!! It is CRAZY. One day a house would be on the market, and the next, it would be off. It was a very stressful time. We were having a hard time finding a house that felt like home. We worked with a realtor for 2 months before we found a home that we liked. We show up at the open house, and… there are A MILLION other people. We put in the best offer we could, and unfortunately, the sellers accepted another. We were super bummed. The great thing about the crazy market is we found out our offer wasn’t accepted the day after we submitted it, so we didn’t have to wait to hear the news. We were back on the hunt once again the following week.
It took us another month to find a house we liked. It was a bit out of our price range, so we disregarded it. A week later, it was still on the market and was having a second open house. Literally, a half-hour before the end of the open house, I was like, screw it. Alex was at a photography event, so I went with our parents. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I was like YUP, this is it. I finally felt that feeling I was looking for. The next day, we had a private showing with Alex, and he loved it just as much! We put in an offer and the game began. She countered, we countered, she countered again, we went back to our original counter. It was stressful!! She sat on the offer for almost 48 hours before getting back to us. We were at a restaurant with friends celebrating my birthday when we got the call that our offer was accepted!!! Six months later, we are fully moved in and loving our life here.
Alex and I welcomed a baby into our life. As soon as we moved in, we knew we wanted to start a family. No, not kids. A puppy!!! We welcomed the cutest pup in the universe into our lives- Meadow! She has been the most incredible pup. Yes, she has her crazy moments that frustrate us, but at the end of the day, she is amazing. We love our little fam!
I hiked 11 4,000 footers. This year was the year of 10-mile hikes. The hikes this year pushed me mentally and physically but in a good way! I completed more hikes than I intended to because New England offered some incredible fall weather that I could not pass up. I also completed my first solo hike!
Alex and I traveled to Florida, Canada, and Utah. We try to travel to Florida each year and visit Alex’s parents. This was the first year we were able to spend an entire week which was AMAZING. We were in full vacay mode. Sunshine, boat rides, strawberry daiquiris, and sunsets. It was the perfect week to unwind.
photo by alex iby
In the spring, we traveled to Quebec for four days. Alex had previously visited the city, but it was my first time. Old Quebec is beyond beautiful. I am a sucker for old architecture, so I was in heaven in the old city. We didn’t have specific plans, so our time was spent strolling through the beautiful streets. It was a great mini getaway!
In the summer, we traveled to Utah to explore all five national parks. It was an amazing trip! Each of the national parks was unique and beautiful in their own way. And the sunsets… They were some of the most beautiful we had seen! Arches National Park was our favorite park of the trip! It was our first taste of the desert and dang, was it beautiful! Canyonlands National Park had one of the most beautiful sunsets of the trip. We hiked a mile to an incredible location overlooking the canyon and watched the golden light create a breathtaking view. Capitol Reef National Park surprised us with beautiful views and fun hikes. The park is definitely underrated and offers more than what is talked about. Bryce Canyon National Park was the land of the hoodoos. It reminded us that the earth creates beautiful things. Zion National Park was the park we most looked forward to, and it did not disappoint! Even though many of the trails we wanted to hike were closed due to damage, we still had an incredible time. And the stars… OH MY GOODNESS. I have never seen so many stars in my life! Utah was an awesome experience, and we were happy to explore five national parks!
I had a lot of personal growth. When I graduated from college, I was in a very bad headspace. I felt sad, angry, lost, and confused. I held onto those emotions for years before realizing I needed to snap out of it. I realized if I didn’t put action into changing my life, nothing would change. Coming into 2019, I wanted to focus on loving myself, being more present, and not being hard on myself. Sitting here in December 2019, I can honestly tell you that I love the person I have become. Yes, I still have my dark moments, but I have come SO far this year. Although I can still be hard on myself, I have become my biggest cheerleader. I am so proud of how far I have come!
I had an incredible moment of clarity. I burned out this year which I talk about below, but it led me to have an incredible moment of clarity. Long story short, I decided to watch a random video that showed up on my Youtube feed, and it changed everything. I had not cried like that in so long. Yes, I cry, but not like I did while watching this video. I don’t know how it happened, but this mental block I had struggled against for so long finally lifted. I felt every emotion you could ever feel, and it was overwhelming. I finally had this vision of what I wanted and what was important to me. For the first time, I could see clearly. I know that sounds cliche and weird, but it’s hard to explain. It was the most incredible moment I experienced in 2019 and was the turning point this year.
The Not So Good
I was inspired by Renee Roaming to be real and share the good AND the bad because let’s be honest… we all have lows. Social media portrays life as if it’s all rainbows and butterflies, so it is important to be honest and real. No one has a perfect life, including me!
I burned out. I burned out quite a few times this year, and it was awful. I felt drained mentally and physically to the point all I wanted to do was sleep. I lost interest in everything because I mentally could not handle anything. The last burnout I had was the worst. I cried A LOT. I felt as if I was falling back into my old dark patterns. Although the burnouts were awful, I am thankful for them. They were sort of necessary for me this year. They made me take a step back and reevaluate what I have been doing.
I stopped dancing. For those of you who don’t know, I have danced my whole life. I even professionally danced as an NBA dancer for the Boston Celtics for a few years. For the past few years, I was dancing in a Boston-based company. Going into this year, I needed to focus on other things, so I, unfortunately, decided to not be a part of the company. It was a difficult decision and I was super bummed about it for a while, but I am thankful I did it. It allowed me to have nights to myself to decompress and focus on me. Dance will always be my passion, and I don’t need to dance every week to fulfill that passion.
My gut is leaky. Girl, say what?! Yes, I have a leaky gut. I did some damage to my body years ago, and I am now feeling the effects of it. My skin has been acting up thanks to the leakage and my digestive system is figuring out how to process everything. Not fun. BUT because of my leaky gut, I have been able to pinpoint allergies (goodbye gluten, dairy, and meat) and reorganize my diet. My brain fog has disappeared, and I have more energy. Next year, my leaky gut will be fixed. That’s the goal.
2020 Here I come
photo by alex iby
2019 has been an eyeopening year. It has taught me to be present, slow down, and breathe. These are things I am packing in my backpack to step into 2020 with. I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle my goals!
Since we are being open and honest here, I thought I would share a few of the things I will be working towards in 2020.
Allocate time to my personal work every week.
Work on my photography and editing skills.
Increase attraction to my brand.
Partner with brands to create content.
Work towards completing the 48 4,000 footers.
Increase the variety of food I eat.
Heal my leaky gut.
I already have some incredible things to look forward to in 2020, too! Here is a tidbit of what is to come:
Alex and I are getting married!
Traveling to a new state and exploring a national park.
Traveling back to one of my favorite places.
Hiking with Meadow!
zion national park
Similar to 2019, 2020 will be a year of growth for me in many ways. I am excited for what is to come and to continue working towards my dream!
Happy New Year!!
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!