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01/30/2019

2018 Year in Review

2018 was a crazy year for me. There were so many highs and lows, but above all – it was filled with so many great memories. I’m thankful to have had another year to grow, and become a better, happier version of myself.

So here are some highlights, memories, and favorite things from 2018!

Traveling

My husband and I visited so many wonderful places in 2018. My favorite vacation of the year though was definitely the 7-day Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas. We went to Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, and Haiti. It was an absolute blast! I will be posting something about it soon, so check back!

Scariest thing I did

Skyrider Zipline Tour on Hunter Mountain (New York). I never really thought I was afraid of heights, but I also had never been dangling by a rope 600 feet above a valley in the mountains before. I was terrified every time I ran off the platform (5 times), but it was so worth it. The experience and views were just so amazing and breathtaking. I would absolutely recommend it.

According to the New York Zipline Canopy Tour’s website the Skyrider Tour description is:

  • Longest, fastest, highest ziplines in North America
  • Scenic chairlift to Summit Lodge for Zipline Pilot training school
  • 5 dual racing ziplines spanning 4.6 miles
  • Up to 3,200 feet long & 600 feet above the valley
  • Reach speeds of up to 50 mph
  • Burma bridge

Reading

My favorite books of the year were Verity by Colleen Hoover and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Check out my post What I Read in 2018 to see all the books I read in 2018!

I finally read the Harry Potter series. I am actually a bit mad at myself that it took me this long to do so because wow are the books better than the movie (surprise, surprise). I want to start the series back over now just to have my mind back at Hogwarts.

Now I really, really want to go back to Harry Potter World.

#Ravenclaw

Watching

I have been obsessed with Vanderpump Rules and Below Deck. I’m not proud of how quickly I binged Below Deck. What can I say, I love me some reality tv.

Cooking

My favorite recipe of the year has been Hummus Alfredo from Half Baked Harvest. Does it taste like alfredo you’d get at Olive Garden? Not quite. But I love the flavor of it. It’s just so creamy and delicious. I usually skip the brocolli and instead add blistered cherry or grape tomatoes.

Also loving Half Baked Harvest’s Chicken Gyros. There is a recipe on her blog for them that is good, but there’s another recipe in the cookbook which is also fantastic.

Half Baked Harvest is one of my favorite food blogs and the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook is my favorite cookbook of the year… and maybe all-time. I’ve loved every single recipe I’ve tried. And it’s not one of those cookbooks that I only want to make 1/4 of the recipes in it. No. I want to make them ALL. I seriously love this cookbook so much, I bought a copy for my best friend too (who also ended up adoring the cookbook!).

Drinking

So I have to add this one in because for black Friday I bought myself a Nespresso machine, and I’m in love. It’s so quick, easy, and delicious. We had a Keurig for a bit, and I mostly just liked the convenience of it but not necessarily the taste of the coffee. But the Nespresso man, mmm. I usually drink a lungo pour with a splash of creamer and cinnamon in the morning, and then a make an iced latte in the afternoon with a bit of milk and Torani Caramel syrup. We also use a french press for coffee, but usually only use it on weekends or days my husband and I are both working from home.

I will be doing a review post about the Nespresso machine that I have, so stay tuned!

Planner

For 2018 I was using a Filofax A5 marble colored planner. I strayed away from it for 2019, but will continue using it just as a notebook – just not as my main planner. It is beautiful though!

My favorite thing of the year

It’s probably cliche, but… my favorite thing of the year was getting to marry my best friend. My husband and I eloped in May of 2018 and every day I think how thankful I am to have this wonderful man in my life.

Goals for 2019

Exercise more.

Post more on the blog.

Use my DSLR more.




Disclosure: This post does contain affiliate links. Stephanie Undecided is a participant in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliate sites. 

Posted In: Lifestyle · Tagged: Lifestyle

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Hey there! I'm so glad you stumbled over to my little piece of the internet. I'm Steph, the coffee obsessed, computer nerd, book loving, mom of 2 behind Steph Blogs.

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I'm Mia Rose. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In malesuada ligula nec elit pretium, sit amet dictum purus tincidunt. Maecenas imperdiet quam eu mollis aliquam sed elit dolor. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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This past year has been a wild one. I feel like I’ve lost myself a little while trying to navigate this amazing new role as a parent. I’ve struggled with postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression. I’ve struggled with taking time for myself without feeling guilty that I should be doing something more. I’ve struggled with remembering what my interests even are because my life now revolves around this beautiful little boy. I’m so thankful for this new chapter in my life, but going forward I’m going to try to add a little more me into it. My goal is to get back into some of the things I love doing and post more in the coming year. 

Some amazing updates from 2021:
1. We welcomed our first baby in May 🌈💙
2. We bought a new house 🏡 and will be moving in December! 

Share some of your big (or little) news in the comments! 🥂
#bookreview 📚 Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness #bookreview 📚 Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness 

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wowww! I thought this was going to be a light, fun read like JVN’s persona on Queer Eye. I was so wrong in all the best ways! This was deep, emotional, heartbreaking, and beautiful mixed with JVN’s usual fun and witty comments. I highly recommend this book.
#CurrentRead Home Before Dark by Riley Sager I'v #CurrentRead Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
 
I've heard so many good things about this book - plus I read Lock Every Door by Riley Sager last year which was fantastic - so I'm really hoping this book lives up to the hype. We're heading into Fall which always makes me want to read some creepy thrillers (even though I'm a big baby that gets scared SO easily). I also talked my husband into reading it with me (!). We rarely read the same books because we typically like different genres but it's always a fun time when we do. I love discussing books with him (the downside being when he shits on a book I love... but i still love him anyway even if he sometimes has poor judgement). 

📖 What are you currently reading?
I have to admit I’ve just been feeling a bit ble I have to admit I’ve just been feeling a bit bleh lately. Anyone else? ⠀⠀
📚 Current read: Crushing It by Lorelei Parker
📺 Current binge: Waco on Netflix ⠀⠀
What are you reading and watching lately? I need some recommendations! ⠀⠀
* This is a throwback picture to one of my favorite cafes last year. Anyone else addicted to everything matcha? Mmm. ⠀⠀
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 #bloggerbabe #bloggergirl #bloggerlife #bloggerlifestyle #bloggerlove #bloggersdiaries #bloggersgetsocial #bloggersofinstagram #bloggerstribe #bloggervibes #bloggingcommunity #bloggercommunity #blogginggals #savvyblogging #girlblogger #blogsociety #cornersofmyworld #darlingdaily #flashesofdelight #seeksimplicity #instagramforsuccess #lifestyleblog #lifestyleblogger #lifestylebloggers #pursuepretty #thatsdarling #enjoythelittlethings #myunicornlife #thatauthenthicfeeling #makeitblissful
#bookreview ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 I decided #bookreview ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I decided to read this book after seeing it be referred to as “the adult Harry Potter”. Harley Merlin starts out much like Harry Potter... a girl who lost her parents as a young child has some extraordinary abilities that she just doesn't fully understand. The big difference... Harley Merlin is an adult. She's currently working at a casino using her abilities as an empath to help catch cheaters. But soon something CRAZY happens and Harley is thrown into the world of magic... a world she had no idea existed. And of course, the big villain is out for none other than new magical Harley Merlin, but things don't always seem to work out in Harley's favor. There's magic, monsters, and covens... what more could you want?

Let me start off by saying, I did enjoy this book and have read up to book 6 in the series already (out of a whomping 17 books in the series!) and will continue reading until I'm bored of it. The first book I think is a bit loose on what is going on. The magical world isn't quite developed yet and there's a lot of questions that need to be answered. A lot of the characters didn't become relatable and likable to me until the 2nd and 3rd books. I find Harley a bit frustrating in the same way I found Harry Potter frustrating (stop trying to be the single-handed hero!). I would recommend this book to Harry Potter lovers, with the disclaimer that it isn't the adult version of HP. It's another book about magic that follows a VERY similar recipe as HP. 
PS. - Someone else please tell me that you think Wade sounds dreamy too..!?
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#goodreadchallenge2020 #2020reads #quarantinereads #quarantineandread #bookishlove #booksbooksbooks #bookstagrammer #bookwormlife #igreads #readersofinstagram #readingismagic #welovebooks #bookrecommendation #bloggerbabe #bloggerlife #bloggersdiaries #bloggervibes #bloggingcommunity #cornersofmyworld #darlingdaily #flashesofdelight  #booklife #instagramforsuccess #prettybooks #booksofig #booksaremagic #mustlovebooks #bookbloggers #readmorebooks
Just reminiscing on visiting cute shops and cafes Just reminiscing on visiting cute shops and cafes 😋 .
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#batchllc #blogandbeyond #alittlebeautyeveryday #dailydoseofcolor #sheisnotlost #supportsmallbusinesses #simplethingsmadebeautiful #darlingdaily #capturequiet #cornersofmyworld
#momentsofmine #abmlifeisbeautiful #lifestyleblogs #bloggingcommunity #bloggercommunity #bloggerdiaries #livethelittlethings #wherenext #abmhappylife #bloggersofinstagram
#instagramforsuccess #blogginggals #bloggersgetsocial #bloggerlove #darlingmoments #makeitblissful #flashesofdelight #makemoments #thewanderingtourist #bloggerstribe
Happy 2nd anniversary to my wonderful husband ❤️. There’s no one else I’d rather quarantine with. .

J and I got engaged on my birthday in March 2018. Soon after we said, "Why wait?" and ran off to get eloped. We were married by a ballroom dance instructor/officiant (that we had called an hour earlier from our driveway) in a tree-lined field behind her dance studio. We road tripped to the Catskill Mountains and spent a long weekend zip lining on the longest & highest zipline in North America (600+ feet off the ground & 50+ mph), eating some of the best food at the Culinary Institute of America & all the other amazing restaurants in the area, and taking in the beautiful scenery of the Catskills. .
** please enjoy this random assortment of pictures because neither of us enjoy getting our picture taken

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