February already?! I can’t tell if January seemed to fly by or if it stuck around forever! I’m gonna go with a mix of the two. A few months ago I was jotting down thoughts & goals for 2018 and I decided that I really wanted to go back to my “roots” a bit on my blog. My blog originally started as a way to document my life & share things I liked, so I made a goal to be more personal on here this year. In an effort to do that, I’ve started incorporating different content in my posts. I will still be sharing outfits, but my life doesn’t revolve around clothes and neither should my blog.
Anyways, I thought it would be fun to do a monthly recap each month of 2018 and chat about my monthly favorites, what I’ve been up to and things of a more personal nature.
JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS
We rang in the new year by taking a little staycation to the place where we got married! We planned on having a low key New Year and had reservations at one of our favorite local restaurants. On the 31st Nick woke me up and told me to pack a bag because we were having a staycation at Proximity Hotel! We had a great night grabbing dinner & then meeting up with friends for drinks afterwards to ring in the new year.
Once we returned home on the 1st, we went into cleaning & purging mode. I wanted to start the new year off fresh and organized…with fewer “things.” It always feels so good to donate gently used items & I try to do that at least once every few months.
We also booked our delayed honeymoon! If you recall, our honeymoon was a bit of a shit show, pardon my language. Between travel bans to Mexico & hurricanes in the Caribbean we decided to postpone our honeymoon for a bit. Looking back, I’m glad we did because I got super sick the week after our wedding and I would’ve been miserable if I was out of the country. We booked our honeymoon at the beginning of January & I am so excited to head somewhere warm at the beginning of May!
On January 18th we celebrated Charlie’s “gotcha” day! I adopted Charlie FIVE years ago. In case you don’t know the story, I graduated college in May 2012 and moved to my first apartment in November. Since I lived alone I was really wanting a companion. As luck would have it, Charlie (and two other kittens) were available for adoption at the vet where we take our family pets. He stole my heart from the very beginning & adopting him was the best decision. I seriously cannot imagine my life without him. A few months ago we found out he’s part tuxedo cat (which we knew) and part Maine Coon. We couldn’t stop laughing when we discovered it because it answered SO many questions about his quirks and his weight. He’s about 20 pounds and basically acts like a dog. He knows how to sit, he begs for food, and loves to cuddle.
HOME
As I mentioned above, it was nice to start out the new year with a clean & organized home. We made a trip to Crate & Barrel mid-month to grab a few things we needed and we ended up purchasing some really great frames for our wedding photos!
This year we really want to update our bedroom. Our nightstands and dresser aren’t the best and we would really like to upgrade to something of better quality that’s also more functional than what we have now.
BOOKS I READ THIS MONTH
I have read seven books this month. I normally don’t read this many, but this month I had more free time (and a few snow days!) You can see my reading list & reviews HERE. I’ll be sharing the seven books I read on the blog in a few weeks.
WHAT I PURCHASED
I’ve been trying to curb my spending a bit. I force myself to ask the question “Do I actually need it?” before I purchase and it’s helped out a lot!
Frames for our wedding photos.
These over the knee boots that I’ve been wanting forever!
This bag that’ll be great for spring & summer. It’s the dupe of a popular one & only a fraction of the price.
This candle. It smells SO similar to the Capri Blue Volcano candle and it’s only $11!
TRAVEL
This month was nice because there wasn’t any travel. While I love to travel it can really take a toll on you- so I was happy to have a travel-free weekend.
FITNESS
I started BBG (Bikini Body Guide) this month. I’m in the middle of week three and I am really enjoying it! While I really liked the other workouts I was doing, I started feeling a bit complacent and wasn’t seeing the results in the areas I wanted to, so I took the plunge with BBG. It is SO hard. I sweat like crazy every time I do it and my body has basically been sore since I started it, but I like that feeling! I can see small changes already, so I can’t wait to see the 12 week changes. Is anyone else doing BBG?!
FAVORITE BLOG POSTS ON LIFE WITH EMILY
I always love the beginning of the year because it’s full of recaps & goal setting. As both a blogger and blog reader I always enjoy these type of posts. I’ve also shared a lot about our wedding this month, so those were some favorites too! A few of my favorites:
2017 Highlights
Best of Beauty 2017
Wedding Day Highlights Part I
Wedding Day Highlights Part II
Our Wedding Day | Getting Ready
FAVORITE POSTS I READ THIS MONTH
Bloggers, The Free Shit & Entitlement | My friend Dana hit the nail on the head with this post!
Wilmington Travel Guide | Alicia’s guide to Wilmington made me wanna go back ASAP! Both of Nick’s sisters live there and my sister will be attending UNCW next year so we have plenty of excuses to go 😉
Tips For Working From A Coffee Shop When You’re Self Employed | Yes to all of this. Working from home has it’s perks, but sometimes you’ve gotta get out!
Money Saving Apps & Tricks | Because who doesn’t wanna save more money?!
CURRENT FAVORITES ON REPEAT
- BEAUTY: This face wash. It’s been a favorite of mine for years!
- CLOTHING: My go-to turtleneck sweater.
- TV SHOWS: This Is Us. Yes, I’m like the last person on the planet to start this show. And yes it’s awesome. I love it & it reminds me so much of my love of Parenthood.
- PODCAST: I posted about my favorite podcasts recently, but I’m currently listening to season one of Accused.
Thanks so much for stopping by! This was fun, I hope y’all enjoyed it! XO
I love that you’re going back to your blogging roots, I’ve been following you for so many years! I enjoy reading the more personal posts and this new format is great!
I’ve been thinking about adopting a cat for a while now, and you just solidified my decision! It’s just a matter of finding the right one 🙂
BBG is SO hard, I did it for a couple of weeks last year, and definitely noticed a difference.
Olga
http://www.littlethingsolga.com
Thank you for being such a loyal follower, Olga! I really appreciate your comment and love that you have taken notice of the new content! 🙂
And so happy to hear you’re thinking of adopting a cat! I’m so glad I did it! Believe me, there are times that he can be a little brat haha especially when he was a kitten, but it’s all worth it! Let me know if you do end up adopting!
I’m one week ahead of you with BBG and though it gets easier it also gets harder I feel like. I can make it through more reps now but then of course I’m just as tired and sore. But, like you, I’m seeing small changes and feeling SO great!
I love this round up! I really want to start BBG. I’ve heard amazing things about the program!
Liz
Such a fun recap post. Love the Proximity hotel!
Such a great recap! I need to check out those books, they sounds like good reading!!
XOXO
Cathy
I also wanted to chime in and say how much I also love these kinds of post, much like the ones from your early blogging days! I love having a peek into people’s days 🙂 Looks like newlywed life is treating you well, friend!
By the way, loved all your podcast recommendations in your prior post– hitting the road tomorrow and definitely downloading a few of your recs! 🙂
xoxo
Ryann
Aww Ryann, I really appreciate your comment! So funny how far blogging has come and how much has changed. Sometimes I TOTALLY miss the old days… so I’m glad I’m going back to that in a way!
So happy to hear you liked that post! Hope you enjoy some of those podcasts on your trip!
I love this idea of having a monthly recap! It’s so much fun to get to know the people behind the blogs we love. Thanks for sharing! xo
Jamaria |
Totally agree Jamaria! Thanks so much for stopping by! XO
What a fun month!!! I hope you guys have great time on your postponed honeymoon! 🙂
Thank you Liz! We are counting down the days and can not wait! XO
Love that you’re going back to your “roots” and sharing a more personal side with your readers! This was such a fun post to read. And THANK YOU for sharing that post of mine — it was one of my favorites to write, and I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
xx
Dana
The Champagne Edit
Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Dana! And I LOVED that post you wrote! XO
Awe! Love the idea of going back to your roots 🙂
Xx,
Lauren |
Hi Lovely Emily, It was so nice reading your post! I find it really interesting that you did a recap of January highlights and I loooved the idea! This is the first time reading a post like this, I also liked your writing style! You sound so sweet and delicate!
Loved this post! I always count on your book reviews because we have such similar taste. 🙂 And I love that you linked your favorite blog posts from others!
loved reading about your month gf! I need to buy that candle asap!
xo!
Shelby
Emily! Thank you so, so much for including me friend — I am loving this roundup! I also spent January trying (and kind of failing) at purging things, you’ve inspired me to get back on track for February!
What a cute (and HUGE) kitty! So glad your year is off to a great start!
January seemed to be a real busy month for you. And omg how cute is Charlie!
LOve this recap!! 2018 is going to be a fun year!
I am hoping to update my bedroom too! Can’t wait to see what you do with yours!