2019 Recap
Yosemite National Park, CA
2019 Recap: Why I Was Unemployed for 6 Months
Dec. 31, 2019
What an EXCITING year! :)
Although cliche, I enjoy this time of year. Reflection has always been a significant part in how I honor my personal growth through accountability -- it’s almost therapeutic for me! If you can relate and are just as obsessed with numbers as I am -- keep on reading!
64 photoshoots
5 weddings
1 proposal
18 flights
9 road trips
20 hikes
2 countries
14 states
16 National Parks
14 out of 17 travel vlogs
… and 1 engagement ring! :)
Did I honor my New Year’s Resolution for 2019?
I am STOKED to say that I was able to make traveling a HUGE priority this year. I not only checked off the three travel goals listed above, but I went WAY beyond them too!
14 states: Washington, Oregon (x2), California (x2), Idaho, Arizona (x2), Utah, Texas (x2), New Mexico, Colorado, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii (Oahu and the Big Island), Maryland, and Washington D.C.
16 National Parks: Olympic, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Saguaro, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, Hawaii Volcanoes, Rocky Mountain, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, and Redwood
I could spend days writing about each adventure and lesson that I encountered this year, but to sum it up, here’s 2019 in a nutshell :)
2019 consisted of:
getting ENGAGED,
adjusting to Lucas’ military DEPLOYMENT,
MOVING out of Seattle to be closer to family,
quitting my 9-5 job to TAKE A BREAK from working full-time (and to plan the wedding!),
starting my NATIONAL PARK BUCKETLIST,
Sherbert turned 1! - CAT MOM,
picked up NEW HOBBIES like kickboxing and launching my travel blog/vlogs,
& of course, the continued development of my passion for PHOTOGRAPHY with the support that you all have blessed me with (THANK YOU!)
While 2018 was about LEARNING + GROWTH (which will always be something I prioritize!),
2019 was about INTENTION + SLOWING DOWN.
I could not be happier with how life treated me this past year!
It’s so easy to fall into society’s norm of “hustling” through your career -- to put your head down and work as efficiently as possible to earn a lot of money because "money makes the world go round." This could even lead to working at ANY job that pays with ZERO purpose.
Although earning money is a very responsible thing to do, I learned that it also wouldn’t be the end of the world to slow down by taking breaks when necessary, as long as you plan accordingly. Saving money has been a skill that I’ve acquired thanks to my parents’ guidance, so after deciding to move out of Seattle back in June, I made the decision to be unemployed (some friends would say FUNemployed haha) for the rest of 2019. There were many reasons why, but the big ones were that I wanted to adjust to Lucas’ deployment, adjust to moving to a different city, put a lot of time and energy into planning our wedding (we didn’t hire a wedding planner!), travel a TON with my open schedule, and invest in my photography! Taking 6 months off was the best decision I could have made for my mental health, and enhanced my quality of life immensely during the difficult obstacles that 2019 had me face.
Would I always recommend quitting your job for 6 months when you’re feeling burnt out? No lol! However, depending on the circumstances, breaks can be extremely beneficial to personal growth. You simply can’t pour from an empty cup, even if society pressures you to stay at a preset timeline created by those whose timelines are not your own.
Annnd that's a wrap!
I can happily say that I have spent the last couple weeks of December interviewing at jobs that I’m excited about. Now that I’m feeling refreshed, I’m continuing to live my life with intention and to only put my energy into things that I care about and that can give me a genuine sense of purpose. I’ll talk more about this tomorrow in my 2020 New Year’s Resolution blog post -- so be sure to check-in tomorrow! :)
2019 brought more blessings than I would’ve imagined! I am STOKED to see what 2020 will bring me next year.
Cheers to 2019!
Gen
