I haven’t blogged in a while and I am sorry. This whole blogging thing isn’t that easy. I want to make sure what I say is relatable and relevant. It is also rather hard to focus on during the holiday season. I found myself consumed with stress this year. Stressed to get the right present for my friends and family. Stressed to not spend more money than I had. Stressed to spend enough time with my family and friends. I was so busy stressing I found myself losing sight of what was important. I am lucky to have so many people to buy for and spend time with during the holidays. Some people are not that fortunate.

After stressing from Christmas was the whirlwind of a week that leads to New Years eve. Now here we all are in 2018. It is the time of all the new years resolutions and new year new me posts. While I think it is nice to see people aspiring to be better but shouldn’t that be something you do everyday? This year I am myself, not a “new me.” I am Madelyn, I will continue to grow, to change, and to try to be a better version of the person I was yesterday. I set goals for myself this past year that came midway through the year. They won’t change because the year changed. They will be accomplished in time and new ones will be set.

2017 was not the best year. It was a year of more lows than highs. I learned a lot about who I was as I entered my late 20’s. I learned about what it means to truly appreciate what you have. It was a year of loss and hard lessons. A year of frustration with my health. While it was a hard season in my life, beautiful memories, revelations, and adventures came from it. I can not be more excited to say goodbye to 2017 and welcome 2018. So here is to a year of new. New adventures, new experiences, new goals and new blogs.