Hi friends! Can you believe that today is New Years Eve? Yah, me neither. Wow! 2015 flew by & I’m not going to lie, even though the year had a million highs, it had it’s share of lows as well. 2015 was a year of adapting. We settled in our new home in Michigan, new jobs, new state, new lifestyle, new everything. That was hard. I had so many moments where I missed our old life in North Carolina, our friends, our home, the state we fell in love with, the memories, everything. It’s been a hard year with adjusting to our new life & trying to not let missing our old life get in the way. We have created a new life here in Michigan that has been blossoming into another part of our amazing journey together, & God has really been showing us that this is where He wants us. Two other low moments of 2015 were losing two of our babies. We now have six babies in heaven with the Lord & we know that this is the plan for us, but those goodbyes are never easy. I was so busy this year with so many things that I feel like as I type this it’s the first moment I actually realized that we lost two babies this year & how hard that really was. One good thing that came out of that? We discovered some awesome doctors here in Michigan that have provided such great care that we were not receiving in North Carolina. Another reason why I know He put us here. There were so many highs with my job like flying to LA with Marshalls for an interior design shoot, working with some amazing companies, being in People magazine along with some other great prints. I couldn’t be happier with the growth & how far I have come in my dream job. Another big one is that I am opening up a store with two amazing people I look up to & even though it’s opening up in 2016 [14 days!! See our grand opening page [here]], the idea was born in 2015 & that was amazing. We were all in a place in life that we were uncomfortable in, not living up to our fullest potential, & being held down & not being encouraged to be our best & we said that we couldn’t do it anymore. We knew that we wanted to do amazing things, we wanted to make a difference, & we wanted to spread our wings… so the store, The Found Cottage, was born. The Found Cottage has made this last part of 2015 so crazy & busy, but I know that it will make 2016 amazing. So, that brings me to my word for 2016…

Authenticity.

As I was driving home from the new store tonight I was on the phone with Jose chatting about 2015 ending & he randomly said the word authenticity. It stopped me in my tracks. There were a lot of things that happened in 2015 that I won’t discuss on here, but they were hard times & I think they could have been less hard if I had stood up for my beliefs, stood up for myself, & really made decisions that were authentic to what I love. One of my qualities that I want to address & change in 2016 is my need to please everyone & to put everyone before myself. WAIT, before you think I’m a terrible person for saying it’s a bad thing to put others before myself.. it’s also one of my good qualities that I want to keep, BUT I think I do it to a fault where it damages my life, puts me in bad situations, doesn’t benefit my family, & stops me from being authentic to myself. I found myself in a few situations in 2015 that were uncomfortable & unhealthy. If I were being authentic to myself in those moments I would have left before things got bad, but I wanted to be nice & I wanted to benefit the other parties so I stayed. I was unhappy, I was being taken for granted, & I was not focusing on things that were important to me. I finally removed myself, but I was mad at myself. I was wondering why I let it go on for so long & I was wondering why I still felt guilty for leaving the situation when it was clearly justified. Jose said it in one word. I wasn’t, & still am not, being authentic. I was putting others before my beliefs & being loyal to things that I shouldn’t have been loyal to. In 2015 my biggest lesson was to walk away from something that I know is wrong & forgive myself & others even when it’s not asked for. In 2016 I want to be firm in my beliefs. I want to stand tall knowing that I am being honest with my Savior, myself, & others. I want to know my family is benefiting from every move that I make. I want to commit my work to God always. I want to be able to lay in bed every night & be proud of myself knowing that I was authentic with myself even if it’s not the easy path to take. I want to lift others up & encourage others. I want to do what I love everyday. I want to be proud of myself in the way I handle my achievements & my mistakes. I want to grow. I want to be authentic in every move I make. 2016 Here I come.

I want to live with authenticity in 2016. I truly hope that 2016 is amazing for every single one of you. I hope that whatever happened in 2015, good or bad, helps you be a better you in the new year & that you grow from it all. I also hope that you all feel the confidence & loyalty to yourself to be authentic in everything that you do. Happy New Year friends. Thank you for an amazing year here on the blog, thank you for always making me want to share what I love, thank you for lifting me up and encouraging me through the good & the bad, & thank you for making me feel like I can be my authentic self. Cheers to 2016! What is your word of the year? Share it with me in the comments below, find me on Facebook, or chat with me on Instagram. xx

Ephesians 2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

See my best blog posts from 2015 [click here]

The best rustic winter decor [click here]

The best winter decor [click here]