2024.
- Jan 2, 2024
- 6 min read
My 2024 mood board
2024 just seems to be that year and I am not the only one who thinks so. It is the year of being a girl. Being a girls girl. Reading cheesy romances. A year of female friendships. Of wine and cheese and rom coms and color and eclectic outfits that are frilly and full of color. Of being silly and not caring. I know this is just another year, but there is something truly special about 2024, I can just feel it in my bones.
I have never been one for new year resolutions or mood boards or setting intentions, but suddenly I am doing all of those things and I am throughly enjoying them. In my 21 years of life, I think the only resolutions I have ever made are a vague "to eat healthy" and my yearly "learn how to ride a bike" (embarrassingly, this has made my 2024 resolution list...again). The thought of creating intentions for the year has never been appealing to me, and the new year has never really sparked any change within me, it's just another day.
2023 brought a lot of new things with it, grief, excitement, independence. I think it has been my best year thus far. Through this year, I have learned a lot about myself and the world around me. Officially being 21 and gaining the freedom that comes with that age has made me come to a halting realization. I am an adult, I will only be getting older, and I am about to start my life. In 2023, I graduated with my undergraduate degree and it wasn't until I was walking across the stage for the first time (rip covid senior year) that I understood that a lot is about to change in my life. I realized that this is what they mean about your twenties. life is constantly changing in this time and you have constant pressures of what are you going to do post grad, where do you want to live, how are you going to pay for this and that, and being the last sibling to not be in a serious relationship (to be fair there's a 6 year age gap there...). You constantly have these thoughts roaming in your head, and it feels like you can never come up for air. This is the first year I experienced my twenties, and it made me dig deeper. I did deep dives of the best books to read when you're in your 20s, I asked advice from friends and family, and I started mapping out what I wanted my 20s to look like. Piece of advice: this is just going to make you EVEN MORE STRESSED!!!! I have always been the go with the flow everything works out the way its meant to type of person, but I spent the entirety of my junior year thinking about senior year and what the hell was I going to do when I graduate. These past few months, my senior fall semester, have taught me the importance of being present. The future is going to come no matter what, time doesn't slow down or go back, it only moves forward. If I am always living in the future, when will I enjoy the now?
I sit here now still stressed about what post-grad will bring me but also excited of the new adventure I am about to embark on. I have explored new avenues and put love into the things I want to cultivate. I've joined a book club and met wonderful women who are in love with life and actively live in their girlhood. I've put effort into my friendships and advocated for myself and my growth. I am living in the present while looking forward to the future and am excited to see where the next nine years of my 20s. For the first time in my life, I am EXCITED for the new year and making the most out of the year. Some of my resolutions are silly girl things, real lifestyle changes, and over all things that just make me happy! I think thats the biggest thing I learned in 2023. Do things that make you HAPPY! "Life is too short and happiness too rare" is a book quote I live by. Life is too short to NOT enjoy it??
In the spirit of being grateful, I want to recap some important moments of 2023. I started off 2023 with a most perfect visit to New York to see my high school best friend Reagan and go to her 500th night at West Point. We got to dress up all nice and then hit the city. High school us would actually cry if they could see us, I think. Sometime in January, I submitted a video to a contest to win a free trip to Egypt and SOMEHOW??? I won????? I found out I won the day before my amazing friends that I met on my first ever EF trip came into town for the best day of the year (gasparilla). I had such a wonderful time hanging out with them and showing them around Tampa! February was pretty uneventful. In March, we started out the first weekend with Dance Marathon where we raised over 1 million dollars for Children's Miracle Network which was actually INSANE. I got to serve as emcee that year, and I had such a blast with GP, Ben, and Maddie. Top experience for sure!! The next week I boarded a plane to Egypt and spent two weeks in the most amazing country with EF Ultimate Break on truly the best trip of my life. I made some lasting friendships as well as adopted some new ideas and culture! April passed and soon it was May and I graduated from FSU with m undergraduate degree! Soon after I hopped on a plane with my cousin Joselle and went to London, Paris, and Rome (with EF duh). In June I got to see Paramore in concert (omg) and I turned 21!!! What a wonderful month. Shortly after my birthday, my grandma passed peacefully surrounded by me, my sister, mom, and her loving husband. This was a really hard thing to cope with, but I know she is in so much more peace than she was here. Losing Nanny has lead to learning more about her and realizing how much of her I carry in myself. I have somehow grown closer to her after her passing and I miss her everyday. As Nanny would want, I continue to live my life to the fullest! The next month I went to Vegas to meet up with my Greece girls to have a reunion 21st birthday party (something we had always said we would do when we were in Greece). In August, I went back to Florida State for my Masters and "senior fall." I have grown in my love of football and have traveled to different states see the Noles play three times this season. The semester would not be complete without a visit to New York! I stayed with Zoe for a night and we went and saw Renee Rapp (we were so close) in Brooklyn and then I took the train to Long Island to stay with Kerry for the weekend! She took me to Connecticut to see the towns Gilmore Girls were based on and then showed me around her hometown! I ended the year at home with my family, enjoying the season by spending time with the ones I love!!
2023 has been a truly enjoyable year and I am so excited to keep living life! So yeah, thats my introspective look at the new year and 2024. Now for the fun stuff! Here is my 24 in 2024 and my ins and outs for the year.
24 in 2024:
Read 100 books & read all of the AGWK book club books
Learn to ride a bike...
Travel to a new continent
Get a job that makes me happy post-grad
Go on a long walk at least once a week
Spend more time with friends
Journal everyday
Call mom and the rest of my family more often
Wear my Invisalign everyday...
Expand my palate
Shop more intentionally (less amazon, more thrifting)
Put myself out there (it's the year of 1st dates!)
Throw more parties!
YEAR OF THE BlOG (duh!)
Buy intentional souvenirs
Establish a good morning routine
Cook more family recipes
Learn how to do eye makeup well
Create and follow a budget
Learn a new craft or hobby
Jump in the ocean more (mermaid year)
Honor Nanny in everything
Spend more time in nature
Live life to the FULLEST! 2024 the plot
2024 Ins and Outs
Ins:
Color
RED WINE
Cutting your own hair
Audiobooks
Library cards
Traveling! (Not just to Europe)
Natural hair
Impulsive hangouts/trips
Deep meaningful friendships
Journaling!
Courting
Signature jewelry
Juicy fragrance
WASHING UR PILLOW CASES 📣
Tomfoolery
Acting your age (be silly)
Arts and crafts
Outs:
Neutrals
Shit talking (not the same as a little goss)
Not going above and beyond for your friends
“Clean” aesthetic
Yucking others yum
Not reading??
Not calling your grandparents
Vodka
In 2024 I look forward to becoming more introspective and worldly. I look forward to living life unapologetically and having FUN. I look forward to pouring into my friendships and the people around me. And above all I look forward to another year lived and loved. Happy 2024 everyone!!!
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