Entering the roaring twenties

Hello everybody and a happy new year!!!

I just wanted to start this off by apologizing to you, and saying how disappointed I am with myself for not being able to do my goal for this website which was to write two blogs a month.  I’ve only missed three posts really, but these last two months have been packed with work and the holidays that I felt like I never exactly had the time to sit down and just talk (where I write and kind of force you to read them-sort of way) with all of you guys. But, it’s a fresh start so I will still try and do my goal and share some of my personal experiences and maybe even more if I could get myself to do it.

For right now, I just wanted to say “Happy New Year” to everybody. How was your 2019? The last year has been one of the best years of my life, I have gone through so many unforgettable experiences, happy memories, amazing opportunities, perfect timings, and many great and important life lessons. It was a year of independence for me. A year of getting things done, and finally allowing happiness to come in. I’m honestly not sure why a lot of people hated 2019 and wanted to get it over with so quickly, but of course, I’m also excited for 2020!

I meant to post a “highlights” reel of my year on Instagram because that’s what everyone has been doing recently, but I somehow feel that nobody in there really cares about what I want to share so much. Is it weird that I feel more personally connected towards a whole lot more strangers that follow this blog?

Anyway, here are some of the best (and the worst) parts of my 2019…

This was the year my little nephew finally started to talk in complete sentences and have full conversations with me. Facetiming him after work is what I always looked forward to every single day!

Moving into my studio apartment and decorating it and filling it with furniture has brought me so much happiness.

This year I had to take a sick day off of work, something I never do because of my dental surgery. The surgery itself and the healing process was one of the worst experiences I’ve had in the year, and I’m just extremely happy I never have to deal with something like that ever again!

2019 was a big year of travel for me, I think I was able to go somewhere almost every month. I had to stay put and behave my little tushy in November and December because I ran out of vacation days, and work became extremely busy in those months. You guys were able to #findgizel in three different countries, seven different states, and probably at least fifteen different towns and cities. I’m not sure how I can one-up that this year.

I did not have a lot of lows this year, but last Dec 12 I was told that my very first dog Oreo has passed away. The pain from that loss was very unexpected for me. I used to have a huge fear of dogs and I wasn’t very attached to all the pets we had at home, but learning of her death devastated me. She was the very first dog I personally owned and raised from when she was a puppy to when she became a mommy. I still choke up every time I think about it but I just try to see it in a way that she’s lived a long and happy almost 12 years of life.

One of the best things for me this year is sharing this blog with all of you. I never expected the immensely positive response I got from my friends and family and even strangers from all over the world. Thank you for allowing me this platform to express myself and for showing genuine interest in my life, my travels, and my advice. I promise to try my best to keep up with it and grow more for you and with you.

A few more highlights of 2019:

2019 has been great. There are the obvious ups and downs but I’m not complaining. I’m excited about the roaring twenties and what’s in store for me. If this next year is anything like my last, I’d be very grateful. I can’t wait to start this new decade!

xx Gizel