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Since moving back to New England full-time – almost a year ago today – I’ve transitioned my Instagram feed to strictly all things New England.

From seasonal snapshots to historic homes, I always post to Instagram with all New Englanders in mind and the goal to authentically depict New England lifestyle. I‘m really proud of how hard we’ve worked this year and how far my photographer has come. 

While the majority of my audience is on Instagram, I’ve always dedicated a lot of my time to my more personal platform: my blog.

My blog is what started it all! It’s where I like to share, connect with you all, and process what’s not only going on in New England but also what’s going on in my life.

You’ve seen me dancing with balloons and turning twenty-two, eating ice cream and making a mess as I turned twenty-four, and today in my annual birthday post I’m sharing where I’ve been and where I’m at as I hit twenty-five! 

As I reflect on what happened over the last year, one word comes to mind – resilience!

Usually, I take on more than I should and this year was no exception. I tested my limits and was left feeling exhausted. But, now looking back – I feel more resilient than ever. On that note, let me fill you in on some life changes that have brought me to today.

MOVING OUT OF DALLAS: 

 I moved back to Connecticut and it was no easy task. The relocation kicked off twenty-four for me and was by far the best birthday gift because I was itching to get back east. I was so grateful to be back to my roots! However, getting back on a schedule and finding a place to live was and still is a rocky road.

  I spent all of twenty-four working and living out of my parents’ home. While this was a great way to save money, it made me feel unorganized and unsettled. To be honest, I’m currently struggling maintaining a schedule and I’m still not officially moved into my own place.

PURCHASING A HOUSE: 

As soon as I moved back to Connecticut, Matt and I started looking at houses. You can read about our house search and how we pulled the trigger on purchasing our first home in this post!

From putting in bids to getting denied, the process of looking for a home is overwhelming. I enjoyed the home searching process, but Matt did not. Throughout the search, we often butted heads over what kind of home we wanted. I really wanted a historical fixer-upper to call our forever home; Matt wanted a modern turn-key home with a large walkout basement. We compromised with a 1950’s cape in need of fixing – and Matt got his walk-out basement.

MANAGING STRESS WITHIN A RELATIONSHIP: 

From moving halfway across the country, adjusting to living back home with our parents, navigating the home buying process, and tackling a renovation together – all while pursuing very different career goals – it was a stressful year.

Stress is interesting because it can either push you to accomplish your individual and couple goals or it can push you apart. Learning how you face stress and how your partner does is essential to communicating during those trivial times. Matt and I wrote a post together about how to manage stress in a relationship. You can read it here.

TAKING ON A FULL INTERIOR RENOVATION: 

Once we found our house we jumped right into a renovation! We shared our journey on a new Youtube Series called OUR HOUSE, A Story Of A New England Fixer Upper.

We’ll be sharing each space inside our home after a lengthy 7-month renovation. The end is near and I’m excited to finally show you all what we’ve been working on!

With reveals around the corner, make sure you subscribe to our channel!

GROWING PAINS OF A BUSINESS: 

This year I saw my business almost triple in growth.

While some might categorize growth through IG followers – I watched my Instagram following hold steady at 60,000 followers (AMAZING) as my other platforms – YouTube and our blog take off!

With demand for content creation from clients, I spent less time behind the computer and almost all of it behind or in front of a camera.

While growth is essential – it doesn’t come without pains. We started the year off with a graphic designer – who has saved us on many occasions – to now working part-time with a freelancer videographer, copywriter, and photographers.

With new TCC Crew members also comes a new responsibility as manager – from making sure everyone is on task to hoping and often failing to meet personal publishing deadlines, we are still working on getting in a routine and settled. But, we as a crew are resilient and working through the growing pains together!

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE: 

Finally, this year left me asking – what is next?

We are just about done with our home renovation – so what now? Where should we take our Youtube content from here? Should I bring on an employee full-time? What parts of New England should we tackle next?

So much has happened this year, that having my birthday post go live almost two week late sums twenty-four up perfect.

So here’s to twenty-five the year of settling in!

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