Hi there! I really enjoyed my 2013 recap last year, so I wanted to come back and do it again this year. I just went back to read it and have to say, it was kind of sad in some parts! It’s so crazy to see how much things have changed since then. Let’s review!

Love Life

It’s safe to say that this has probably been the biggest (and best!) change in my life over the past year. RM and I had just ended things around Christmas/New Years last year so that definitely weighed heavily on me at this time a year ago. Luckily, we both shaped up, he lost his edge, I let my guard down and look where we are now: in a very loving, happy, wonderful relationship! I’d be lying if I said that, even though the change was awesome, it wasn’t a tough adjustment for me. I was so used to living on my own, being on my own schedule, packing my schedule with whatever I felt like doing that it took (and is still taking!) some time to get used to being in a “we” or “us” schedule. I’m still finding my groove, but it gets easier to find the balance each day and as I look back, I have him to thank for so many of my happy 2014 memories <3. Can’t wait to see what this year has in store for us.

Work

Ahhh this was another big change for me, one that was much harder than I thought it would have been! Between the new commute of driving instead of taking the T, working in the suburbs, learning a new role/position/company and getting to know new coworkers, a job change is tough! At the beginning, you need to constantly be on your A game and my head was spinning with all the new knowledge and people and roles. As I’ve recently hit my 6 month mark, I’m just starting to feel like I’m settling in. Getting used to a much earlier work day and having to pack everything up the night before when going to RM’s has also been a challenge- I am so tired of packing up all my meals, snacks, work clothes, workout clothes, teaching stuff, etc. But, the job was the right job for me to pick and I am very happy with my decision!

Friends

What a year it’s been for my friends! Jess had her little baby girl, Nora, Sheila got married, Christy had her sweet baby girl, Olivia, Zeke, Tucker and Julian turned 1, my friend Rachel is pregnant, Meredith, Athena and Nikia are engaged… I’m sure I’m missing a lot more, but it’s been an exciting year! I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful friends from all different aspects of my life: home, college, work, gym, blogging. These girls have been there for me during happy moments and sad moments and it’s so nice to know that they will always be there for me!

Family

Per usual, my family has been one of the biggest things I’m thankful for. I’m so lucky to have such loving, fun and supportive parents! I brought RM up to Maine a number of times, we celebrated birthdays, they came down to visit so many times, we went to my cousin’s wedding, and were able to spend Thanksgiving in Maine just the 4 of us. My sister’s boyfriend came for Christmas Eve and then RM came the day after Christmas- I’m pretty sure my parents were bursting with excitement because of this!

Travel

Last year, I went on a few “big” trips, luckily with my main squeeze by my side! We went on our first trip to Miami back in June and had the BEST time. I wasn’t sure I’d like Miami, but I liked it so much I want to go back. We laid by the pool, had cocktails, went for walks, had delicious food… just a great trip all around!

In July, we went to Chicago with Jessi, Chuck and their friends. RM had never been to Chicago so I was excited to show him around. We had some delicious dinners, went on the Architecture tour again, walked around a lot and got to visit with JP!

We also spent a few weekends down at the Cape- for the 4th of July4th of July, another weekend in August and then in October for the Oyster Fest. We are hoping to get down for a full week this coming summer.

 

Teaching/Working out

Again, this is another area of my life that had a lot of changes over the past year. I started teaching at a new gym– my first ever morning class and I LOVED it! At the beginning of the year, some weeks I was teaching 5 classes between my Monday, Wednesday, Thursday double and Saturday. As I started to get more serious with RM, I realized I just couldn’t do everything anymore, and even more than that, I didn’t want to! I wanted to be spending my time with him, not teaching a million classes, so even though it was hard because I love teaching so much, I knew that in order to stay sane and not get burned out, I needed to drop some classes. I opted to give up my Thursday double because let’s be honest- gearing up mentally and physically to teach 2 intense classes back to back after a full day of work is TOUGH. My Monday gym ended up closing so I am now only teaching 1-2 classes a week, unless I sub. I have been talking with an awesome boxing studio and am on their sub list, with the plans of getting my own class there soon, which I’m REALLY excited about!!

Regarding my own workouts, I have to say that I’ve had such a great mental shift in terms of what constitutes a workout, rest days, working to overcome my workout addiction. I no longer feel like I need to workout every.single.day. I no longer feel like I need to be at the gym for 1-2 hours. I no longer feel like I need to go “balls to the wall” every day. I no longer feel like I can work through injuries. And, on top of that, I have just given myself a freaking break on weeks where the workouts just aren’t there the way I like them to be. Because you know what? In a month, I won’t even remember my ‘light’ week of workouts or a week where I only worked out 3-4 times. I’m looking more at the big picture and it’s fantastic. I’ve also increased my weights and become more defined and stronger and can’t wait to increase that this year!

Burpees to Bubbly

Where to start, where to start! This year has been fun- I feel like I’ve gotten into a better groove in my nearly 2 years off blogging. I’ve hosted a few challenges and even a giveaway. I had the chance to try out ClassPass, as well as a number of different workouts and events. I’ve gotten to meet so many great bloggers (Caroline, Sarah, Sherri) and been able to get my name out there more as well.

However, even with all that said, at this point, I am still working on figuring out how I want to blog going forward. While I enjoyed my “schedule” of posts for a while, I’ve just been feeling a bit bored sharing my workouts every week and my weekend recaps and just the general content of the blog. I want to get more into workout videos and short, HIIT style workouts that I think you’ll enjoy. I want to share more of the recipe and kitchen things that RM and I have been doing, including making yogurt, making almond milk and things like that. I want to write less “fluff” posts and more posts about topics that inspire me, frustrate me or that I find interesting. I just feel like since Burpees to Bubbly is nearly 2 years old, it’s time to put a little more TLC into it, so be on the lookout for some changes!

Clearly, 2014 was a year of some wonderful changes and memories in all aspects of my life. I feel that I am in a really good spot moving into 2015 and am so excited to see what the year has in store for me. We are going to dinner at Post 390 tonight and may end up ringing in the New Year back in East Boston, which I wouldn’t be terribly upset about 😉

Cheers to a fantastic 2014, friends and a bigger cheers to an even better 2015! I hope you all have a happy and safe night! Thanks for all your love and support- bring it on 2015!