Out with the old, in with the new

Well 2017 is coming to a close and soon it will be 2018, and it will take me at least a month to get the date right when I write it. This year has seen a lot of great things as well as some not so great. I'm only going to dwell on the good in this blog post, we get plenty of the bad with other news and social media outlets. 

So what did I celebrate this past year?

This year the hubs and I finally got to go on our honeymoon to beautiful Mexico. This is seriously one of my favorite places to visit. And after being together for almost 14 years, two of those married, we got to enjoy a week on the beach. It was amazing, though it reminded me of how much I would love to move away from the cold and live somewhere warm, but that's not in the cards. Oh well. I guess it makes me appreciate it even more when we get to visit.

We got to watch our best friends get married. I even got to shoot their wedding. It was amazing watching the two of them start this new journey together. 

I got to watch my LO grow and develop into quite the little lady. She'll be two soon, but you'd think she was ready for college some days. I am so happy to have my LO in my life. She has made things different, but in an amazing way. 

I got back in the swing of things and did a show. It was a total bust and I only broke even, but it got me out there thinking about my business again. I needed that. 

And speaking of getting back into the swing of things. This year made me really look at my business. I decided to stop acting like it was a hobby and start treating it like a full fledged business. I started doing SEO research and listening to business podcasts. I started taking all aspects of it a lot more serious then I ever had in the past. And I have seen a great improvement in my numbers. Now if only I would have done this 10 years ago when I first opened my online shop. But I don't have time for what ifs. 

This was a pretty good year for me personally. And I'm hoping to just make it better next year. I going to focus on my business with the goal of being able to do it full time so I can spend more time with my family. I am also going to be focusing on more things I like and not what the masses like. I know that sounds crazy, but why make things for an over saturated market, when I could easily fill a niche that no one has captured. And it will make me happier making things I love, so there is that. I'm also going to continue working on my photography. The more I practice the better I will become. 

I hope everyone else can look back and reflect on both the struggles and accomplishments of the year. Let's all make next year amazing! And don't forget to shop small. Because shopping small isn't just paying artists. It's giving them the ability to spend more time with there families. It's helping them make rent this month and putting groceries on the table. It makes them do a little happy dance every time a sale is made, and trust me, we all do a happy dance. 

Here's to 2017. Now on to 2018!