There were so many changes that occurred this year. Between starting a new job, moving to a new city, and traveling to new places, I experienced some really exciting things. Below, I'm recapping my year, filled with my top 12 moments of 2018.

#1: FOUND MY CORE GROUP OF FRIENDS

I absolutely love the holidays! It's my favorite time of the year because of all the decor and time spent with my family. Over the years, our family tree has become one of my favorite things. We have ornaments hung that were my great-grandparents' as well as some that we bought this year. It's a true representation of our family and the places we've been and the experiences we've had. In honor of Christmas Eve, I'm sharing our tree, some of my favorite ornaments, and the traditions we've carried on over the years.

Last season, I created a Summer Bucket List that shared at the beginning of fall. I had so much fun recapping the season, that I decided to make one for fall, too. Friday was the first official day of winter, which means it's time to share my complete list!

With Christmas right around the corner, the stress can begin to sink in. If you need to buy some last-minute gifts, why not buy items that will help de-stress? Below are twelve items that any girl needs to help relax.

Next year, my friends and I are planning a trip to Banff and I'm so excited. I'm already starting to think about what I want to bring, which is what inspired today's gift guide. If someone in your life is planning a trip in the great outdoors, below is all the gift inspiration you'll need.

Taking photos is one of my favorite things to do. I love being able to capture moments that will give me lasting memories to look back on. If you have a friend who feels the same way, this guide is perfect for them!

Today is this season's first installment of my Christmas Gift Guides! To start things off, I'm sharing items for your favorite fitness lover. From clothing to post-workout items, this guide is sure to inspire your "workout" shopping.

December 1st marked the start of the most wonderful time of the year - Christmastime! To kick-off the season, my roommates and I threw a Holiday Housewarming Brunch. It was our official welcome to our new neighborhood, as well as a great start to this festive month.

HOLIDAY BRUNCH

We decorated our house to make it as festive as possible. For food, we served two different types of egg casseroles, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal yogurt cups, and streusel muffins. For dessert, I made white chocolate cake pops and hot chocolate-inspired cookies.

COMING UP THIS MONTH

December 1 Holiday Housewarming Brunch
December 5 Spirited Women's NetworkHoliday Party

December 7-9 Canadian Family Visits

December 8 Diageo Holiday Party

December 9 Bible Study Cookie Decorating

December 10 Celebrate Anil's Birthday

December 12 Mitchell Tenpenny Concert

December 15 Gift Mart Volunteering & Friend's Holiday Party

December 16 Roommate Christmas Celebration

December 24 Christmas Eve

December 25 Christmas

December 28 Move my Sister to Charleston

December 31 Celebrate the New Year

Have a very special December!

Today I'm sharing a combination that I love: jewelry and giving back. In honor of Giving Tuesday, I'm sharing 15 companies that do more than just sell fashionable jewelry - they help the world. Below are places that you can purchase beautiful bracelets, necklaces, and more, as well as leave an impact on those in need.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! I hope you're able to spend the day surrounded by those you love. Just as I did last year, I wanted to make sure I set time aside to share what I'm thankful for. 

I'm thankful for my faith. While it can be challenging at times to connect with God in a real and authentic way, I'm continuing to develop my relationship with Him. Knowing that I have the unconditional and overwhelming love of my Savior is something I can never be thankful enough for.

I'm thankful for my family. I am so blessed to have the relationship I have with them. I love spending time with family, whether it's meals, playing games, or just relaxing together. I can tell them anything and I know they'll listen and love me.

I'm thankful for my roommates. Moving to the city was a whole new experience for me, but it was made that much easier thanks to my two roomies. We've been exploring our new city, watching Netflix series, and decorating our new place. I couldn't ask for better ladies to live with.

I'm thankful for my job. I've been in my new role for eight months now and I'm still loving it. I love finding new talent and giving people the chance to join our company. Plus, I have great coworkers and have had so many different opportunities given to me over the past few months. I'm constantly growing and learning, and I couldn't ask for more.

I'm thankful for the little things in my life, too. Puppy snuggles; tv shows; hot tea; soft blankets; trips to new places; nail polish; a good night's sleep; and so much more!

I'm reminded this year that giving thanks should be a year round occurrence. I used to spend time each night talking to God, sharing at least three things I was thankful for that day. Today, I'm sharing 12 Bible verses to remind us to always give thanks to God.

1 Chronicles 29:12-13 "Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name."

Psalm 9:1 "I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works."

Psalm 69:30 "I will praise God's name with song and exalt with thanksgiving."

Psalm 95:2-3 "Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to him in song. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods."

Psalm 100:4 "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name."

Daniel 2:23 "I offer thanks and praise to you, God of my fathers, because you have given me wisdom and power."

2 Corinthians 4:15 "Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God."

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Timothy 4:4-5 "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, since it is sanctified by the word of God and by prayer."

Hebrews 12:28-29 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

Revelation 11:17 "We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign."

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The past two weeks I've been traveling for work for recruitment events. Because of this, I had to opportunity to spend the weekend in Montreal in between meetings. I hadn't explored the city before, so it was really exciting to venture through the different areas. I don't typically travel by myself, so this was a new adventure for me. Everything I did over the weekend is below!

Have a wonderful November, everyone!

Festive food is so fun when celebrating a holiday. For Halloween this year, my roommates and I are hosting a dinner and movie night with friends. I was in charge of dessert, so decided to make candy corn cupcakes. The super-easy-to-make directions are below.

Halloween weekend means dressing up and going out with friends! This year, rather than go on a nighttime boat cruise, we deiced to do a day-time bar crawl. The crawl took place in River North, which is an area of Chicago I haven't explored very much. It was great! So many unique bars, with really different atmospheres. Plus, I got to do a group costume for the first time in years! We decided really last minute to recreate Winnie the Pooh and friends. Creating the looks were so simple. Our crawl recap and directions on how to make your own Winnie costumes are below. (Also, check out the incredible view from my friends' apartment!)

I absolutely love fall fashion. You can throw on a chunky sweater and look super cute, while still being completely comfortable. This year, I'm going to try and step out of my typical fall staples and experiment with some new styles. I put together a complete list of all this season's essentials - some classic, some new - that I'll be trying over the next couple months.

This past weekend, my friends and I hit up the newest Chicago hotspot: Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up.

HOTSPOT: Jack's - A Pumpkin Pop-Up Experience

WHERE: Goose Island

WHAT: A pumpkin wonderland beer garden, complete with a corn maze

Last weekend, a group of friends and I went on a fun getaway to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Every other year, Grand Rapids hosts an international art show called ArtPrize, where artists showcase their work throughout the city. It's such a cool concept! It was basically a walking museum tour filled with unique paintings, sculptures, and interactive art. We spent the weekend exploring the art, tasting wine, and trying new restaurants. 

Our full girls' weekend recap is below!

COMING UP THIS MONTH

October 4 Ed Sheeran Concert

October 6-7 Girls Weekend in Grand Rapids

October 9-11 LinkedIn Talent Connect in Anaheim

October 12-15 Visiting friends in the Bay Area

October 23-25 Work week in Norwalk

October 27 Halloween fun

Have a wonderful October everyone!

September is officially coming to a close, which means it's time to review what I loved this month. From new TV to beauty products, it's all below.

Premiere Month

So many of my shows came back this month! All three Chicago shows, the Good Doctor, the Resident, Big Bang Theory! It's been a great month of TV.

Naked Palette

If you haven't heard, the original Naked palette is being discontinued (I know - so sad!). The benefit - they're currently 50% off! I'm been loving rediscovering the eyeshadow colors in this palette.

Rooftop Bars

A benefit of living in Chicago is all of the cool places to explore. This month, we found some fun rooftop bars with some amazing views!

Express Sales

I may have bought 7 pairs of jeans from Express this month. They had a Labor Day sale where their jeans were 40-50% off, so I took full advantage of it!

Sister Time

I was able to see my sister a lot this month. From being in Urbana for a career fair and her coming down to Naperville, we were able to spend some special quality time together.

Tell me: what did you love this month?

This week, my work brought me to the state of Tennessee. I decided to fly to Nashville a day early to do some exploring on my own. It rained all day, but I had fun! The next two days were spent with two of my colleagues in Knoxville, recruiting students at their career fair. Below is a complete recap of my time spent in the Volunteer State.

Back in June, I started putting together a list of things I wanted to do this summer. Now that summer is coming to a close, I thought it'd be fun to share that list with you. From country concerts to exploring new places in Chicago, I had one hell of a summer.

In my new bedroom, I chose to go outside of my comfort zone and purchase a show-stopping comforter.  I found this Lauren Conrad floral bedspread and fell in love. It quickly became the inspiration for the rest of my bedroom decor. This watercolor florals trend is one of my favorites right now. I love how romantic and girly it is, while also being colorful. Below are some of my favorite ways to incorporate this trend into your home.

Last weekend, my friends and I completed our first Tough Mudder. Back when we signed up in March, we had every intention of training and rocking our race. As it turns out, not one of us trained. That morning, we quickly switched our mentality to "let's go play in the mud." We had a blast! The obstacles were tough, but doable. We did the Half Mudder, which meant 5 miles and 14 obstacles. This is a race that 100% requires teamwork. We were helping pull strangers up, as well as each other.

Have a wonderful September everyone!

August has been so fun! I officially moved to Chicago, which has been amazing. It's been such a blast getting settled into my new home. This month, most of what I've been loving has been moving-related - check below for proof. 

My Apartment

I'm loving my apartment. We're still getting settled, but it's really coming along. We have our bookcases set up, pictures hung, and boxes unpacked. Plus, our neighborhood is the cutest!

Ikea

I bought so much furniture for our apartment at Ikea. Five bookcases, a dresser, dining table and chairs, and kitchen accessories. I love to build furniture, so Ikea is a dream for me.

LC by Lauren Conrad

I went out on a limb and bought a colorful comforter. For the last few years, I've had neutral comforters, but I found this one by Lauren Conrad and fell in love. Bonus - it looks so nice in my room!

Rekindled Friendships

At the beginning of the month, I flew to Portland for a friend's wedding. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was spending time with a high school best friend, Daphne. We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years, but fell right back into our relationship. Absolutely loved catching up with my best friend.

The Sinner

My roommates got me onto this show. We started watching season 2 and I was instantly hooked. Which of course meant I watched season 1 on Netflix almost right away. SO GOOD!

Tell me: what did you love this month?

shield (sheeld) noun a person or thing that protects

Back in April, I resumed my Alphabet Word Study where I look into a word in the bible for each letter. Today, I'm continuing with the letter "s" and the word shield.

We are so lucky to have a God that protects us. Regardless of situation, He is there for us to take shelter in. We've all been through something scary or hurtful; the joy is that God protects us. Through each circumstance, we learn to trust God a little more. There are many verses in the Bible that reference God as our shield, particularly in the book of Psalms. Below are some of my favorites.

Deuteronomy 33:29 "Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights."

2 Samuel 22:31 "As for God, his way is perfect: the Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him."

Psalms 3:3 "But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high."

Psalms 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."

Psalms 33:20 "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our hope and our shield."

Psalms 84:11 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

Psalms 91:4 "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

Psalms 119:114 "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope."

Psalms 144:2 "He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues people under me."

Proverbs 2:7 "He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless."

Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

Ephesians 6:16 "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

To read letters A-R of my alphabet word study, click here.

This past weekend was my move into the city! I've shared why I chose Chicago and today, I'm sharing why I (along with my roommates) chose the neighborhood of Bucktown.

Mojitos are one of my favorite drinks! I love that they're both sweet and refreshing. Today is National Rum Day, so what better day to make a fruity mojito!? Today's recipe will allow you to make a mojito with whatever fruit you'd like. Create the base and add the fruit - simple as that!

For the past few months, I've been feeling really disconnected from God. There was no big moment that separated me; it was a slow progression. I took a break from reading before bed, rarely went to church, and stopped praying as often. I had a moment during my weekly Bible Study where I realized just how far away I felt from my faith. I knew then that I needed to make a change.

For a long time, I've always felt very connected to Christ through music. It's one of my favorite parts of church and also how I experienced my first overwhelming moment with the Holy Spirit. Because of this, I decided the first step I'd make to regain my relationship with God would be through music. I started gathering some of my favorite worship songs and putting them into a playlist. My goal was to listen to it at least twice a week, on my way to work. For the past two months, I've tried really hard to stick to this goal. There's definitely been some weeks where I've missed the two time mark, but overall, I've done pretty well.

The result: I'm feeling more connected to God. There's been something so nice about starting my day praising Him. Not only that, but I'm being encouraged to pray during my worship time, as well. 

The top five songs on my playlist?

Even If by MercyMe

I know You're able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone

One Thing by Hillsong Worship

If only to know You

To be where You are

And go where You lead

My God, I will follow

Air I Breathe by Mat Kearney

You are the air I breathe

You are the song I bleed

You are the war that I can't win

This is my white flag in the wind

Every word you speak

Is the air I breathe

Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave

I see the work of Your hands

Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance oh God

All that You are is so overwhelming

I Am Yours by Lauren Daigle

Let the waters rise

I will stand as the oceans roar

Let the earth shake beneath me

Let the mountains fall

You are God over the storm

And I am Yours

If you're interested in my Morning Worship playlist, follow along on Spotify.

Last month, I flew to Portland for one of my high school best friends' bachelorette parties; this past weekend, I returned to watch her marry her forever love. I had the most amazing weekend, but let me tell you, it was a rough start.

Happy National Watermelon Day! To celebrate, I created a twist on classic sorbet - tasty popsicles. I knew that watermelon would be a sweet flavor, so I wanted to add a little something to the mix; that's how I chose a hint of pineapple. This was my first time making sorbet and let me tell you, it was so simple! And even better, so refreshing. In the kind of heat we've been having lately, refreshing is the best kind of dessert.

Have a wonderful August!

July has been so hot! The humidity in Illinois decided to show itself this month, making it both hot and muggy. It's definitely not something I'm loving this month.

I am, however, loving some other things this July.

CandyCrush

This month, I remembered just how much I love this game. It's relaxing and requires just as much strategy as it does luck.

Tell me: what are you loving this month?

In three weeks, I'm making the move from the suburbs to the city! When I accepted my job offer back in March, I also made the decision to move. I knew that as soon as I had a full time offer, I would move back out of my parents' house, I just wasn't sure where. After much consideration, I decided on Chicago.

Happy National Tequila Day! In honor of the day, I decided to create the most traditional tequila drink - the margarita. I wanted to put a sweet twist on it, so included two of my favorite things: raspberries and lemonade.

Happy Introduction Friday! There have been a lot of new readers these past couple months, so I thought it'd be fun to re-introduce myself. I've always loved the Cosmo quizzes that the magazine does for its cover stars, so that's exactly what I'm doing today!

Last weekend, I traveled to Portland to celebrate one of my best friend's bachelorette parties. I met Kristina in our global studies class our freshmen year of high school. I remember my birthday sophomore year - Kristina wrote me a card and called me her best friend. I was so relieved she said it first. ;) Since high school, we continued to stay close and build our friendship. She went to university in Oregon, where she met her now fiancé. I remember her telling me about him over Christmas break and the incredible date they had. Right then, I knew he was a keeper.

COMING UP THIS MONTH

June 30-July 1: move out of my Urbana apartment

July 4: celebrate the Fourth with friends

July 5-9: celebrate Kristina's Bachelorette Party in Portland

July 9-11: head to headquarters for Diageo's Induction

July 14: go to Chicago to tour my new home
July 21: move a friend into his new apartment
July 28: celebrate a friend's birthday in the city

Along with the above, I have a couple of items on my to-do list:

1. Get back in the routine of reading a devotional before going to sleep.
2. Start packing up my things to move to Chicago.

Bathing suits have stepped their game up this season! Different necklines have emerged, like the off-the-shoulder look - a personal favorite. It gives a little more coverage, while still having that bikini-vibe. The other style that's rocking my world is the one-piece comeback. There's something sexy and underrated about a one-piece. In honor of National Bikini Day, I'm sharing all of my favorite necklines and patterns this season. 

Last year for the Fourth of July, I made berry sangria popsicles. Let me tell you - they were delicious! This year, I'm making the real deal - a very tasty red, white, and berry sangria. Some friends are coming over for a BBQ and I can't wait to serve this for a refreshing pre-fireworks drink.

This month has been a blast! The weather's finally been warm, I've experienced new things with friends, and have been able to see my sister multiple times.

Below is everything I've loved during the month of June.

Shooter & New Girl

I've been watching two very different shows on Netflix this month. I decided to give New Girl another try - so funny. I still find it a little stupid, but it's just so easy to watch. The other show is one I've been watching my parents - Shooter. It's a marine-centric show with Ryan Phillipe; lots of conspiracy and crime. We just started season two and I'm loving it!

The Lake

I spent the weekend at one of my friend's lake houses and was reminded of how much I love being on the lake. When I was younger, a group of us would go every year, so this was a perfect getaway. There's nothing better than floating in the water, riding jet skies, and blasting country music on a pontoon boat.

Blazers

I've started wearing blazers to work to dress up my jeans now that we can wear them everyday. It's something so simple that can take my look from casual to work-appropriate. My current favorite is a pink and purple tweed jacket I inherited from my mom.

My Naperville Friends

I've spent a lot of time with this group this month and I couldn't be happier. I've been reminded countless times just how lucky I am to have met them. It's been four months since I first went skiing with them and am still so blessed they walked into my life.

Bantam Bagels

I've been snacking on Starbuck's new classic bantam bagels a lot in the morning. I mean, can you really go wrong with bagel bites filled with cream cheese?

What have you been loving this month?

This past weekend I went to my first country festival in Chicago - Country LakeShake. A group of us, including my sister and her fiancé, attended all three days. Our weekend was filled with friends, food, and incredible music. Friday, it rained all day, so Northerly Island was quite muddy. It was also supposed to rain that night, so we were decked out in rain jackets. It was definitely a chillier night. Saturday and Sunday were, thankfully, nice and warm. We were able to enjoy the sunshine, play some games, and explore the festival. My favorite day? Sunday! The artists were some of my most played, the company was perfect, and the weather was just right. Below are some photos from the weekend.

This past weekend, a group of friends and I went up to the lake. Between bonfires, card games, and hours in the lake, we had the perfect mini getaway. This weekend reminded me of just how lucky I am to have met this group. Back in February, I never would have guessed that they'd turn into my own little Illinois family. Below is our lake weekend recap.

Last month for Mother's Day, I shared my top nine activities to do with your mom. This month, I'm sharing the Father's Day edition. My plan for Father's Day - take my dad high speed go-kart racing! Not only do we get to spend time together, but we also get to experience something new. Spending time with my dad is always one of my favorite things to do. We love adventuring, as well as just relaxing and talking. I can't wait to race him around the track during the day, and somehow I just know, end our evening with a bonfire. Below are other ideas to celebrate the amazing dad in your life.

Last weekend, I headed to Cancun for a fun girls' weekend away with two of my childhood best friends, Keiko and Shannon, and some of Keiko's high school friends. I love that I'm still so close with girls I've known for 18 years! We were there for only four days, so made the most of being in paradise. From countless hours on the beach to cooling off in the turquoise ocean; pina coladas throughout the day to dressing up for dinner; we had a blast. Our group stayed at the Riu Caribe, which is where we spent most of our time. When Shannon and I booked our rooms, the hotel was sold out, so we ended up staying at their sister resort next door, the Riu Palace Peninsula. Both resorts were all-inclusive, which in my option, is the way to go!

For the past eight years, my friends from college have spent Memorial Day weekend at my parents' house. It started our freshmen year and has continued post-grad, even with me living in Illinois. It's a weekend that we always look forward to - it's our mini-reunion and I always have a blast. This year, I wanted to experience some new things together, so planned a fun itinerary for us. Below is all the exciting things we did.

SATURDAY

The girls arrived in Chicago around lunch. Once home, we dressed up and headed to Mesón Sabika for tapas and sangria.

SUNDAY

We headed to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin! It was one of the hottest days, but we still had a blast. The day started with a champagne brunch cruise on the lake, complete with a mansion tour. We then went to the beach and relaxed in the lake - it was perfect. For dinner, my parents had two of their best friends over, so we all had dinner together. Afterwards, we played shuffleboard and then Phase 10.

MONDAY

My friends had wanted to try Pure Barre, so we went to a morning class. They were surprised at just how difficult it was. For a nice little pick-me-up afterwards, we went to Starbucks and then shopped around downtown Naperville. For dinner, we had a typical Memorial Day BBQ with hamburgers, corn on the cob, and caesar salad. And for dessert - ice cream from Oberweis.

TUESDAY

Emma was accepted into medical school, so to celebrate, my mom decorated the kitchen for her at breakfast. For lunch, I made reservations for us to go to the Emerson Creek Tearoom - it was amazing. The food was delicious, the grounds were rustic and adorable, and the store had some great finds. We also stopped to swing on their swings, which was surprisingly fun. The girls flew home that evening, so we decided to relax before their flight.

I'm already looking forward to next year's Memorial Day weekend with the girls!