So, woah! Here we are again at the end of another year. It’s been a crazy one for sure! 2015 was an awesome year: I got engaged, got a new job, and made leaps and bounds in my personal growth. (You can read all about 2015 HERE).
2016 was shaping up to be an even better year: Stephen and I were getting MARRIED, I was excited for new opportunities at work, and I was looking forward to even more personal achievements and challenages. Here are some highlights from the past year and what I’ve learned from them:
1. The Wedding: June 18, 2016 was probably one of the best days of my life. The day went off without a hitch and I’m so glad Stephen and I got to commit our lives to each other in front of family and friends AND enjoy a big party afterwards 🙂 The wedding taught me that you can never have too many people that you love all in the same place. You can read about the wedding HERE plus some of my planning tips and tricks,
2. Being Married: Before getting married, so many people told me that marriage was hard because you have to make the constant desicion to love your spouse. For Stephen and I, we haven’t found that to be true (because we already did that!). Maybe that’ll come down the line, but we’ve found that marriage, for us, means we have to look internally and have a self-assessment before attempting to resolve whatever issue we’re having. Yes, this means compromise is a HUGE part of marriage. But, I love being married to Stephen. We have such a fun, silly, honest, and meaningful relationship. I’m so excited for our future.
3. Personal Growth: Ugh, 2016 was a hard year for me and my body image. If you spend time with me, you know that I’m constantly preaching that self-worth and value lies in God and your personal view of yourself. This means that no other person should determine how you feel about your body, goals, dreams, etc. I preach this so heavily because I’m preaching to the choir! I have to remind myself almost daily that I am not who the world says I am. I’ve always dealt with insecurities: my acne might be flaring up, women have told me my body type isn’t “womanly” enough, or I might be comparing my achievements with those around me. But this past year brought an insecurity I’ve never dealt with: my weight. When I moved across the country for college, I think I weighed 85 lbs. Slowly, throughout the past 6 years, I’ve gained weight and was happy with where I was. I had finally “filled out” and was a healthy weight, but for some reason, one day I woke up and thought I weighed too much. For months before the wedding, I worked out 7 days a week, hoping that my image of myself would change. When I made comments in passing, everyone around me said things I wanted to hear “Juana, you look GREAT!” “Juana, you are a skinny Minnie!” “Work out?? You don’t need to lose weight!”. But, for some reason, my body still bothered me. I wasn’t sure where the disconnect was happening and this is still an area I’m trying to figure out. I’m still trying to overcome whatever insecurities come my way, but I’m remembering each step of the way that I’m fearfully and wonderfully made. I’m sticking with making positive and healthy descions for my body, mind, soul!
2016 was a wild ride! It’s not a year I’ll soon forget. But, there are some AWESOME things I’m looking forward to in 2017!
1. My sister’s WEDDING! It’s going to be off the chain and I can’t believe she’s getting married! #WillardYouBeMine
2. Stephen’s and my 1st wedding anniversary. We’re trying to plan a fun getaway! #BlessedToBeBrown
3. Improved self-image.
4. Continued oppurtunities at work and in my personal life.
Here’s to 2017!
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Dreams of Bold 