As the World Rambles On: December Edition
Written by Callie, Kenzie, and Brenna
It’s January 1, 2019! Happy New Year everyone! We’re gonna start off this year with a good ole fashion life update from last month and to 2018 as a whole. Enjoy!
Callie
Oh, December, you’ve been a month. As you’ll read in Kenzie’s section, I also spent WAY too much money this month. But I can’t help it, I love giving gifts! And also Jason’s birthday was this month so add that to all the people I got gifts for Christmas.
On the job front this month was pretty stressful. Remember that virtual assistant business I started over the summer? Well it had been going decently well, and then two clients had to drop me, and I only picked up one new client. So that’s not going well. BUT I have an interview for a “real” job in January and I am so excited for it and hope that I get it. Y’all seriously need to pray for me/keep me in your thoughts/whatever you do to send good vibes because I desperately need this job. And it would be a great one because I would still be able to keep LPC as a side hustle and I really want to keep that going!
I participated in a total of 5 Christmases, four of which were with Jason’s family. And while it was super fun and I wanted to be there for all of those I did miss being with my family quite a bit. Especially because the day after Christmas we learned some not so great news about our mom’s health. And if you can only pray/send good vibes for one aspect of my life please forget about my job and throw all your energy into her!
Oh, December, you’ve been a month. And 2019 is gonna hit hard. Of course first we have to get Brenna married (so freaking close)! And then I’ve got another friend’s bachelorette party that I have to plan and then her wedding at the end of March. And then one last wedding on, get this, mine and Jason’s one year anniversary. We’ve got tickets to see Anastasia again, this time in Texas, and plans for doing a bit of traveling, and some more styled shoots so make sure to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of this post so that you’re caught up on all the happenings!
So let’s just wrap up 2018 real fast. It’s been a great year overall, I got married, totaled my car, bought a car, bought a house, gave Bas all the loves, made phone calls without second guessing anything (that’s a huge accomplishment, I hate calling people on the phone), and overall I feel like I grew up quite a bit this year. A lot changed in my life in 2018 and I generally am very opposed to change but I’m beginning to learn that maybe it’s not always bad.
P.S. we have this stupid goal of getting 500 followers on Instagram and we only need 50 more to get there! If you feel so inclined, please give us a follow and maybe share our page with a friend or two, maybe they need a little R&R in their life too? Thanks for the continued love and support!
Kenzie
So I feel like 2018 was kind of a transitional year for me. I was figuring out a little bit about relationships and work and what I want to do and my overall place in this world. I had a bit of a crisis and bought an old school Volkswagen Van (darn thing is still in the shop) and I am very happy to say I’m finally with someone who makes me truly happy. Thanks, Tinder.
Here he is with our cat, Bagheera. Precious.
My friends and family stayed the same which I am always always grateful for. I know I can always count on them (my parents, Callie, Brenna, and best friend Claire) to stick with me through anything and give me advice, whether I want to hear it or not. They’re the real MVPs for not hating me through all this transience.
In terms of December, it was pretty wild. There was a lot going on - Decembers are always busy - and I’m still feeling overwhelmed. I cried a lot, I laughed some, and I disassociated quite a bit which is my way of dealing with things when it all gets to be too much - unhealthy, I know. I shopped and spent a lot of money in December which comes along with the holidays but - SPOILER - it’s something I’m going to try to be better about in 2019. I also did my first ever escape room with work friends and then another with family and it was pretty fun. Brad, my main squeeze, also got us tickets to see Beauty and the Beast at Theater Under the Stars which was my first visit. And then Christmas was Christmas: busy, fun, slightly stressful, sometimes relaxing.
One major thing is that we got some pretty somber news regarding our mom’s health. We are trying to stay hopeful and move things along as quickly as possible but if y’all could keep her in your thoughts and prayers, we would be so so grateful. She is the absolute best mother and deserves all the health and happiness.
On December 30, I left for a long-haul road trip with my best friend, Claire (remember her?) all the way to Tucson, AZ. We’ll be staying here in Tucson through the third before heading back to the real world. A blog about our travels will come sometime in the near future (fingers crossed).
In 2019, I’m looking forward to some things and dreading others but I’m starting to feel like I am strong enough to take things on again. I was pretty beaten down for some of 2018, but I’m back, baby. Well, mostly. I’ll be sharing more things to come on our Thursday post so be sure to come back and check that out!
I’d like to end by sharing these photos of Boo and Milo (because they’re cute and I love portrait mode) as well as a quick thank you to all of you that read our blog. It is little and very personal to us and we really appreciate the support and love from all of you <3 (Pssst tell your friends about us :))
Brenna
For me, December went by really quick. I mean I blinked and it was over. Like Callie, I had multiple Christmases to attend and lots of presents to give. So I guess you could say December came like a thief, stealing my time and just about all my money. We buckled down this month in terms of wedding stuff and got a lot knocked out which was nice because it’s less we have to worry about these next 11 days. Which is insane to even fathom. I had two of the most beautiful bridal showers with all of my people and I’ve honestly never felt more loved.
JT and I went to the most precious wedding in Dripping Springs before Christmas to see old friends tie the knot. It’s crazy how small the world is because the groom is someone I’ve known almost my whole life and JT’s golf buddy from college. We had so much fun celebrating the new Massengales!
For those of you who don’t know, JT and I aren’t living together until after we are married. Our parents taught us growing up that you don’t live together before you are married so out of respect for them we are still following that rule. I had my eye on a cute apartment complex that my friend Chesney and Scott live at so we signed a lease there. If you haven’t figured this out yet, when I see something I like and my gut agrees, I go with it. We picked up the keys on the 29th and have been slowly moving stuff in. Shout out to my mom and JT’s fam for all of the help because there has been a lot of stuff. My goal is to have everything all situated so when we come back from the honeymoon we can just settle right in. Our kitchen is huge and has an unbelievable amount of storage and I am so excited to start cooking and baking. Wifey stuff and all that.
I stuck to my healthy eating goals up until Christmas and kind of fell off the wagon because #christmassweets but I’m back on track now that the holidays are finally over. I love how good food makes me feel and I wish I would have had more self control but life is about learning and I know what I need to do differently now.
Callie, Kenzie and I went to this traveling interactive photo exhibit in Houston called TFTI that we were probably way too hyped about because it ended up being SUPER busy and VERY hot. However we took some cute pics and wound up having fun being weird to make the other blogger babes and teenagers feel awkward. So really, it wasn’t that much of a let down.
2018 was not my favorite. This definitely wasn’t my year or the best year or whatever it was for anyone else out there. However, I think you could say this was “my year to learn A LOT”. God really taught me how to show grace over perfection and I shed a lot of tears because I was stubborn and resisted change A LOT. I learned that I am much better at helping than I am at accepting help and that things will never go how I plan them. So for 2019, my one plan is to roll with things as they come. I’m the co-captain here and ultimately its not up to me and the plans I have cooked up in my brain.
Because of Orangetheory, I learned that I can do anything for one minute and my head will always be the first to tell me otherwise. I am capable of running three miles without walking and the rower isn’t the enemy. I have made some amazing OTF buddies who are constantly there pushing me do more and go further. I feel so much better now than I did at the beginning of the year.
I feel negative for saying 2018 was a tough year for me so I want y’all to know that for every hard thing I faced, there were at least three good things to counter it. I did a lot this year and got a lot closer with my tribe of friends and that’s what matters the most. I’m ready for you 2019! I’m ready to see what’s in store for the three of us and our little blog. I’m praying it’s even better than it was last year and I’m looking forward to whatever comes our way!