Last year, I blogged that 2013 was a year of change for me. If 2013 was the year of change, than 2014 was absolutely the year of growth. I’ve challenged myself more in this past year than ever before, and it has effected me more than I could have ever anticipated. 2014 has been a beautiful year of planning, learning and developing personally and professionally, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what 2015 brings. So without further adieu, here are 15 reasons I’m excited about 2015.
1. Here Comes the Bride
I know, this was on my list of 2014 things I was excited about, but it turns out weddings take a lot more time than I anticipated (who knew?) and we decided the perfect date for our wedding was March 28th, 2015. In a few short months, I will be walking down the aisle at a beautiful 55 acre ranch and finally marrying my best friend. I am certain the infinite amount of hours I have spent on Pinterest and torturing my poor fiancé will result in the best wedding day that ever existed.
2. Golden Birthday
This year will be my “Golden” birthday! In case you’re unfamiliar, a person’s Golden birthday, also referred to as their “Lucky Birthday”, “Champagne Birthday”, or “Star Birthday”, occurs when they turn the age of their birth day. So on January 27th I will be turning 27 years old. I have no doubt that this year will be golden, lucky, and involve a lot of champagne.
3. On a Mission to Rescue All the Dogs
Rescue animal shelters are a charitable cause that are very near and dear to my heart. I have my own sweet rescue pup, Lucy, and if it were up to me, I’d have a house full of lovable hounds in search of a home. But since my fiancé doesn’t really want to own a double digit amount of dogs, I’ve decided to spend my time volunteering with local dog rescues. I’ve started working with The Rescued Dog, a local foster-based rescue right here in San Diego as their social media coordinator. It’s great working with a team of dedicated individuals who are just obsessed with puppy kisses as I am.
4. The Peanut Returns
My baby brother, Dylan, but affectionately known as “Peanut” to me, is graduating from The University of Richmond in Virginia and will be taking a job in San Francisco. I’m so excited to finally have him back in California, which means I’ll be able to see a lot more of him than when he was living on the East Coast. I can’t wait to see the new life he sets up for himself in San Francisco as a bonafide adult.
5. 10 Year Anniversary
I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with WBI in October 2014, but February 2015 holds a much more important holiday for our company. February 1st will be the 10th anniversary of Corey and Casey taking a leap and launching Wright Brothers Inc. Little did they know (actually, knowing them, they probably did know) they would be creating the world’s greatest company and celebrating 10 years later. I can’t wait for the undoubtedly over the top and excessive party Casey is going to plan to celebrate 10 years as a company. Also, the “modern” 10th anniversary gift is diamonds, but I’m just sayin’.
6. New Hobbies
I am what some people refer to as a “hummingbird”. The ability to sit still was not included in my genetic makeup. This past year I really focused on blogging and cooking and had a great time learning along the way. This year I’m going to be joining my soon-to-be husband in one of his favorite hobbies, home brewing. We have quite the set up already in our garage, and I really have taken an interest in the science and creativity that go into each batch of craft beer that is brewed. I am also going to be taking some aromatherapy classes this year to further my interest and obsession with essential oils and their effect on the human body. I’ve built up quite a collection already and I’m looking forward to learning more about how to use them to their fullest potential.
7. WingWire Launch
2015 is going to be a huge year for one of our unique products, WingWire. Our team has been working so hard on creating something beautiful and superb for our users and I have never been more impressed by the talent brought by each individual in our company. I have no doubt 2015 will be the best year yet to showcase everyone’s culminating talents.
8. Mayan Riviera, Here I Come!
This year will mark my first big vacation of my life. For our Honeymoon we will be spending 9 days in Playa del Carmen, in the Mayan Riviera. I’ve never gone on a “luxury” vacation before, and I’m so looking forward to a swim-up suite in our all-inclusive, adults-only resort, complete with a private butler. I am so thrilled to be sharing this experience with my future husband and can’t wait to explore new parts of this world.
9. World Domination
Do you ever have those days where you wake up and just know you are going to slay the day? That’s how I feel about 2015. I spent all of this last year learning and growing, and this is the year I really feel I can reap the benefits of all that hard work. In 2014 I received my degree in Corporate Finance and Sustainability from Harvard Business School and received the “Emerging Generation” award from San Diego Business Journal. Adding these accolades was a great starting block for all of the things I want to achieve both personally and professionally in 2015. In the words of my spirit animal, Beyoncé, “I’m not bossy, I’m the boss”.
10. Happy Birthday, Puppies!
In December 2013 we added a 2nd puppy to our household, a very energetic Australian cattle dog, Pea Eye. This past year has been pure puppy madness between Pea Eye and our rescue lab, Lucy. I’m looking forward to celebrating their 2nd and 3rd birthdays this year, because we absolutely love having dog birthday parties in our family. I’m also hoping that with the addition of some new chickens in our backyard and another 7 (dog) years added, they might start to calm down a bit. But when all is said and done, there’s nothing I enjoy more than being at home with my two crazy hounds.
11. Little Petunia in an Onion Patch and Beyond!
Last year I wrote about my blog, Little Petunia in an Onion Patch and how it had really grown beyond my wildest expectations. This year was no exception and my amount of followers has grown even more, and I’ve expanded beyond just recipes and DIY projects. I’ve been writing a little more on topics that matter to me, personally and professionally, and they have been extremely well received. I’ve been asked to start contributing to several publications, including one of my favorites, Sharp Heels, a career and lifestyle website for professional women. I’ll be contributing with a “millennial” voice and writing on topics that are of interest to professional women of my generation. I’m nervous, but excited to be able to share my voice with these new outlets.
12. WBI Family Growth
Over the summer we added André to our WBI family, and he has just fallen into step so seamlessly with the rest of the team. Every time we find a new team member that shares our core values it only makes us better and stronger as a company. In 2015 we are looking forward to adding even more likeminded members to our WBI family as we grow and bring on new employees.
13. Healthy 2015
In preparation for the wedding, I’ve gotten really into fitness and clean eating, and it feels great. I love my daily workout routine and creating fresh and healthy recipes every day. I’m excited to carry this into 2015 even after the wedding day has past. It’s true what they say, we never know how good our bodies are meant to feel until we actually start treating them right. My fiancé has been a great supporter in the healthy lifestyle changes, and has even become obsessed with running and yoga in his own spare time. This past November he completed his first 5k and has set a goal of doing a half marathon in 2015. It’s so much easier to make healthy choices when your life partner is supportive and enthusiastic as well.
14. Network, Network, Network
Winning the San Diego Business Journal award has opened up a lot of doors for me in terms of networking and meeting other business people and entrepreneurs. I also joined the University Club this year and am looking forward to taking advantage of their Young Executive program and meeting even more intelligent and creative people. 2015 will definitely be the year of going outside my comfort zone and putting myself out there.
15. Setting Up House
Steven and I have the great fortune of living out in the countryside in a house once owned by his grandparents. As we move into married life, I’m looking forward to taking our 60 year old country house and turning it into our own as we marry and grow our family. His grandparents were the original owners of this house, so there is a beautiful foundation and a lot of family love in the walls of this house, but there are definitely still some 60 year old features (like yellow linoleum!) that I can’t wait to upgrade and make it our own.
With the upcoming wedding and the huge projects and development happening within the company, 2015 is already setting itself up to my most exciting year yet, and I can’t wait to take in every moment.
Categorized in: Runway Blog
