Goodbye 2018, hello 2019: A year in review

I can’t believe another year is in the books! I wanted to review my December stats and goals, and take a look back at all the places I got to see in 2018.

December stats:

Number of total posts: 38

Number of total views: 790

Most viewed post: Throwback Thursday:Haleakala National Park in Maui, HI

Most commented post: runDisney’s Dopey Challenge: 4 days, 4 races, 48.6 miles

Number of Twitter followers: 742

Number of Instagram followers: 499

Number of Pinterest followers: 207

Number of blog subscribers: 83

December goals:

1. Find or make three group boards on Pinterest- I didn’t do nearly as well at completing my goals this month. I don’t regret it because the reason I didn’t spend as much time on my blog was because I was enjoying my holidays with family! I totally failed at this goal- didn’t make or find a single group board aside from the one that I was already part of. I’ll keep this in mind in the future.
2. Curate my Pinterest boards to 50 pins each- I added significantly to all of my boards but none of them are over 50 pins. I’m ok with this- I want to make sure I’m adding good content and not just pinning things to meet a number quota.
3. Tweet 4 times per week– I didn’t tweet four times a week but I think I did better at sharing original content and engaging with other people.
4. Beat out my old record for a post with the most views or comments- Success! I beat my old record for most views this month by writing about Haleakala National Park!

Memories from 2018:

January- I started off 2018 with a massive accomplishment by completing runDisney’s Dopey Challenge. I recently finished a series of posts on the experience that you can read here.

February- My sister and I celebrated her 30th birthday in a grand fashion by cruising to the Bahamas on Norwegian Cruise Line! We got to visit the beautiful Atlantis resort- read about that here.

March- I turned 25 this year- a quarter century old!

April- I made my first trek to Hawaii! I got to see so many beautiful things and I have lots more things I want to share from that trip in the future. I’ve already shared about visiting Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm here, and Haleakala National Park here.

May- Spring was in full bloom in Connecticut this month and I took advantage of visiting the local park to check it out.

June- I did my first yoga at the winery class at Arrigoni Winery- I love that place! You can read more about it here.

July- This month I enjoyed a week long family vacation in Rhode Island. One of my favorite memories from this trip was seeing Connecticut’s light houses on the Lights and Sights Cruise.

August- I saw my first MLB game at Fenway park as part of a birthday celebration for my cousin!

September- I started September off by visiting Rosedale Farms and Lost Acres Vineyard on Labor Day Weekend! I also started blogging this month!

October- This month my mom and I took our girl’s trip to upstate New York. We got to see some beautiful fall foliage and drink delicious wines. I’ve written lots of posts about this trip but one of my favorite’s is this one about visiting the Olympic Ski Jumps in Lake Placid!

November- I was busy at work so I could save up money for my 2019 adventures.

December- As I mentioned earlier I’ve been more removed from the blog this month as I’ve been spending lots of time with family and friends. My mom and I made a final wine trail visit to Hawk Ridge Winery in Watertown, CT to enjoy their holiday decor.

My 2019 goals:

1. Start a Master’s program– I’m excited to go back to school and am hoping to start in the spring.
2. Travel as much as I can afford– Already have lots of trips on the roster. I plan to enjoy these and add more if the opportunity arises.
3. Reach my one year anniversary of blogging– I’m comin’ for ya, September 2019!
4. Continue to grow my blog– Of course I want to continue to grow my blog and related social media but I hope to remember why I started blogging in the first place- for fun, not followers!
5. Race more half marathons– In 2018 I ran two full marathons which was awesome but I want to scale back and spend more time appreciating the half marathon distance.

Happy New Year! Thank you for your continued support- wishing anyone reading a happy and healthy new year. Stay adventurous!