JANUARY IN PHOTOS.

my newest hobby/obsession.

making wood cookies for the kids. 

boardwalk views. 

winter succulents.

testing out portrait mode. 

birthday macarons. 

sunrise views.

Dear January,

A new beginnings. A new year. A fresh start. Last year was a good one. A tough one, a challenging one, a growing one and a good one. Looking back, I feel like it was stagnant, but when I take a look at the details, the individual days and moments that made 2017 what it was, I see growth and gratitude. My hope is that this year will be just the same. Challenging and filled to the brim with opportunity and growth.

January, you started off full of quiet anticipation. I love the excitement of a new year--there's a buzz of energy, resolutions popping up all over social media accounts, and everyone's working out and organizing their homes. But to be honest, I don't like how quickly that feeling fades as life gets busy and things return back to "normal." I tried making the most of that energy, however, relishing in the feeling of a fresh haircut, a new set of student teachers in my class, chilly winter air, new books added to my to-read stack, and some wooden trees marked half-off on Christmas clearance that now reside on my shelf.

Those little things brought life to my heart and soul, and that's what I knew I needed deep down all along. 

This month also included a quiet and low-key birthday (hooray for aging!), cookie decorating (my newest Instagram guilty-pleasure obsession), cutting wood cookies for the kids to decorate, a never-ending list of podcast episodes to listen to, teaching preschoolers about penguins, and warming up in the late afternoon January sun.

And now we're onto February--and I'm excited to see what the rest of 2018 has in store for me.