Hey there! How’s it going? What have you been up to?

It’s 2018, believe it or not. And this is my first post of the calendar year.

Well, technically it’s not quite 2018 for me. I’m currently writing to from 2017. I’m supposed to be on a break right now, I know. But clearly I’m having some separation issues.

It feels like forever since I’ve blogged. As you know, I decided to take a brief hiatus from blogging during the gap between Christmas and New Year’s.

To be honest, it wasn’t so much that I wanted to take a hiatus, but that I needed to take a hiatus. I had a blast doing blogmas again this year, but I have to admit it there were times when it got pretty draining. Blogging on a daily basis requires a lot of energy. And don’t even get me started on the flatlays…

So, I took said break. And I made it about five days before I caved (it’s the little successes, right?)

The break was fun, but also weird. It was the longest I’ve ever been away from the blog. And after about two days, I was itching to get back.

For my first post back, I figured I would do a quick roundup of what I’ve been up to this past week (ish?). One of my biggest goals for my blog is making it more personal. I feel like this is a good way of getting started on that goal right away.

During my blogging break, I decided to snap a few photos of what I was doing. This is basically a highlight reel of my time off.

For starters, I’ve been having a lot of fun playing with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette, which I received as a Christmas gift. I’ve been eyeing this palette for months now. And though I’ve only used it a handful of times, I have to say the hype surrounding it is totally justified. I’m planning to do a full review (with swatches!!) later this month, so stay tuned.

It wouldn’t be a break without iced coffee, would it? I managed to get (and photograph) plenty of Starbucks during my time off.

Although this picture is old, I did spend a lot of time with my dog, Ellie. I really think I’m going to write a whole post about her soon. (If you want to see more of her right now, scroll through my Instagram…I’m one of those people who incessantly posts photos of her pet.)

I also took a minute to check out my best nine Instagram photos of 2017. This year was a big one for me in terms of photography. It was fun to look back and see the changes I’ve made over the last twelve months. It has given me a pretty good idea of what kind of photos I should continue taking in 2018.

I had the chance to go skiing over my break. I’m generally not a big cold weather person, but skiing is one of the few winter activities that I enjoy. I didn’t get the chance to take photos during my trip (I didn’t want to take my gloves off in below freezing temperatures!), so here’s a shot from my last winter adventure!

I’ll see you later this week for my blog resolutions for the new year!

What have you been up to lately?

(oh, hey, that’s new!)

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