Don't worry, this won't be one of those "new year, new me" posts.

I'm not bitter, I promise, I just know that I am incapable of keeping a resolution longer than 6 hours so I just don't attempt them anymore.

I have been feeling super nostalgic lately, as i'm sure most people have.

The end of the year forced me to look back on some of the crazy adventures I got to experience the last 12 months and it made me so incredibly grateful! 

While there's never a year when everything goes according to plan, the good always seems to outweigh the bad in retrospect and that's truly a blessing. 

I could sit here & talk about all of the different lessons I learned, the places I got to go and the people I got to meet, but really, nobody cares. Plus that information is so easily accessible via my social media outlets since we all know I love to post. ;)

But there are a few things I want to expound on. 

While some of these things are going to sound extremely cliche, they are part of what "made" my 2016. 

Time heals all wounds.

Really, it does. 

Maybe it doesn't feel like it day to day, but one day you'll wake up & it'll hurt just a little less.

The first half of this year was by far one of the hardest I've ever experienced. 

Everyday seemed like an uphill battle and no remedy, person or thing seemed sufficient enough to ease the pain.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped having to fake smiles.

I would get excited about things and people.

I started to feel like me again.

And while I would never want to go through that again, I would in a heartbeat if I knew it was going to lead me to the happiness I have today.

Get off your phone.

Ok, hear me out. I know that I am the worlds biggest hypocrite for even TYPING those words, but it's something I have to work on tremendously & I want everyone to do the same.

Being with Kyle (the boyfriend) the last part of this year has opened my eyes so much when it comes to the amount of time I spend on my phone.

Sure, I'm on it all day for work & I always will be.

But when work ends, I have to learn how to be in the moment.

He never failed to call me out when my addiction seemed to take over (which was often) and it made me realize how much of my life revolves around that stupid device.

I can't tell you how many times I caught myself texting & driving and having a "close call" with a car accident.

I can't tell you how many times I posted a picture on instagram, but then deleted it in fear of nobody liking it.

I can't tell you how many times I locked my phone after checking all of my social media outlets, only to reopen it within 30 seconds to repeat the process.

It's toxic. 

I know that as the years progress, technology will only become more invasive, but we have to figure out a balance. Or at least I do. 

Love doesn't hurt you, people do.

I stopped believing in "love" for a while.

I didn't believe in good men or kind hearts.

I blamed love for the pain and heartbreak I felt and I couldn't fathom the idea of ever trusting someone in that way again. 

But looking back, I see that love had nothing to do with it.

If you put your heart in the hands of someone who doesn't want it, they're going to disappoint you. That's inevitable. 

But it's not love's fault.

Love doesn't lie, cheat, manipulate or ridicule....that's people. 

So before you go giving up on love, remember that. 

I'm happy I did. 

Be vulnerable. 

For a while, I shut down.

I was cold and bitter and I resented people easily.

I didn't know how to be myself, or feared that who I was wasn't going to be enough for anyone.

I guess since someone had hurt me, I just assumed everyone would.

But when I opened up and just allowed myself to feel everything again... that's when good things started happening.

I've never really struggled with pride too much, thankfully... I can admit when I'm wrong, because I usually am, and I can say sorry when I need to. But being vulnerable was more than that for me. It was about letting someone in my life and trusting that they'd stick around. 

It was about going after something that had the potential to hurt me. 

And i'm happy that I did.

 The good news is, this time it isn't one sided.

I am happier today than I have been in an incredibly long time.

And that is both a terrifying and extremely satisfying statement to make.

I don't have my life figured out... I don't even have myself completely figured out. 

I make mistakes daily.

I hurt people.
I forget about people.

I get lazy.

I get emotional.

I'm all over the place sometimes, but i'm happy. 

I am SO excited for this upcoming year.
I want to travel, love, grow and learn.
I want to try new things, gain new perspectives and dig a little deeper into life.
Cliche, I told you.