GOOD STUFF: 2016 LOOK BACK AT IT!

I can’t believe that it’s the last Friday of the year and in less than 48 hours 2016 will be behind us. Despite more than a few rough moments in 2016, I want to take this time to look back at some of the “Good Stuff” that happened this year.

JANUARY

Frankfurt, Germany: I remember falling asleep on the flight to Frankfurt and waking up and discover that the man sitting next to me was eating my salted caramel gelato.

When he knew that he was caught red-handed he looked at me sheepishly and said:

“Well, I didn’t want it to melt”.

I was not delighted at the time, but it’s kind of funny in retrospect.

While in Frankfurt I also remember hearing the shocking news that David Bowie died. I was watching a German broadcast, but I didn’t need a translator to understand what happened when they showed a montage of David Bowie footage ending with his date of birth and date of departure.

FEBRUARY

Los Angeles, California: Enjoying a Valentine’s Day champagne brunch at the Beverly Hilton was one of the most memorable moments from a fun road trip to Los Angeles. I also had a great time taking one of those cheesy Hollywood tours, eating at Pinks, hanging out in DTLA and shopping for jewelry-making supplies in the fashion district.

I also spent time soaking up the sun in Santa Monica and people watching at Venice Beach. I visited a friend in Calabasas (nah, I didn’t see any Kardashians…thank goodness), ate some really good sole and learned first-hand why everyone in L.A. is always complaining about the traffic.

MARCH

Sonoma, California: I took a semi-impromptu trip to Wine Country with one of my best friends who was visiting from Maryland. Lots of laughter, lots of fun and LOTS of wine. In addition to exploring Sonoma we also had fun times at a local casino…we lit up the penny slots all night!

APRIL

I remember April as a month of dramatic highs and lows. It was the month that shook up the music world and the World in general.

Prince left fans around the globe shedding purple tears and Beyonce served us an overflowing glass of “Lemonade”.

MAY

Scotchbonnet! is my handmade jewelry business. In May I took a big step to make it official by fine-tuning my branding and trademarking my name and logo.

JUNE/JULY

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: My husband surprised me with tickets to see Janet Jackson in my hometown. The tour ended up being cancelled (due to Janet’s pregnancy), but we’d already booked our flights so we made the trip to Milwaukee. It sucked that we didn’t get to see Janet in concert, but we still had a good time catching up with family and friends. In addition to celebrating my Mom’s birthday a few days early, we had the chance to see Kerry James Marshall’s Mastry Exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. It was amazing!

We got back to California just in time to cheer for the “Reggae Boyz” as they took on Uruguay at the Copa America. A few weeks later we headed to Houston for a Fourth of July family reunion.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

Late summer/early fall is when I start mapping out my game plan for the upcoming year. Once I had clarity about what I wanted to do in 2017, I laid the foundation for the upcoming year by shifting my work schedule and building relationships with other creative professionals. I stepped out of my introvert comfort zone and started attending local art events, I also made online connections with fellow creatives and gathered feedback about a project I have in the works.

OCTOBER

In October I launched a new “Spotlight” feature on my blog to showcase creative professionals and unique businesses. It felt good to kick off the series in 2016 and I am excited about all the upcoming interviews I will be sharing in 2017.

NOVEMBER
Thanksgiving is the official kick-off of “baking season” in my family. I started the season off by making a pecan pie for Thanksgiving dinner. There were no leftovers.

I skipped the Black Friday madness this year and spent a cozy day at home watching old school movies, putting up Christmas decorations and relaxing. Online shopping is the way to go.

DECEMBER

The baking frenzy continued in December. I probably baked hundreds of dozens of cookies and brownies this year, and I loved every moment of it!

My husband and I both have birthdays on Christmas (yes, you read that correctly), so there’s been plenty to celebrate during the month. This weekend I am looking forward to wrapping up 2016 and starting 2017 off with a bang!