2017 Highlights

A few weeks ago when Matt and I were traveling through some airport, I asked him what his favorite moments were this year. I wasn’t surprised by his answer (after all, I married the guy) but still thought it was fun to reflect together on some of the memories we’ve had this year. I never was the sentimental type (or the type to cry in movies, might I add) until I met him. But since I made him share with me, it seems fair that I share my 2017 highlights with you!

If you know me well enough, my list of favorite moments probably won’t come as a surprise to you either! They revolve mostly around the two most important things to me: Matt and traveling. However, I also wanted to share why each of them made my list of 2017 highlights! So here goes!

When Matt officially moved to Chicago.

For those that are new here, Matt and I had to do long distance for the first few months after I got a job in Chicago. Navigating a cross country move with 2 corporate jobs was quite the challenge and we weren’t surprised timing didn’t work out perfectly. Those 3 months were the worst in both our lives (we’ve had many conversations about it to confirm). Being a newlywed (somewhat, wedding details here), and not having your spouse with you at all times is rough. Especially since I was in a new city and barely knew anyone! Matt’s friends were amazingly sweet to me but there was nothing better than when I went home for Christmas last year, knowing we’d be coming back to the Midwest together for good!

Greece. 

This was on our bucket list for a long time. We had wanted to go in 2016 but it just didn’t work out so we made it a point to visit in 2017. We were blown away. The beauty and history of this county was amazing. Santorini was hands down the best place we’ve ever been. It also is the only place we’ve visited and said we would go back. I’m not much of one to go to the same place twice so this is huge. Matt even joked he wanted to celebrate his 31st birthday in Mykonos next year.

Maldives. 

Another destination that had been on our bucket list forever. We intended to go here on our honeymoon. But given we both have full time jobs, we ended up in Bali. Not a bad second choice! We finally made it happen this year and it was just as magical as it looked! You can read more about the details in my Maldives Travel Guide. And if you’re wondering how to got there, take a peak at my post on Dubai.

Making girlfriends in Chicago. 

Making friendships as an adult is tough. No one tells you that. The older you get, the harder it is to find people you really connect with. You know, the kind of girls that you go to get one glass of wine with but end up drinking the whole bottle. I’m still meeting people in the city and am so grateful to have a built in foundation with Matt’s friends. But, making my own friends this year definitely tops the list of 2017 highlights!

Seeing Rockefeller Center during the holidays.

Seems like 2017 was the year of bucket lists for us! I’d been begging Matt to go to NYC for years so we could see the Rockefeller tree and we made it happen this year! All the holiday decorations were just as magical as you’d expect. The highlight was probably the light display at Saks Fifth Avenue. However, it was such a great couple of days and made for the perfect way to wind down before Christmas.

What were your 2017 highlights? What things did you do this year that you were most excited for or proud of?