A New Year

Happy 2015! New Year’s is one of my favorite holidays, probably because it means evening parties with good friends and food and the excitement of a fresh start. Growing up, I always hosted a New Year’s Eve sleepover at my house where my friends and I would act out the Narnia movies and film ourselves (#dramaclubgeeks) but I’m spending a quieter New Year’s Eve this year playing games with Scott and a few friends and watching fireworks from the roof of the church.

Even though it’s the dead of winter, it’s not too cold in DC, meaning I don’t have to bundle up and look like the Michelin man every time I go outside. Often a comfy cardigan or classic blazer is enough to keep me warm, and looks a lot cuter too!

I love this outfit because it has so many meaningful pieces- the blazer was given to me by a family friend (thanks Monica!), I wore the lace top during my engagement photo shoot, and the bangle is a gift from a friend after I was baptized this past Easter. I haven’t gotten too much use out of the booties yet because my riding boots are my everyday go-to shoes, but I love how they look with this outfit, and I’m definitely looking forward to incorporating them into my wardrobe more! 

Blazer- J.Crew, Top- Anthropologie, Jeans- J.Crew, booties- Target, bangle- Alex & Ani, earrings- Payless

I don’t like the term resolutions, probably because they are notorious for being broken. I do like making goals for the New Year though, and some of my favorite creatives (Nancy Ray, Lara Casey) have inspired me on this front. Here are my goals for 2015:

• Commit to journaling every day. My heart behind this is to be more prayerful, and writing out my prayers really helps. It also is great to take notes on what I’m reading in scripture so I can take it to heart as well as go back and re-read previous journals. I recently ordered the Give Me Jesus Journal, and I absolutely love it! Gretchen Saffles’s mission behind Life Lived Beautifully is wonderful, and I’m so excited to spend more time with the Lord in the New Year!

• Commit more to my internship. I have interned for wedding planning companies since college, and it is my dream to work for a wedding planner or similar creative enterprise one day. Currently, I am doing the social media for Sweetface Events, a lovely company based out of Northern Virginia. Check out their blog and social media to see updates by yours truly! Because I would love to work full-time in the wedding industry, I want to take this opportunity I have seriously and really make an impact. Rather than updating when I have time, I’m committing to Friday mornings as my “work” time for the internship (my full-time job is Monday to Thursday). Afterwards, I will be updating this blog, which takes me to my third goal…

• Updating This Side of Paradise once a week. When I first started this blog, I wanted it to be all outfit inspiration because that is my favorite type of post to read. But I realize it’s nearly impossible to publish a fashion post once a week when I don’t have my own camera, and this gives me an opportunity to share more of my life with readers, which is something I always appreciate in the blogs I follow. So I’m aiming for three outfit posts a month and at least one “coffee date” aka life update.

Here’s to a wonderful New Year!