last year i came into 2024 hot (three days late) with many resolutions to complete. now that i’m early to the party this year, we have enough time for a full-blown recap. so without further ado, lets begin my 2024 annual review.

2024 quantified

• scratched my travel itch and visited two new countries and six new cities
  • new countries: Ireland and Canada
  • new cities: Cincinnati, Roanoke, Dublin, Cork, Kinsale, and Montreal
  • favorite memories: watching Georgia Tech beat FSU in Dublin, be reunited with all of my college friends
• went cold-turkey sober for over three months
  • not drinking alcohol for at least an entire week each month was a goal that helped me stay grounded throughout 2024 and i surprisingly didn’t feel like i was missing out on anything either when i wouldn’t drink
• had an over 200 day streak on Duolingo to learn Swedish
  • i also hired an incredible tutor for a couple of months through Preply, which proved to be very helpful with getting the pronunciation down
• read 20 books this year
  • this fulfilled my 2024 Goodreads goal, and my favorite book was The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
• contributed to money-growing accounts more consistently
  • few things are more satisfying than watching yourself reach your financial goals. setting up monthly automated transfers for my high yield savings account and retirement accounts changed the game to consistently contribute.
• created a new website from scratch and migrated over 100 blog posts to host a new era of LPOL
  • the website is SO much easier to navigate now and has given visibility to new channels, which is super exciting!
• got promoted from Assistant to Associate
  • was running the Item Planner responsibilities for YPB for four months, so was ecstatic that the hard work paid off.
• went on a three first dates
  • none turned into anything, but am very happy that i’ve gotten to know some new people!!
• broke my first bone
  • i still can’t believe i fractured my foot doing a ballet leap and had to be on crutches for a week.
• reconnected with two of my best friends from childhood
  • & also made many new connections
• cracked the code for my hair and makeup routine after getting ready hundreds of times
  • hair: keeping it relatively long with light layers and styled in a sleek blowout with face-framing pieces blown towards the face
  • makeup: soft-glam with brown eyeliner and a glowy-gold eye has suited my features well
• one Raven flew into my apartment
  • and shoutout to my dad to coaching me through a panicked state on how to get it out while i was wearing an Irish flat bill cap as protection

favorite memories of 2024

• staying with Shea for St. Patty’s Day in Chicago and having a weekend of fun with all of our college friends
• experiencing a beautiful spring season in Columbus
• spending a solo-day at the Columbus Art Museum and taking myself for pizza after
  • i’ve finally worked up the courage to do things alone and not feel self-conscious while doing so – a big leap in my life
• FaceTiming my parents about every Saturday afternoon and coming back to Atlanta a few times to visit
• relaxing in the Stockholm Archipelago with the family for a week in June
• witnessing Georgia Tech beat FSU in Ireland and getting to experience an entirely new culture
• learning how to play darts from the many times spent at Short North Tavern with friends in Columbus
• Chloe, Jansyn, and Shea coming to visit me this July – i don’t think i’ve laughed so much in my life
• watching James perform with his band at the Nashville Honky Tonks
• exploring the city of Montreal for the first time with two of my childhood best friends and getting to experience one of the most beautiful purple / pink sunrises when flying in
• visiting Emma in DC during the holiday season

the truth of 2024

this past year was a BUSY one.

between working over 45 hours a week,

having a social life,

maintaining long distance friendships,

traveling,

trying to get my bag before i start having babies,

chores,

and trying to get eight hours of sleep,

i felt like i was drowning in obligations with no time for a breather.

through all of the challenges thrown at me this year,

the motto i drilled into my mind to push through was

“pressure creates diamonds.”

but i don’t want to live like that all the time.

feeling like i have to justify sacrificing my own well-being to get ahead in some way has proven to be anything but fruitful.

so to prevent this level of burnout from hopefully ever happening again in my life, changes are going to have to be made to the lifestyle i’ve been leading up until this point.

things i want to do differently in 2025

• reduce time spent scrolling on phone
  • and pick up a book instead
• follow a budget more consistently
  • or at least come up with a defined target number to not go over each month with non-crucial spending
• say no to plans more often
  • i don’t want to be running around like a chicken with its head cutoff anymore
• prioritize my mental and physical health
  • getting ripped and having more luxurious, creamy smoothies are on my 2025 wishlist
• experiment with cooking
  • could a cookbook change my life? i want to find out

reflecting back on 2024, the resounding change within myself compared to years past is that things don’t have as much of a hold on me as they used to. there’s obviously still work to be done in many aspects of my life, but now i know that as long as i have certainty in God that things will be okay.

we’ve got this in the bag – let’s see what 2025 has in store (bring it!!). i hope that you to have one of the best years of your life thus far.

💘, Hanna