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Happy New Year!!

Instead of choosing a resolution, Layla at The Lettered Cottage chooses a Word of the Year. I think this is so “wonder-full” (which happens to be Layla’s word this year), because it allows you to keep one goal in mind and do whatever you need to do to make that phrase come to fruition.

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2014 was extremely challenging for me. I hate to talk about really personal things, but here it goes. In August 2014, after 8 years together, HJ decided that he was not ready to be a husband and called off our wedding 3 weeks before the date.

It was the most devastating thing I have ever experienced (hence the short blonde hair and new clothes). But do you know what my word was for 2014? It was Love. And that’s exactly what I did. I loved him enough to let him go and learn about himself and I loved myself enough to love me the way I wanted to be loved. To me, that meant doing things to make me feel pretty, like a sassy, new, blonde hair cut.

It meant spending money on adult purchases, like this beautiful sofa from Crate and Barrel.

It meant accepting love and support from others, including these encouraging letters (some from strong women I don’t even know!)

It meant traveling to Ireland by myself to see my cousin and best friend, Rachel, so we could be together during the hardest time in my life

But now, it is a New Year! And so here is my word:

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Grow.

This is the perfect word for me this year as I experience my life in a new way. It is so scary and yet so freeing to know that I have so many new choices and paths that my life can take. I am so ready for all of the opportunities for me to Grow in 2015.

Here’s to a New Beginning!