LIFESTYLE

Year in Review: 2018

Jan 01, 2019 | By New Darlings

I’m pretty sure…in fact, i’m certain that every new year we look back at the previous year and talk about how it’s been our best, most productive and craziest one yet. I can say without hesitation that we’re never exaggerating.  We tend to challenge ourselves year after year to accomplish, see, travel, and live more. It’s a healthy challenge that keeps us excited year after year.

With a new year upon us, I can safely say that 2018 was beyond our wildest. I can’t imagine too many years (before or after) topping this one, but hey, we’ll see. Our seven month renovation, coupled with us finding out we are pregnant were certainly the highlights of 2018 and now we expect 2019 to bring the most change to our relationship and lives as our family grows within these walls of our old, faithful 1930 Tudor.

Here’s a look back at some of our favorite moments of the year…

Couples Photos at Home - Cozy MorningsCoffee Table Styling - Cozy MorningsJANUARY
-January was filled with more down time a lot of binge watching tv shows.
-Lightened things up and went with some natural makeup favorites.
-Shared a fun hair tutorial for my loose curls on IG. Hoping to do more videos like this soon!

FEBRUARY
-Dove into a new hair care routine and shared about my thinning hair, along with what has helped.
-We threw a fun dinner for charity with our friends from Tremaine Ranch and FEED. It was such a beautiful night and I hope we can do more of these in 2019.
-Shared a bit about my relationship with my sister, family dynamics, her living in Arizona with us and then the change for us all when she decided to move back to Florida.
-Celebrated another Valentine’s Day together at home and loved every minute of it.

MARCH
-Visited family in Florida and enjoyed the sunshine state.
-Brought Henry up north and spent some time surrounded by the trees at L’Auberge.
-Took Rob’s parents to San Diego, enjoyed La Jolla and all the coffee shops.
-Started all of our home renovation plans, and shared why we love living in a smaller, historic home.

New Darlings Couple Lifestyle Blog - Minimal KitchenAPRIL
-We freshened up the back patio by the guest house with a little French bistro flair.
-In the spirit of our wedding month, we shared 6 albums that shaped our relationship and took a trip down memory lane.

MAY
-The guest house was finished and finally all styled! By this point we were living in it since March while our house renovation kicked into full gear.
-We celebrated 5 years of marriage in our favorite cities: London and Paris. I really can’t believe it’s been five years already! You can see part 1 and part 2 of the trip here, if you missed it.
-While in Paris we stayed at one of the prettiest hotels ever: Hotel des Grands Boulevards and it basically inspired all of the interior design elements for our home renovation.
-At the end of May we took a trip to Jamaica and got a taste of island life. We are so not beach people, but this was a fun trip for us to unwind and feel like honeymooners again.

JUNE
-We were drawn to Sedona in June and spent time surrounded by the red rocks. I don’t think I ever slept better in my life, was more relaxed, or could breath better than during the weekend we spent there. There truly is something magical about that place.
-Experienced Disney through the eyes of kids with our nephews in Orlando for the week.
-Saw our sweet friends Heidi & Drew tie the knot!
-Shared a bit about how brand partnerships and sponsored posts work.
Spruced up the front of our guest house.

New Darlings - Switzerland Travel DiaryJULY
-We celebrated four years of blogging and another year here in Arizona.
-The food in Chicago was calling our names, so we took a weekend trip there to visit a friend who relocated from Phoenix and ate our way through the city.
-We had the opportunity to visit Switzerland with our Nespresso family and see their recycling facilities up close and personal. It was a short trip, but the little bit we were able to see of Switzerland stole our hearts and it’s definitely on our list of places to visit again in the new year.

AUGUST
-Henry completed his doggie bootcamp and we started to see the changes at home. It might sound crazy, but it was definitely one of the highlights of our year, seeing him become more confident and comfortable. Plus, it’s made our day-to-day a bit easier too.
-Spent more time at home in Arizona and rounded up some of our favorite shops here in Phoenix.
-Took some time to reflect on our families, and what our parents might have been like at our age.

Top Hotels in London Artist ResidenceScotland Travel Diary - Fox Sweater and Beret OutfitGuernsey Candie Gardens British Isles Travel PhotosSEPTEMBER
-The new kitchen really started to take shape.
-Found ourselves back in London and spent some time at the dreamiest hotel. Daily bubble baths became a thing, and I wasn’t mad about it. 😉

-Had another pink filled tea at Sketch in London.
-We visited so many new-to us places on our British Isles Cruise with Princess, stopping in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kirkwall (I was so excited to see so many sheep in the fields!), Dublin, and Guernsey (with it’s beautiful greenhouses and gardens).
-One of the hardest parts of the year came in September when we lost our very close friend Vincent to cancer. There are still days where we can’t believe he’s not just a text or call away. He was always down for an adventure and we try to carry his spirit with us each day.
-We adapted to living in the tiny house/guest house while our house was being worked on and shared some tips for small space living.

OCTOBER
-We found out we were pregnant and became super giddy beyond control! Can’t wait to share more with you guys this week all about it!
-I celebrated turning 31 and continued to keep this little baby a secret, but we spilled the beans to my parents on this day and it was so special!
Visited D.C. for the first time together and got a nice taste of fall!
-Ended off October with a much needed trip up to northern Arizona, in the fresh air and felt brand new.

NOVEMBER
-Shared some home renovation updates. We were getting so close (and eager) to being back in our house, but there were a few hiccups along the way.
-Thanksgiving just the two of us back in our house was so special. We cooked and danced all day.
-Rob celebrated another birthday, this time on Black Friday and we ate our weight in popcorn at the movies. 😉

Marble Vanity with Brass AccentsFamily Holiday PajamasDECEMBER
-Shared our master bathroom refresh!
-Decked out our house for the holidays and Henry found his favorite spot under the tree. Here’s a fun little Christmas video in case you missed it.
How to style a beret-Went to see the Nutcracker and Elf the Musical for our annual Christmas dates!
-Created a fun holiday brunch with Le Creuset – definitely one of our favorite partnerships of the year!
-We decided last minute to spend Christmas in New York and see The Rockettes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Here’s to 2018! Thank you so much for following along and sharing in this adventure with us. We can’t believe we’ve been sharing our everyday here with you guys for the last four years. It’s truly incredible and it means so much to us. We definitely couldn’t do this without you guys!

We have a feeling 2019 is going to be our best year yet! 🙂

You can see past year in reviews here: 201720162015 and 2014

 

6 comments on “Year in Review: 2018”

  1. Happy New Year you three! (Four soon ;)) I hope 2019 brings you a year full of greater adventure and even more love!

  2. Wow! What a beautiful year you guys had. I enjoyed reading this post so much. Wishing you both a prosperous, healthy new year. I’m so happy and excited about the baby news. You guys are going to be the best parents.

  3. I adored reading this post! Working on mine today… I had some issues with formatting yesterday, but hoping to hit publish today! So so excited for you both and this new adventure you’re about to embark on! I absolutely love your style, and pictures and I can’t wait to see more in 2019! Also- I just turned 31 in December! Didn’t realize we were the same age… pretty cool! Happy 2019 to you all!

    1. We had them made by the same people who did our kitchen cabinets, Affinity Kitchens, but before that we just had IKEA butcherblock countertops cut to size and used those. It’s a good option without having to go through a custom design team. 🙂

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