Faith & Inspiration

11 Year-End Superlatives for 2016

Quite a few months ago, I read this post by Laura over at A Beautiful Plate and thought it was such a cute idea! I’ve created my own spin on it by doing 11 superlatives for 2016. It was an amazing year!

1. Biggest Milestone: Changing jobs! Back in July, I started a new job in the nonprofit world. It is the best thing ever, and I pinch myself every day!

2. Hardest Challenge: I am extremely grateful that 2016 was a year of few challenges for me. I am still dealing with some residual health issues from a terrible infection I had back in 2014/2015. Aside from that, I have few complaints!

3. Most Memorable Trip: Wes and I went to St. Thomas with my family back in March, and it was so wonderful! It was true relaxation to just lay on a beach all day. The sunsets were gorgeous, and I got to ride a horse in the surf. Bliss!

St. Thomas US Virgin Islands Sunset | Fairly Southern

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands | Fairly Southern

Horseback riding on the beach in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands | Fairly Southern

4. Best Bite: Every single flavor of gluten-free cupcakes at Carytown Cupcakes in Richmond, VA. Y’all, I fantasize about going back to try more of these cupcakes! You truly cannot tell that they are gluten-free, and they have the perfect crumb. I also like that they have inventive, unusual flavors (obviously not pictured).

Gluten-Free Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Carytown Cupcakes in Richmond, Virginia | Fairly Southern

5. Favorite Photo: This picture of me and Wes at a Panthers game back in August.

Carolina Panthers Spirit | Fairly Southern

6. Inspiring Read: Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton. I’ve actually already talked about it here on the blog.

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton Book Review | Fairly Southern

7. Most Valuable Lesson: That I can only give out as much as I’m taking in. I always tend to overcommit myself and run, run, run without stopping for self-care. I used to be able to do this with minimal consequences, but due to the aforementioned health issues, I have to be more careful these days. I’m also an introvert, which makes it all the more important for me to have time to recharge alone at home. Thanks to the reflection process built into my PowerSheets (a goal setting workbook), I have learned that I need equal amounts of time of pouring into myself and giving to others. My eight hours of sleep each night cancels out my eight hours in the office each day, so it’s really how I spend my waking hours outside of work that are critical. If I’m out volunteering or participating in social events every night of the week, I’m going to feel tired, weary, and anxious. I need equal amounts of rest and doing.

PowerSheets Goal Setting Workbook by Lara Casey/The Cultivate Shop | Fairly Southern

8. Favorite Gift Received: Wes surprised me by giving me a nice camera for Christmas! I am so, so excited to learn how to use it.

9. Scariest Moment: I don’t even know how to describe this in just a few sentences, but I’ll try. On a trip to Stratford Hall back in the spring, Wes and I went on a hike straight into a tick-infested forest. We didn’t realize it until we were already halfway into the hike and had dozens and dozens of ticks crawling all over us. It took us about 30 minutes of sprinting then stopping to knock off ticks to finally get out of the forest. I have a huge spider/tick phobia, and I felt like I was having a panic attack. It took us two hours to go through all of our clothes, comb through our hair, and shower afterward. Horrible! We kept imagining that we felt ticks crawling on us for weeks!

10. Favorite Raleigh Spot: I really can’t pick a true number one favorite because I have soooo many. As far as food goes, it may have to be Guasaca South American Grill based solely on number of times visited. Guasaca is a short order arepa restaurant that is amazingly delicious, especially for the price point! Another top favorite Raleigh spot is The Flourish Market, of course!

The Flourish Market ethical fashion store in Raleigh, NC | Fairly Southern

11. Things I’m Most Looking Forward to in 2017: Taking a trip to Italy (Wes’s first time out of the country!), taking photos with my new camera, getting some projects done around the house, and getting even better at my new job!

Wasn’t that fun? I’d love to hear some of y’all’s superlatives from 2016 in the comments. And, if there are any other superlatives you think I should add for 2017, let me know!

xoxo, Laura

13 comments

  1. Love this so much! Hooray for new jobs, beautiful trips, and self care! Can’t wait to see what adventures you get into in the new year! 🙂

  2. Such a great way to look back and record moments from 2016. I agree with your valuable lesson…..the bad part about that lesson is that typically we all have to learn it the hard way, don’t we?! Such a wonderful job at Make A Wish…I bet you’re incredible at that. I haven’t been to Guasaca Grill yet…where have I been??! I need to try it!! So exciting about Italy!!!! Happy New Year (and snow day week) 🙂

    1. Yay!! I hope you love the PowerSheets as much as I do! Last year they had two options: the spiral bound notebooks and then loose papers that you could put in your own binder, which is what I bought simply because the bound notebooks were sold out already. I have a spiral bound notebook this year and like it sooooo much better!! I love that it is already dated (I had to write in months/dates in my loose leaf set), and it’s also a lot smaller and more compact. Much easier to carry around!

  3. Love this superlative idea! What a great list and it sounds like you’ve got fun things lined up for 2017. Have fun in Italy!! (I studied abroad in Rome so I get super excited whenever I hear about people going to Italy – you’ll have a blast!) And have fun with the mirrorless camera! Would love to hear your thoughts on it then 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.