10 Most Memorable Moments in 2016 + New Year’s Goals

The New Year holds a special meaning to me. It’s a promise for a fresh start and a new chapter. 2016 was amazing for me for many reasons. I went through a lot of personal growth and feel that I’m in a much better place mind and body. 2017 is going to be amazing because I said so. Speaking it into existence now!

Deep Fried Fit has been a way for me chronicle my life. It’s fun to look back just to see how far I’ve come and everything I’ve accomplished beyond my imagination. I remember looking at blogs years ago and wondering what it would be like to live that life. Hard to believe I’m actually living it! Felt a little nostalgic when I read my highlights from 2015 and wanted to share some of my favorite accomplishments this year:

Deep Fried Fit 3 Year Blogiversary

Finally hosted my first football event in celebration of Deep Fried Fit’s 3 year anniversary. And there were donuts!

Celebrated Dallas Fitness Ambassadors’ 1 Year Anniversary

My business Dallas Fitness Ambassadors reached one year in September and I celebrated by hosting Dallas’ first ever silent disco yoga event at the Hilton Anatole for friends and in West Village for the entire community. So cool.

Glamping with my Blogger Babes

In such desperate need of getaway and I agreed to go camping with my blogger friends one hour outside of Dallas. Not an avid camping fan, but lived to tell the tale.  And didn’t hate it. Win in my book!

Adventures in Zion National Park

One of my favorite travel experiences this year. The timing of this girls trip was to right after I quit my corporate job and went full time blogging! This trip was set months before to make sure I stuck to my promise and not chicken out. You can read all about the travel experiences hiking and canyoning here and here.

Judge for Big Tex Choice Awards 2016

Talk about a dream come true! I LOVE the State Fair of Texas and it was an amazing honor to judge the fried foods this year. Shared that experience here.

First Blogger Conference in Los Angeles

Never thought I’d ever be the type to go on a blog conference. This ended up being an incredible learning experience from a blog stand point, and wonderful bonding one with fellow blogger badasses. One of my favorite memories are with these ladies.

Working with my dream brand Nike

Nike is definitely one of my top dream brands I’ve always wanted to work with. Got to meet with the Nike Team and was flown to New York and back in less than 24 hours. It was unreal! So are these Neymar cleats.

Collaborations with Sprouts

Another dream brand I got to work with was Sprouts. Probably one of the best experiences to date in influencer collaborations. This summer splash party was everything and so was this Pimp Your Prosecco Bar.

Rappelled 50 Stories for a Cause

Gosh this was such a cool experience. I rappelled 50 stories down the Reunion Tower to create more awareness about an organization called Shatterproof. You can read about that here.

Co-hosted an Instagram Workshop WITH Instagram

Instagram came to Dallas to host an amazing workshop with local fitness influencers at Toasted. Such a fun day learning cool tips and tricks from Instagram. There was definitely a double take/disbelief when the email came in. Haha. Super cool.

This is just the highlight reel however there were so many other memorable moments that made 2016 wonderful. I went full time with the blog, met some incredible people, have a much stronger relationship with my loved ones, and eliminated a lot of negativity and stress from my life. So…

What’s Next for 2017?

The beauty about blogs is that they grow with their writers. There are quite a few changes I’m hoping to make this year. I even created a vision board for 2017 based on 4 major categories: work, travel, fitness, and feel good. Here are some of the goals I’ve made for myself:

Boss Life:

Fitness and food reviews will always be a huge part of Deep Fried Fit. Those are my great loves. But I also enjoy travel, a bit of fitness fashion, and trying new experiences. There’s already a sprinkling of that this year and you’ll see even more in 2017. I hope you’ll like what I have in store for you. And if I can squeeze in a few hours, maybe a facelift for the blog too.

I also want to grow Dallas Fitness Ambassadors. Hopefully expanding to other cities will be in my cards this year.

Fitness Goals

I miss having a set routine. I’ve always been a gym rat and will definitely be putting in more time in the gym. This means finding new ways to bring you fitness content and I’m excited for that! As much as I love fried foods, most of the time I’m eating healthy. I definitely want to do a better job of cooking and prepping my meals.

Travel to new places

So far I have Mardi Gras in New Orleans on my 2017 travel horizon.
I made a promise many years ago that I’d travel to one new place a year. I’ve kept it this long and I have my eyes set on Mexico. Other places I’m hoping to travel to this year is Las Vegas, New York and D.C.. I’m making this happen.

Feel Good

This is a broader category that encompasses overall happiness. I want to read more, take more time for myself, and do things that make me happy. Time is a limited thing and I’ve become more protective of how I spend it. Maybe less Netflix binging and more living?

Have you ever made a vision board? How do you plan to reach your goals and wishes for 2017?