2016 Highlights

2016 review

As 2016 comes to a close, I can’t help but want to reflect on everything that has happened this year. 2017 is going to be a big year (graduating college & hopefully starting grad school in an unknown city?!) but before we get to all that, I wanted to hit the highlights on my favorite parts of this year!

Cancun, Mexico

Ryan and I kicked off 2016 in Cancun which was a lot of fun! I enjoyed being able to sunbathe, swim, and read to start the year and I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be starting 2017 the same way (but more on that later). We stayed at a resort that was absolutely stunning and I wish I could have spent every day in 2016 there!

cancun pool

Cancuncancun mexico

2016’s Epic Food

I’ve definitely indulged in some great food this year! When compiling these photos for this post, I’ve actually felt impressed with the different places I’ve found this year. Pics in order from first to last: MacMart, Green Eggs Cafe, El Vez, Green Eggs Cafe (all in Philadelphia), Black Tap (NYC), Hundred Acres (NYC), Jonathon’s (Dallas). 

Mac Mart

Green Eggs Cafe

epic food

green eggs cafe

ny food

ny brunch

dallas food

21st Birthday

I was excited to celebrate my 21st birthday in West Chester and Philadelphia with a bunch of my friends. I had a ton of fun and am loving being 21!

21st birthday

Adopting Gracie

One of my favorite things about 2016 was that my family adopted a dog. This little gal has the craziest adoption story which you NEED to read!

gracie

gracie 2

Summer in Upstate New York

Ryan was working in Fishkill, NY this summer so in order to be closer to him I ended up finding a job at a summer camp nearby. I loved getting to spend more time with him until he had to travel back to Pennsylvania to start a new job! You can read about my summer routine here on the blog too. I loved being a camp counselor and I miss the kids so much!

new york lake

ry and kayla

snake camp nabby

lake

4th of July in Boston

While Ryan and I were in New York, we took the opportunity to travel to some new cities together! While we had both been to Boston separately and loved it, this was the first time we traveled there together. Of course, we loved Boston and want to go back again sometime soon. We stayed there for the long weekend over the 4th of July which was awesome! We even caught a game at Fenway which my dad was super jealous about 😉

boston, mass

boston street

fenway park

New York City

During my last weekend in New York, Ryan and I spent a weekend in NYC. I wish we could’ve had more time there but I loved that we got to experience all of the things we did during our short trip!

strand bookstore

highline

Dallas + OU and Cowboys Games

I had the pleasure of getting to fly out to Dallas not once, but TWICE in 2016. Ryan and I made plans to see the OU vs. Texas game in Dallas (it’s one of the biggest games of the season!) and we went to see the Cowboys play at home the next day. Then, just a couple of weeks later, we flew back to see the Cowboys play the Eagles. Ryan’s a Dallas fan and I’ve grown up a true Eagles kid and, although the birds lost, I enjoyed rooting for them among a sea of blue and white!

I was so happy to get to meet some blogger friends in real life while Ryan and I were in Dallas. Tiffani and her boyfriend Thomas met up with us both times we came to Dallas and we loved hanging out with them and getting to know them better! Tiffani, Thomas, and Shaguna are Texas fans so we ran into them at the Texas vs. OU game the first time we went as well. I hope I get to meet a lot more blogging friends in 2017!

texas state fair

eagles cowboys

Oklahoma and Florida

Ryan and I are closing out 2016 with a trip to Oklahoma and then to Florida. Ryan’s parents live in Norman so for the past two years we’ve been coming here right after Christmas and spending a week visiting with them. As y’all are reading this I’m either packing up my suitcase or on a plane to Fort Myers where Ryan and I will be ringing in the New Year and soaking up the sun for a week. I’m excited to get some reading done and maybe a blog post or two.

oklahoma plane

That’s a wrap!

Thank you guys so much for reading my blog and keeping up with me on social media. I know I’ve had some weeks where I’ve slacked with putting up posts or tweets or instagrams but I’m trying not to beat myself up over it. One of the most important things to me is making sure I’m enjoying life and making all of these fun experiences possible!

I hope 2017 has something fun in store for us all and I wish you all the best in the New Year. As always, if there’s a part of my life you’d like to see more of don’t hesitate to ask. I love blogging and sharing my thoughts with you. I can only hope you’ve loved reading as much as I’ve loved writing. Happy New Year!

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53 Comments

  1. December 31, 2016 / 11:00 am

    looks like you have had a fantastic year. Cheer to a great 2017. That first food photo, mac and chz or something looks so wonderful would love to have some now. .. can you tell i’m hungry. Cancun is awesome way to start year off and beat the cold.

  2. December 31, 2016 / 11:02 am

    Cancun?! GET IT GURL! Looks like it was an awesome year!

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:26 pm

      Ugh, it was amazing. Can’t wait to go back! Happy 2017!

  3. Mary La Fornara
    December 31, 2016 / 11:35 am

    You have a very eventful year. Just looking at your epic food of 2016 has made me hungry! Happy 2017!

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:26 pm

      Thank you Mary! The food was one of the best parts, for sure! Happy 2017!

  4. Alexa
    December 31, 2016 / 12:08 pm

    You had a year packed with cool experiences! I hope my 2017 looks something like that! And I am happy you made a trip to Boston! That’s where I live 🙂

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:25 pm

      We love Boston! Thanks for stopping by Alexa, I hope you have a wonderful 2017!

  5. December 31, 2016 / 2:28 pm

    I was just in Fort Myers for Christmas! My boyfriend grew up there. Make sure to head over to Sanibel Island! Definitely the best beach around that area.

    It looks like 2016 was a great year for you! 🙂 I’m sure 2017 will be full of fun new experiences, too. And grad school!!

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:25 pm

      We’re going to try to head over there at some point! It looks beautiful! Yes, grad school is definitely looming. Hopefully I get some good news soon! Thanks girly!

  6. December 31, 2016 / 2:43 pm

    2016 looked amazing for you! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for 2017 🙂

  7. December 31, 2016 / 3:47 pm

    You has such an adventurous year wow!!!! I would’ve loved to bring in this year in Cancun!!!

    Corsica Nambiar | kissesfromcarolina.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:24 pm

      It was definitely a great way to start the year! Happy 2017!

  8. Molly O'Connor
    December 31, 2016 / 5:39 pm

    What a fun year! Black Tap is soooo amazing!! Can’t wait to see what all 2017 holds for you and where you’ll end up next! 🙂

    http://www.mollyonthemoveblog.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:24 pm

      UGH I can’t even think about it without being sad I can’t have a shake every day. Happy 2017!

  9. December 31, 2016 / 8:08 pm

    Wow. What an adventurous year! Last year looks so much fun. I enjoyed reading your post. I hope 2017 brings in more happiness and adventures! Happy new year!

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:23 pm

      Thank you so much Karen! Happy 2017!

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:23 pm

      It’s soooo good! Hit up the Mac Mart if you’re ever in Philadelphia!

  10. Laura Romberger
    January 1, 2017 / 2:22 pm

    What an adventurous year, so fun! That food looks amazing as well, yum!!! This was a fun post to read. I can’t wait to hear about your 2017 adventures!

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:23 pm

      Thanks Laura! The food was definitely one of my favorite parts haha.

  11. Vivian Tang
    January 1, 2017 / 2:26 pm

    OMG! I kicked off 2016 with a trip to Cancun as well!! It surely was a great start to a great year. 2016 was a fun and adventurous year for you. Happy 2017!!
    http://www.viviantang.co

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:23 pm

      I wish I could start every year in Cancun! I loved it! Happy 2017!

  12. January 2, 2017 / 2:46 am

    What an eventful 2k16 you guys had. I hope adopting Gracie would be the best thing? 😀 Love these pictures. Happy New Year.

    beforbeauty.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:22 pm

      YES! She’s the sweetest little pup. Thanks for stopping by Manavi!

  13. January 2, 2017 / 10:49 am

    Cancun looks amazing and you ate so much good food this year! Hope you have an amazing 2017!

    xoxo,
    Casey // adolescentadulthood.co

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:22 pm

      It was prob one of my favorite vacations ever. Hope your 2017 is amazing too!

  14. January 2, 2017 / 11:11 am

    What a great year! I hope 2017 brings you just as many blessings and adventures, if not more!

    – katrina || yourstrulykatrina.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:22 pm

      Thank you Katrina, right back at ya!

  15. January 2, 2017 / 11:42 am

    Looks like you had such an awesome year, Kayla! I cannot wait to see what 2017 has in store for you!

  16. Jamie
    January 2, 2017 / 11:58 am

    Cancun is my favorite place in the whole world! It’s gorgeous! Glad you got to go 2 years in a row- how fun!
    It looked like you had lots of yummy food too!

    xx, Jamie
    theblonderlife.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:21 pm

      LOVED Cancun I wanna go back ASAP! Hope you had a great New Year 🙂

  17. Hannah Stark
    January 2, 2017 / 12:14 pm

    What a year you had! You traveled so much and got to do so many cool things!! Also Boomer;)

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:21 pm

      I know, I feel very #blessed. And SOONER! Hope you’re watching the game tonight!

  18. Miss ALK
    January 2, 2017 / 1:50 pm

    I enjoyed keeping up with your blog this year, and it sounds like your 2016 was filled with love, fun and new adventures! Here’s to 2017!

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:20 pm

      Thanks for sticking around this year! You’re the best!

  19. Elly Leavitt
    January 2, 2017 / 2:06 pm

    So jealous you got to go to Cancun, it looks amazing! and IS THAT RED VELVET FRENCH TOAST omg omg omg

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:19 pm

      Red velvet pancakes actually and they are HEAVEN. And Cancun was awesome! Probably one of my fav vacations ever!

  20. January 2, 2017 / 4:41 pm

    2016 looks like an amazing year for you- I mean that food looks AMAZING! Happy New Year!

    xoxo,
    Katie
    chicincarolina.blogspot.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:19 pm

      Thanks Katie! The food was one of my favorite parts of 2016, definitely!

  21. January 2, 2017 / 4:51 pm

    Great photos, Kayla! All that food looks amazing. I used to live a block from Strand, and Hundred Acres is probably my favorite brunch spot in Manhattan. Funny story: I found $20 on the ground while walking to the restaurant for the first time, so I bought my friend and myself the cinnamon rolls and covered the tip haha. Enjoy Fort Myers! We visit Naples, just an hour south, every summer, and I absolutely love it. You should visit if you can!

    Alexa
    http://www.lifeshuffled.com

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:18 pm

      The cinnamon rolls at Hundred Acres were AMAZING. Some of the best I’ve ever had. And I could never live so close to Strand, I’d be there for hours every day!

  22. January 2, 2017 / 6:07 pm

    For awhile I could not get past the picture of what looks like the best macaroni and cheese! haha M&C is my favorite food!!! It looks like you had a wonderful year and I hope 2017 is just as wonderful if not better for you! Happy New Year!

    with love, Danielle

    • January 2, 2017 / 7:17 pm

      The mac and cheese is SO good! If you’re ever in Philadelphia, look them up they just opened a restaurant it’s called Mac Mart. The crumbs on top are actually potato chip panko crumbs… so delicious! Thanks Danielle, I hope you have an amazing new year too!

  23. January 2, 2017 / 6:54 pm

    2016 sounds like such a great year! And those food pictures… I’m so hungry now!!!

    Tori

  24. January 2, 2017 / 8:49 pm

    2016 seems like it was a wonderful year for you! Cheers to an even better 2017.

  25. Kaitlyn Fickle Killebrew
    January 3, 2017 / 8:28 am

    We had kind of similar 2016’s! I adopted my puppy roux as well!

  26. January 3, 2017 / 10:19 am

    I loved being apart of your 2016! So jealous you rang in the new year in such a fabulous spot, but you guys totally deserve it! Cheers to 2017 & us (hopefully) making a trip to Philly this summer!!

  27. Adriana
    January 3, 2017 / 11:23 am

    What an awesome year! I love your pics – and Cancun really is the best! I can’t wait to see what 2017 holds!

  28. January 3, 2017 / 5:37 pm

    What a wonderful year, looks like you had a wonderful time. cant wait to see what you do this year.

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