One Year of Faith & Fancy!

Today, January 6th, officially marks one full year of blogging! I cannot believe it. What a year it has been!

I don't remember the exact moment in time that I decided to start back up after a two year hiatus, but I think the stress of nursing school, the heartbreak of a crumbling relationship, and more than anything a desire to express the more creative side of myself were all significant factors in that decision. I still very vividly remember writing that 'Hello Again' post, which is still one of my favorites to this day. Little did I know that that post would be the first of many, and was the start of something that has truly brought me so much happiness over the past year. Faith & Fancy has allowed me to explore and express the more creative side of myself that I don't think many people, including myself, knew was there. Although it is not my career, I feel like it has allowed me to discover my own little niche, and I am forever thankful for that. The decision to bring back Faith & Fancy was one of the best decisions I made in twenty sixteen.

It has been a year of happiness, but it has also most certainly been a year of growth and much learning. Every so often I will look back at those early posts and cringe just a tad at the questionable choice of filters on pictures shot on an iPhone. However, it shows me just how far I've come in what has really been a short amount of time. At the beginning of Faith & Fancy, I had no idea not only about the very technical side of blogging, but I also had no idea just how much time I would have to put into learning it all. Little did I know that I would have to teach myself all about the world of Photoshop, Lightroom, HTML code, and DSLR cameras. It took a lot of trial and error and practice, and I am by no means a pro in any of these things, but I am proud of how far I have come and excited for all that is yet to be learned!

On January Sixth of last year, I was completely naive to the amount of time, money, and effort I would have to put into this new found love of mine. Time and money were both something I didn't have much of while in nursing school, but the desire was there and thus the effort always followed. Despite the limited free time I was working with, I knew that if I tried and just trudged along, my efforts would be worth it. To me I was happy to just get a couple posts up a week, sometimes less, but I knew that eventually all three aspects would come together. Although time is something I definitely have more of these days, I'm still working on the money aspect! Eventually all three will come together and I look forward to seeing the growth that will occur when they do. For now, effort is most important in my book, and I promise there most definitely is no shortage of it here!

Most importantly thank you all. Thank you for your kind words and endless support over the past year. It really means the world to me and I am so grateful. It brings me so much happiness to be able to share the things that bring me joy, words of wisdom, highs and lows of life, pretty and tasty things, adventures, and everything in-between with you. I think I would continue to blog even if no one bothered to read it, however knowing you all enjoy following along makes it that much sweeter. Thank you!

In that very first post, I said that Faith & Fancy "Will serve not only as source of happiness for me, but it is my hopes that it will do the same thing for you". Here we are a year later, and it is still my hope that Faith & Fancy not only provides you with a source of happiness but also a dose of inspiration and shot of zest. I hope you continue to stop by and follow along in this adventure of mine, I love having you along for the ride. Thank you for the sweetest of years. I look forward to many, many more.

Much love, Gretchen.

Below I'm Sharing Some of My Favorite Highlights from the Past Year!

January // Said Hello Again and shared some of my Skincare Favorites

February // Talked about Love Notes and Valentine's Day and tried a New Restaurant

March // Daydreamed of a Tropical Paradise, shared my First Outfit Post, and got personal About the Future

April // Reviewed one of my Favorite Mascaras and shared my Running Essentials

May // Finally tried SoulCycle and talked about the inspiration behind the Name 'Faith & Fancy'

June // Completed and posted my 101 in 1001 list and told you all about my Go-To Eye Cream

July // Talked about Perspective, getting the perfect Summer Glow, and Seersucker Bikinis

August // Revealed my favorite Summer Getaway, shot the cutest Summer Clutch, and prepared for a Thirty Day Trip

September // Talked about What I Had Learned, went on that Trip to Europe which included London and Paris

October // Came home with So Much Gratitude, wrote about Italy, France, and Spain, and shared this Red Lip

November // Celebrated my Twenty-Third Birthday, revealed our Bathroom Renovation, and talked about Gratitude

December // Welcomed the Holiday Season, crafted a Holiday Cocktail and Gifts, thanked and said Goodbye to 2016

What a year it has been! I am blessed and look forward to all that is to come! 

xo. G