A new year, a new decade.  I feel like I am ending the year — even the decade somewhat anticlimatically.  I hate to be pessimistic, but I do have very mixed feelings about this last year: it was another year of transformations and starting over, which of course is hard and uncomfortable but can push you to better places.

In 2019, I challenged myself to be more transparent.  I wrote blog posts that were very personal — which was new to me.  The chatter online is that you only see the highlight reel of people’s life on Instagram or Facebook, so I tried to show not just the good but some of the harder times too.  It has made me more comfortable sharing and allowed me to face my feelings and fears — knowing you can talk to your online community and they will readily respond with advice or words of support, is truly a rewarding experience.  

Even though the last year of the decade was likely the hardest of them all, I still look back on the entire decade fondly.

10 Highlights from this Last Decade:

-Starting My Stiletto Life (2013).

-Getting my own place in NYC (2016).

-Moving into my condo in the Bay Area (2019).

-Falling in love and taking a chance (2017). 

-Graduated from Parsons in Fashion Design and started working in the fashion industry in NYC (2010-2017).

–Adopting my dog, Roo (2018).

-Working for my family business (2018-present).

-Making new friends in LA and reconnecting with old ones (2017).   

-Traveling to Israel (2010), Argentina (2013), England (2015), Germany (2015), Italy (2016), Japan (2016), Spain (2017), Sweden (2019) and so many other places.  

-Celebrated my 25th (2010) and 30th birthday (2015).

Sometimes I feel lost and not sure where I’m heading but writing down my 10 highlights from this last decade does help me see what I’ve done and the experience I have gained from it. Thus, giving me perspective for the next ten years.  

Here are some of 2019’s highlights in photos.