Wow, it feels strange to even be typing this…2018…in review?  HOW?  Wasn’t it just 2017?  Wasn’t I JUST writing my 2018 year intentions?  Wasn’t I just writing 2017 in review? (Just went back and read that post and it brought back so many good feelings and memories!)

Anyway, 2018, you were a great year.  I said that last year, but I think I can confidently say this year was better.  2018 was a year of lots of new experiences, less travel, but more time at ‘home’, the year Bruja’s Bakery REALLY took off (well, last year was only the first year), the year people started to recognize me in public from this blog and Bruja’s Bakery (super cool when it happens but I am also shy!).  Oh, and it’s the year I became a Spanish citizen!  I think 2018 brought less loss than 2017, and even more love.  Let’s see the highlights from each month, shall we?

In January, I spent a few weeks at home (I surprised my parents!  That was fun 🙂 )  I got to see friends, sleep in my own bed, have nice relaxed dinners with my parents, and do my favorite things- like sit in the kitchen while my Mom cooks, and drag my Dad to the gym.  I remember also feeling a bit lost and unsure with life and myself and how things were going… what a way to start the year, right?!, and subsequently, I wrote this post about the meaning of ‘Home’.  I also wrote a lot of recap-style posts, and a post about bagels in Madrid (which, admittedly, I wrote to draw traffic to my site- it worked).

In February, Luis and I hosted a delicious brunch with friends, when I got to share homemade bagels and a beautiful quiche.  When I look at the picture below, it’s crazy that besides Luis and me, only ONE of those people is still here.  I wrote a post about how to make friends in a new city.  Looking back, I think I was still feeling ‘off’ from January, and writing about how to make friends was my way of telling myself to take my own advice.

In March, Luis and I ran the Bomberos 10k race that we have run for the last 2 years, and then we had brunch with all of our runner friends.  It was a lot of fun!… especially Luis complaining during the run 🙂  I also had dinner with all of my roommates and the neighbors upstairs, and recapped it here.  Lastly, we spent a weekend in Valle de Jerte with friends!  We stayed in a HUGE house and went hiking- it was a great weekend.

By April, things were starting to warm up.  Admittedly, the colder months were hard on me this year.  I was feeling isloated, hence those posts in the earlier months.  In April, things turned around and the month was full of amazing travel.  First up, Luis and I went to Israel!  We visited Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and had the most amazing time- especially when we climbed Masada at sunrise and then floated in the Dead Sea.  Right after that trip, I unpacked and repacked and headed to Florida for my cousins Bar Mitzvah.  It was sunny and warm and perfect, and so so nice to see my parents.  We plotted our 3 month Florida trip for 2019, but that won’t happen, haha!

May was an exciting month!  Nothing like warm weather to lift the spirits, right? I went to the Madrid Open with friends and thought it was really cool to see a live tennis match, but also thought one live tennis match is enough for my life 🙂  I also went to ROME and visited my friend Emily and we had the best time eating and exploring the city.  Then, the best part of the month- my Mom came to visit!  At the end of the month, I wrote about cultural differences between dating Spaniards and Americans and it was (and still is) one of my highest read posts of all time!

In June, I found a surge of creative energy and started writing a lot of informative posts on the blog, like what to look for when finding an apartment in Madrid, featured some people’s stories about dating Spaniards, and wrote the Ultimate 11 Day Trip Through Italy.  Oh, and I was working for CIEE.

In July, I did a bit of travel!  I went to Granada for the weekend with CIEE, and then traveled to Lahr, Germany with my parents and brother for a very meaningful family trip.  Doris, if you are reading this- hello, and Happy New Year!

August felt like a long month I remember.  I think that was due to the intense heat, but also the fact that everyone was gone and I was feeling a little bit ‘wasteful’ with my time.  I did do a lot of blogging, though.  I wrote a lot of informative posts, including this easy summer recipe, pros and cons to being an auxiliar de conversación in Madrid, how I naturally moisturize my hair, and told you all about our ultimate California road trip.

September was a fun month!  We went to the USA with two of Luis’ friends and did an amazing road trip from Los Angeles to Vegas to San Fran and more.  After the trip, I spent a few weeks at home with my family.  We went to the beach (my Mom broke her toe, that was a big bummer), I went to New York for the day and visited my friend Kimber, and all of my visa stars aligned and I was able to secure a last minute visa to come back to Spain, which I did in….

October!  After 6 weeks at home, I was ready to get back into my groove, but feeling very thankful for wonderful time with my family.  I didn’t tell Luis when I was coming back, so that was a fun surprise 🙂 I shared a few random posts, and then shared a recap of our lovely weekend in Valladolid and visiting Boedga Prado Rey (where we tried delicious wines, always like a lady) and it was very cold!  I miss that scarf…I lost it shortly after 🙁

November was an insanely busy month for Bruja’s Bakery!  I made over 80 pies in just a week, but didn’t burn a single one.  At the end of it all, we had an AMAZING Thanksgiving dinner with 27 of our friends (Luis was THRILLED!).  After that, I had another delicious Thanksgiving to attend and then met Luis at a party.  

And that brings us to December.  The month when Luis and I traveled to Marrakech for a weekend away, and the month I became a Spanish citizen.  It’s been a mild month so far with days full of sunshine and 50 degree weather.  We had Christmas dinner and lunch with Luis’ fam, and we are gearing up for New Year’s dinners.

A full year since I have sat down to do this type of post.  A full year of love and life and experience and hard times and healing and growing and changing.  I can’t believe it’s been a year, but if nothing else, it makes me appreciate every single day and experience that I have because I know that in a blink of an eye, it will be the 2019 Year in Review.  

Happy New Year to You and Yours!!!  Any plans?

May it be filled with love and light!

And because these videos always make me so happy, here is the 2018 Google Year in Search, where Google compiles our most heartwarming searches during the year, despite all of the bad, there is a lot of good.

p.s. I may be sporadically blogging until after the New Year.  I will see how often I can pop in.  Thanks for reading!