Hello beautiful people! I have been on a long hiatus from social media and anything that has to do with social media or creating content in general. Why you ask? Well, I was working for a couple companies and my job was social media and content creation. After an entire 8 hour day not including my commute, social media and content creation was what I was living and breathing.
Creating content for myself became a point of stress rather than an outlet like it used to be. It also deeply saddened me that I had so many plans for my brand that all came to a screeching halt being so immensely overworked. I would come to my blog or my Instagram and by the time I mustered up the energy to write or post, it seemed hopeless.
I kept trying to make an effort but overtime my goal was becoming further and further away from me. Eventually, I would look back on these posts on my blog and on Instagram in awe for a time that wasn’t so busy or my mind wasn’t mulling over the days work over and over again.
So, yes, I have been away, but I really do have the best of intentions to blog more, post to Instagram more, to do all of the things that made and have the ability to make me happy.
WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
With being gone for so long without a life update or a peep about what I’ve been up to I’m sure you are all DYING to know where have I been, maybe? At the least you may wonder what’s been going on in life and what do I plan to do with my content and blog now.
Luckily, I have the answers you are dying to know and if you aren’t I’ll explain anyway.
Lets start with some LIFE UPDATES:
The real last life update I gave was my Happy New Years 2021, a number of months before that was an update that we rescued a dog, AND before that was that I gave an update sharing that I was going to Vegas pre-pandemic. A LOT had happened in between this and after this. SO lets get you up to date with my life!
2020 Vegas Pre-Pandemic: My friends and I took a trip to Vegas right before the pandemic hit, of course we heard a little about CORONAVIRUS but no one really knew what it was yet. In Vegas, we had a fantastic time; it all seems like a lifetime ago now. I am going to do a full-detail blog post on our trip and give a MUST-DO Travel Guide to Vegas.
2020 Poconos Ski Trip: Ryan, myself and our friends had our yearly ski trip to the Poconos, we had a blast and we rented a really awesome cabin in the Poconos with huge windows. We skiied for two days and also went snow tubing.
2020 LOCKDOWN: A number of weeks after our ski trip the pandemic hit, I actually was laid off from my job and although the world stopped and a lot of terrible things transpired after that all over the world, I was lucky enough to have a decent time during lockdown. Although, I was sad not being able to see my grandmother, I am a homebody at heart.
2020 July: We were blessed with being able to rescue our dog; my precious little Cocoa bean. We brought her to so many places and she truly is the cutest dog ever, I am not biased in anyway, of course.
2020 Trip To Virginia & Baltimore: With the travel restrictions lifted, we followed the necessary guidelines and Ryan and I traveled to visit my cousins in Virginia. We had such a fun time!
My 23rd Birthday: I turned 23 in 2020 and had a fun celebration with friends at the beach and then later-on at a nearby winery.
2020 Trip To Lake George: On my birthday we took a trip up to Lake George, NY to visit my parents and my aunt and uncle!
2020 Trip To Rhode Island: Our couple friend as well as Ryan and myself took a trip to Rhode Island, I will also do an entire MUST-DO Travel Guide for Rhode Island as well. We had so much fun on this trip.
2020 Trip To Philadelphia: Once we got back I went on a small day-trip to Philly and the Camden Aquarium with my sister, nieces and nephews and my friend!
2020 Trip To Connecticut: We took a beautiful trip to Connecticut that was full of fun hikes, visiting a lighthouse, dinner and a tour of Mark Twain House. Again, I will make a MUST-DO Travel Guide for Connecticut.
2020 Delaware/Maryland Trip: Ryan and I took a trip to Delaware and Maryland for a nice weekend!
2020 Lip Injections: I got lip injections in September of 2020 and I will do a post overviewing my experience.
2020 Massachusetts Trip: For October Ryan and I went to Boston and Salem, Massachusetts for a long weekend and had such a fun time! I can do a MUST-DO Travel Guide for Salem as well!
2020 Cocoa’s 1st Halloween: It was Cocoa’s FIRST Halloween with us so I made an entire Halloween Countdown with her in costumes! Here it is:
2020 Britany Spears Party: My friend hosted a Britany Spears party and we all dressed up as different Britney Spears albums/music videos.
2020 Halloween Party: I hosted my yearly Halloween Party, a couple of my friends and I did a group costume of Scooby Doo!
2020 Atlantic City Halloween Party: My friends and I went to Atlantic City for a Halloween Party, we dressed up as “bad princesses” who went to jail!
2020 Halloween: Ryan, Cocoa and I dressed up as Dorothy, Scarecrow and Toto and our niece was the Wicked Witch (as per her request).
2020 Christmas Pictures: Ryan, his family and I took cute holiday photos together this year for his grandmothers Christmas gift!
NEW YEARS 2021: I made a post for this!
2021 Ski Trip: We had our yearly ski trip and had an amazing time at a cabin at a farm, I got to hold a chicken, hold baby bunnies, go snow shoeing and we of course, went skiing. Due to COVID our group was much smaller than usual but we still had a blast!
2021 Atlantic City Trip: My friend group and I went to Atlantic City, New Jersey for a weekend birthday party! Dinner was at CARMINES and we ended the night by playing We Aren’t Really Strangers, I will do a review of this game and share some card answers on a blog post!
2021 Ryan and I Celebrate 6 Years Dating: Ryan and I celebrated 6 years together with a small hike with our pup!
2021 I Opened My Etsy Shop: I had an Etsy Shop Party with my closest friends and family and opened my Etsy shop. I offer a range of products including jewelry, zodiac sign gifts, graphic tees, sweatshirts, tumbler cups, and more. You can look through my shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShabbyChicStephanie
2021 I Started A New Job: I kept myself busy with freelance work here and there but I did start to work for an interior designer, it was a fun job but a short term position. I loved playing with all of the different fabrics as you can see.
2021 My First Etsy Pop-Up: I had my first ever Etsy pop-up shop at a Pride event in my town! I had so much fun and it reaffirmed my decision to open up my own shop because so many people loved the items I had to offer. I cannot wait to buckle down and expand my Etsy Shop and do more vendor events.
2021 Magazine Cover Party: For my job, one of the last things I got to do before my leaving, was go to a Magazine Cover Party for BELLA Magazine on behalf of my job with Ryan. We went to a party in NYC and had a blast! At the party, the keynote speaker was the owner of IT Cosmetics which was so cool. We also got really fun swag bags full of goodies including a candle, an IT Cosmetics mascara, eye cream, nail polish, and more.
2021 Trip To Outerbanks, NC: Ryan and I took a trip to the Outerbanks and had our first-ever camping experience. We camped in a tent on the beach. We had such a fun time and with this trip I will make another MUST-Do Travel Guide.
2021 St. Petersburg Florida Trip: Ryan and I took our yearly trip to Florida, we of course had a ton of fun because we really just took this trip as time to relax, unwind and spend time with family. I also read a book called In Five Years with the book club I started, which I will do a review on as well as make it a habit to give reading recommendations.
2021 Labor Coach: I assisted my sister as she gave birth to her new baby girl Emelia, it was an insanely cool and beautiful experience.
2021 Trip to Maryland and West Virginia: Ryan and I took a trip to Maryland to see the balloon festival and a Sunflower Farm and West Virginia to go and see Harpers Ferry- we also camped on this trip. It was SO magical!
My 24th Birthday: For my 24th Birthday my cousin came down and we (my cousin, Ryan and I) went to a baseball game, we then went out to the bar. The next day we went to a Winery and saw fire dancers, and ended my birthday weekend with going to the waterpark with friends and a family birthday dinner!
2021 Lake George Trip: This year I went to Lake George with one of my best friends to visit my parents, aunt and uncle again! We had a blast. We went on a canoe ride and we went on a dinner cruise on Lake George, which was gorgeous.
2021 Arizona Trip: THIS WAS THE MOST AMAZING TRIP OF ALL, OUR ARIZONA TRIP, RYAN AND I GOT ENGAGED!!!!!!!!! We had the time of our life! I will 100% make a post about our engagement, a MUST-DO Guide and more!
2021 Our First Place Together: On August 31st Ryan, Cocoa and I moved into our first apartment together, of course I decorated it to be a bohemian dream, and did it in no more than 6 days. I do have to thank my in-laws, my family and friends who came and helped me move-in, threw an apartment warming party, and helped me get discount furniture AND decorate/organize the place.
September 2021, A New Job: I got a new job working as a Marketing Manager for a production company. It was such a fun and energetic environment.
2021 Trip To New Hampshire: Ryan and I took a trip to New Hampshire and had a blast. We camped during this trip, it was fall camping so it was cold but we had a great time here. I’ll do a post on this trip as well. I will do a post on this as well!
2021 Halloween Party: I hosted my yearly Halloween Party and each person had to dress up as a holiday, this was the result!
2021 Halloween: Ryan, Cocoa and I were dressed as Marty McFly, Doc Brown and Einstein!
November 2021: Ryan and I chose our wedding venue, had our taste testing for our venue and got our engagement photoshoot done this month (an engagement photoshoot reveal post is coming).
2021 Christmas: Ryan and I sent out our first ever Christmas cards with the return address of our new place and as an engaged couple. We did a cute photoshoot.
2021 Another New Job: I got a job offer for a new company and made the decision to transition to a new job.
2022 New Years Eve Vermont Trip: For New Years Eve Ryan and I took a trip to Vermont and had the time of our life at a dive bar on the slopes of Stratton, VT.
2022 Annual Ski Trip: We had such a fun time this ski trip! We went snowtubing, skiing and stayed at a really cozy Airbnb with some amazing family and friends. Nothing beats our yearly ski trips.
2022 Christening: Our niece Emelia had her Christening and Ryan was chosen as the Godfather, it was a beautiful ceremony.
This is the fastest outline of the past two years I probably will ever give. I had such a blast and cannot wait for more adventures. I will be posting a few times a week, and I am starting to share new content for all platforms. I hope you enjoyed getting caught up and comment below any questions you have for me.
Stay Chic,
