And just like that, 2014 is over.

Every year for the past couple of years, I think to myself there’s no way the next year can go faster than the year before, yet I’m always surprised. Either I haven’t learned yet, or I keep holding out hope.

I started 2014 with a vision of what I wanted thesassylife to be, but that vision soon changed. And by soon, I mean about 3-4 weeks into 2014.

The direction of the blog shifted a lot over 2014, with more of an emphasis on food/recipes than before and less of an emphasis on nails/nail art.

And I love that shift. It reflects my changing interests as a person. I never intended for this blog to have any particular focus. It’s a lifestyle blog. I’m sharing my life with you guys!

With all that being said, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts with you all from this year, and share some important highlights from my year.

DIY Flower Letter – This is one of my favorite DIYs from 2014. It’s pretty simple to make, and though there is a little bit of an investment involved in getting the silk flowers, you can keep this beautiful flower letter for years to come. It makes a great gift and looks great at parties and weddings.

Homemade Wonuts (Waffle Donuts) – I attempted making these colorful and sugary wonuts pretty much as soon as I found out wonuts existed. Pinterest was a huge fan of these wonuts.

DIY Woodburned Coasters – I’d never done a DIY like this before, but these rustic coasters are perfect for the holidays. This post represented trying something new and hoping it worked.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette was one of my favorite books from 2014. I’d actually made a goal to read a book every month. While I didn’t share every summary with you all on the blog, I’d like to say that I almost met my goal. Almost. This book was hilarious and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a funny book.

I also did some traveling this year. One thing I really wanted to do in 2014 was travel. 

Los Angeles, CA – Lucky me, I went to LA twice this year. It was a pretty big travel year for me in general. While my travels tapered off at the end of summer, I was very blessed to be able to spend time exploring.

Amsterdam, Netherlands – I also ended up in Amsterdam.

India – I also ended up in India for a short while.

I must say, I seized all the travel opportunities I had and am blessed to have been able to travel to far away places and travel fairly frequently in 2014.

2014 in general has been a good year for me.

I’d like to take a moment to thank my amazing readers. You’re awesome. I hope you had an amazing 2014, too.

Happy New Year! 

To the future! 2015, here we come!