Highlights of 2018 and Goals for 2019

2018 was an amazing year for Samantha Joy Events. I think of a quote I saw recently about how you overestimate what you can accomplish in a day and underestimate what you can accomplish in a year. It’s true so much happens in a year. The process of reflecting on what happened puts a little perspective on how time flies but also how we allocate our time to what we find important. If you aren’t happy with what last year looked like I encourage you to take a look at your priorities. If you are happy with last years progress, congrats! Isn’t it such a great feeling to see what you are capable of. Here at SJE, I have found that some of our tasks are taking a lot longer then they need to. We need to refine some of our processes and worksheets to save some time so we can create more valuable content for our readers.

When I reflect on one year it immediately make me think of how I want to shape the year to come and with that comes goal setting. I haven’t set a New Year’s resolution in years but instead set both personal and professional goals. Not sure when I started setting goals but when I changed the mindset I was able to accomplish more. For me it worked by setting a goal for the year and developing a plan with steps and a timeline on how I would get there. Breaking it down in steps helps me digest each part of what I needed to accomplish. I’ve used the passion planner for years to lay out a plan. I’d suggest it if you are looking to make big changes or have found yourself not achieving your goals. Some of my past goals: do the splits, complete a full Spartan Trifecta, and find the perfect little office. Do you set resolutions or goals each year?

I’m sharing a few of my favorite moments from 2018 and a few of the goals that we can share for 2019! Tell me yours in the comments. I want to check in and see how they go throughout the year.

Favorite Things of 2018

1. Designing for the Jenny Haas Photography Workshop

It is obvious why this is easily one of my favorite moments of the year. I got to design and style for the photography workshop at Laural Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana. The full-day photography workshop hosted by Jenny Haas brought together 12 photographers from all over the Midwest who spent the morning in mini sessions and the afternoon putting what they learned to work. It was great to connect with the photographers, many of which I have now had the chance to work with and have become friends. I was also honored to teach two of the smaller sessions both “Styling for Flatlays” and “Shooting for Growth and Goals.” If I could attend workshop once a month I would. I love the opportunity to learn and how it brings people together to create new relationships. We look forward to more workshops in the future.

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2. Spending my Birthday and Christmas in Italy

My husband travels frequently for work but doesn’t get many international trips. Last year we got to go to Japan and this year I heard he might go to Italy. I was so going with him to Italy no matter what! The first trip got cancel and I was so bummed, but when we found out that he would be going the week before Christmas and week of my birthday we figured why not stay a few extra days and stay over Christmas. It was different t not spend the holidays with family but nice to do something different and a bit quieter. We had a blast spending the first few days in the countryside and visiting Lake Barcis at the foot of the Dolomite Mountain range, with some snow covered mountains. I have been slowly learning to shot manual on my Nikon and took every chance I had to test settings. We spent the second half of our trip in Venice and stayed at the incredible Hotel Nani Mocenigo. We wandered the streets most days popping into different shops and lighting a candle for my grandmother, who had just passed away, in as many churches as we could find. Waking up in a thick fog almost made us feel like we were in a true fantasy. My favorite part and one of my travel tips is to hire a local photographer to remember the trip by. We spent a few hours with Venice photographer, Alina Danilov, wandering the canals, bridges and even getting a few pigeon pictures, which scared the crap out of me. It was a great Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary trip all rolled into one.

3. Leah and Alex’s Hotel Covington Wedding

This Hotel Covington wedding was one of my favorites of this year. Leah and Alex are a great examples of two people in love, but it was how they always consulted with each other and knew how their decision would impact the other. I had so much fun working with them to create a design for their wedding day that included the adorable pup Mabel (pictured below) and their cat Pinot. I’ve included other couple’s pets before but this was one step above. Mabel greeted their guest as they walked into the ceremony and got to walk down the aisle!!! She was such a well behaved and loved pup. Look at that face!! We also did our largest installation ever. Actually, we did 2 installations for their Hotel Covington wedding. This first and largest was an 8-foot wide escort wall, which sat alongside the Hotel Covington barrel wall, it took several days and multiple vendors to make. The other was a full favor display with a 6-foot long table vignette topped with a collection of containers that contained the custom wedding socks with Mabel on them!!

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4. Our Family Addition…Milo

In a few days will officially mark Milo’s adoptoversary. I can’t believe he has been with us for a WHOLE year. I’ve always loved dogs, but I grew up with lizards and fish, really whatever my brother could keep alive, which was never very long. We decided to adopt on a whim and it was the best whim ever. I always thought people were too obsessed with their dogs and I never got it. Well, I’m sorry...I get it now. I love my dog, Milo. He has been the best addition to my life since moving to Ohio. He really has grown to be part of the family and he loves my in-laws. If you can do it I recommend adopting or rescuing a pup.

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Goals for 2019

  1. Share more videos and get in front of the camera - This scared me a bit in 2018. I keep parts of my life private and felt like I couldn’t really get in front of the camera. Well, I want to pull from some of that fear and use it to grow and connect with each of you. I have always loved connecting with people and understanding what makes them unique and keeps them excited everyday. In 2019, I want to share more of that with you. I want to share more of the design process and sourcing process for each of our events. I’m also going to introduce you to our team members, our office, and more.

  2. Monthly Meet-Ups - I’ve been a co-leader for our local chapter of TuesdaysTogether a creative entrepreneurs group and what I love is supporting the other businesses and connecting with new business owners. I’ve been throwing around this idea of taking that one step further and host a once a month lunch or dinner, open to anyone who just wants to connect, network, or just have great conversation. If you are interested let me know. I’m going to keep it small and limit seats each month.

  3. Growing Our SJE Team - I will be posting shortly about two new positions we have available. I’m excited to give other women or men the opportunity to be part of our team and explore a creative industry. If you or someone you know is looking please point them in our direction. Both positions are part-time.

  4. Finish renovations - We have been working on our home for way to long and all we have left is the roof and the hall bath…I say all we have left as if that’s small project but it’s not. There are plumbing and electrical things we will need to look into.

Do you have any goals or resolutions for the year? I’d love to hear them.

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