This quote perfectly captures my thoughts about 2016. My 2016 was filled with uncertainty. At the beginning of the year, I went full throttle on building my blog. You may hear people thoughtlessly say that blogging is easy, but there's nothing easy about it. I've had moments where I doubted if I'm built for this. I've made mistakes along the way, but have also learned many important lessons. You can read more about those lessons here. 

I've had some great personal joys and losses. In May, I accomplished a goal of obtaining my Bachelor's Degree.  However, my life changed one month after graduation. I experienced a deep personal loss when my Grandfather died. This was the man that raised me. He taught me how to swim, how to drive, and countless life lessons. A month after his death, my mom was hospitalized and I almost lost her. Thankfully, she is now doing well. During this time, I was extremely depressed and had to force myself to write. Some of you might not realize this, but I posted this photo on the day of his funeral.

This was a very dark period for me.  I didn't have the desire to write, but I forced myself to do so. The grief felt overwhelming at times, and so did being around people. However, with prayer, spiritual study, and support from family and friends I made it through. A day never passes where I don't think about him, but my strong faith and hope for the future really comforts me.

I'm writing this post to be transparent. Things aren't always the way they appear on social media and there's a lot more to me aside the fact that I'm passionate about travel and dining. Going forward, I will still post about these topics but I'll be including more lifestyle posts. As my blog continues to grow and evolve its important that you see more of me. I'll be popping in to give you updates with these "Whats Up with Shasha posts."

So lets fast forward to today. I'm really happy with the progress that my blog has made but I still have much more to do. Earlier this week, I started a new position that will allow me to put my degree into play. This is really big for me, because I have been on the search since graduation. Some of you can attest to how real the struggle has been. I'm extremely excited about this new opportunity and how it will allow me to grow my career. However, my eventual goal is to work for myself and to build my brand. 

In 2017, I'll be cutting back on some of my travel in order to accomplish a goal that my husband and I have always wanted. Home ownership!

We just purchased our lot and will be moving into our new home next Summer! This process is very exciting yet nerve-wracking.  Don't worry, I'll be blogging about the entire experience and will be keeping you updated. 

So this leads me back to the original quote. My motto for 2017 is that anything is possible. Thank you all so much for rocking with me over the past year. 2017 is going to be EPIC so stay tuned.