KATIE KENNEDY

New Goals for 2020

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Here we are. It’s not just the start of a new year, but the start of a whole new decade! I took the first day to truly veg out with David, but I’ll be starting the year 2020 off with an obligatory post about goals and resolutions for the new year. Even if no one reads it, I love sharing this publicly to the universe. You never know who needs to read it or where accountability can form.

Continue to see Growth with Orange to Apple.

2019 was such an amazing year for my blog. I’m most proud of the fact that I nearly tripled my readership. While I think living in New York was a huge factor in this, because St. Pete isn’t known as a fashion capitol, I hope to keep this momentum going into 2020. For me this means truly posting daily, sharing more about my personal life, and documenting my travels around the Sunshine State.

Serve as Your Guide to St. Pete, Florida

Speaking of St. Pete, one of my big goals for the new year is to become an unofficial/official ambassador to the city I love so much. I’ve lived in the area for nearly my entire life, seeing it positively change so much along the way. It truly should be a top Florida destination. Later this week, I’ll be starting a new weekly series on the blog, and a fun Instagram side project, to share the best that this city on the bay has to offer.

Travel!

Isn’t this one everyone’s list? Well, it’s certainly been mine for the past few years. Admittedly, I wish I gave myself more opportunities for travel while living in New York. Between JFK and Newark, I have direct flight access to nearly the entire world! The Tampa Airport, while much smaller, still gives me a lot of options. A quick drive to the Ft. Lauderdale or Miami airports still make traveling abroad extremely easy. Even just staying in Florida, I have way too many places in my home state that I’ve never explored. I hope all of that changes in 2020.

Save Some Money

This is probably the most ‘adult’ item on this little list. Now that we’re back in Florida, we can have a real conversation about buying a home and starting a family. Neither of those things would be wise without taking the nest few years to save up money. I know that doesn’t match with more travel goals, but it’s all about finding a happy balance. David is a budget extraordinaire and has crunched the numbers to get us where we need to be.

Cheers to a new year! Since sharing goals and resolutions is about sharing accountability, I would love to know what’s on your list! Feel free to share in the comments. We can all help each other be successful!

Love from Florida,
Katie

If you are more interested in travel than style, be sure to visit my exclusive travel page, here.

2019 In Review

Oh what a long, strange trip its been! 2019 has been one for the books and I’m ending the year with my absolute favorite blog post. Each December 31st, I like to give a review on the year to share the moments that mean the most to me. It’s a fun and quick way to recap on the highlights. Who knows, ten or twenty years from now, I may look back on these posts and enjoy the walk down memory lane. You can also read about my recap from 2018, just in case you’re interested about my full story!

January: Rang in a New Year as a New Yorker

Celebrating NYE in NYC is such a quintessential New York experience. It’s an evening where city slickers can let their guard down and just enjoy themselves. Although we didn’t dare make our way to Time Square to watch the ball drop, saying no thank you to the horror stories I’ve heard, it was just as nice to wander through our corner of the Upper East Side to our favorite local bars and dives. 

February: Fell in Love with Beautiful Bermuda.

Since New York schools take a winter break each February, I was able to have a week-long beach retreat to Bermuda. This island must be heaven on Earth. I loved everything about our trip and constantly talk with David about returning soon. Since February is considered the off-season, we had great deals, but still glorious 70 degree weather. Better yet, the only people in town were locals, making for a very memorable trip!

March: Saw my Brother and Sister-In-Law Say ‘I Do’. 

Next, we traveled up to Vermont to say David’s brother and his now-wife say I do. David was, obviously, the best man, and I was so honored to be included as a bridesmaid. Since my SIL is from Ecuador, the bridal party included the sweetest girls from South America. They know how to party! We danced, we drank, and had the best time until the sun was coming back up. 

April: Danced the Day Away at the 50th New Orleans Jazz Fest.

Still not done with travel, David and I flew down to New Orleans for the 50th New Orleans Jazz Fest. Always one of my favorite cities, it was so special to celebrate this monumental anniversary. Jazz Fest was actually our first trips together as a couple and will always have a special place in my heart. The music was stellar and the prettiest weekend to spend outside. If you’re a music lover who’s never been, definitely add this festival to the top of your list!

May: Ended the Month in Las Vegas with my Best Friend.

One of my best friends, Kelsey, goes to Las Vegas each year for her dad’s business and I was so happy to be invited to join again. At first glance, Las Vegas doesn’t seem like it would be scene, but Kelsey and I are on the same page when it comes to spending our day. That includes sips by the pool, a bottle of wine at happy hour, and just a touch of gambling. 

June: Started a Market Internship in NYC.

I can definitely say that 2019 was the year for new experiences. Instead of working summer school, I had the incredible opportunity to get a marketing internship with David’s company. Yes, I was the oldest intern by at least 10 years, but I learned so much about the industry and new strategies to improve my blog. Most importantly, it gave me a sense of looking at my website as a true business and operating as such. So much personal growth happened for me. 

July: Traveled Abroad to Paris and Engelberg, Switzerland.

July, you were probably the most jam-packed off all! It all started with 4th of July celebrations and celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary with dinner at Ralph’s in midtown. The next day, I was off jet setting to meet Kelsey, always my travel companion, in Paris. It was my first time visiting the city of lights, but I instantly fell in love. I’ve been bugging Davide to death about a Spring Break trip, but we’ll see. After Paris, we had plans to take the train to Bordeaux, but Bastille Day had different plans for us. Since we couldn’t catch a single train, we opted to visit Kelsey’s family friends in Engelberg, Switzerland. A tiny town in the Swiss Alps, it was one of the most picturesque places I’ve ever visited. 

August: Decided to take a Break from the Classroom.

After a lot of soul-searching abroad, and throughout the summer, I made the very personal decision of taking a step away from the classroom. Not able to find my footing in this particular NYC school, I feel like I fell out of love with the profession. Please don’t misunderstand, the family and students at my school were absolutely incredible and so supportive! I found myself feeling like an outsider with the other teachers, especially since nearly all of them were born and raised New Yorkers. Since I knew it wouldn’t be fair to my young students to start the school year already frustrated, I took a break. It was, hands down, the best decision I’ve made for my mental health in a while. I still have so much delight working with children, I know I’ll be back in the classroom soon. 

September: Road-Tripped to Newport, RI with AAA Northeast.

2019 also had me landing the biggest campaign of my little blogging career. After making so wonderful contacts with AAA Northeast at an event with the Yankees, I was invited to make a road trip to Newport, Rhode Island on their behalf. I made the most of this trip, shooting fun content and snapping my own pictures from around this coastal colonial town. David and I loved this town so deeply, we had serious talks about moving away from the city to here, but we know that didn’t actually happen. I look forward for the opportunity to work with AAA again in the year 2020. 

October: Began an Amazing Relationship with Sarah Flint.

It was such a surreal feeling when I got an e-mail from the team at Sarah Flint, inviting me to join their Brand Ambassador program. Since I said, very quickly, said YES, I’ve met other bloggers from around the city and country who all have a passion for good footwear. Now that I’m done moving, and not have to worry about transporting a whole new shoe collection across the country, I plan on stocking up on the basics. If you want to learn more about the heels that everyone is talking about, and get $50 off in the process with code BAKATIE50, then you should absolutely see what Sarah Flint has to offer. 

November: Returned to NOLA for Thanksgiving with my family and best friend.

I can never stay away from New Orleans for too long. Since I didn’t have a classroom to worry about, I was able to take a whole week down south with my extremely kind parents in the Crescent City. I tried a whole list of new-to-me restaurants and celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with my family, best friend, and her mom at one of the most cherished restaurants in the city, Brennan’s. If you have a trip to New Orleans in your future, you can read up on my tips and recommendations in my New Orleans Travel section. 

December: Moved back to St. Pete, Florida.

The piece-de-resistance to end a year well spent is, without a doubt, being able to call Florida home once again. Ah it feels so good to be back in my home city. Although New York City seems like an endless supply of opportunities, I will hold onto the connections I’ve made. More importantly, I’m excited to make new relationships with local businesses and see where those can take me. Either way it’s going to be a fun new chapter to my life, even if in a repeat location. 

If you’ve read through the novel that was recapping the year 2019, I would like to give the sincerest thank you! Although this blog is an amateur forum to let out my creativity and love for fashion, it’s a sincere passion of mine. I’ve heard the quote that says, “the biggest battle is to find the audience of one.” Well, in this past year, my blog has nearly doubled readership and I hope to keep that trend going into 2020. I would love to year about your crowning achievements from the past year and I’ll see you in 2019.

Love from Florida,
Katie

If you are more interested in travel than style, be sure to visit my exclusive travel page, here.

Planning a Low-Key NYE

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So, I spilled the beans yesterday and shared that the Kennedy family has moved to St. Pete, Florida. Since Thanksgiving, it has been a constant stream of packing, flights, and two drives from NYC to down south. To say we’re exhausted is a severe understatement! Now that we’re back from visiting David’s family in Vermont, I am beyond excited to ring in the new year in the most laidback way possible. Currently the plan is to have dinner in Downtown St. Pete with my family, go out for some cocktails with friends, and be in my pajamas, at home, before midnight. Look out though, some of my friends have the magical ability to keep me out until the wee hours of the morning. David is one of them! If you’re hoping to have a very mellow entrance into the year 2020, here are some suggestions from a part-time homebody. 

Have Dinner With Family

Since I missed out on a Christmas dinner with my own family, we made a raincheck for New Years Eve. My parents already had plans to spend the evening in St. Pete before we decided to move down and I’m so glad we could be added to the table. The setting for the evening will be along pristine Beach Drive at one of the most popular restaurants in town. Since it’s hard to imagine surviving a whole year without family, it’s always a nice gesture to get together one last time before the clock strikes midnight. Toast the new year with those that you love the most.

Binge Watch Your Favorite TV Series

If I make it to midnight, it’s going to take a miracle! I’m not what you would call a night owl. I would much rather have lights out by nine o’clock and be ready to go early in the morning. The one exception is when I’m deep into a good TV show binge. Recently I’ve been rewatching The Officeon Netflix and got caught up with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In case you need some assistance making it to the ball drop, find a good TV or movie series to get really invested in. Either start something new or go with an old faithful. 

Practice Your Cocktails Skills At Home

One of the biggest drags about New Years Eve, and yes there are some, is that everything seems so much more expensive! I’ll all for enjoying a cocktail out, but I don’t want to have to take out a loan to drink, let alone get into the bar. To save on money and avoid the guaranteed crowds, work on your mixologist skills at home. If your bar cart is stocked up, you can even perfect a new drink for your repertoire. I love the idea of making a cocktail list themed around the year that you had. 

Invest In Some Fun Board Games

Honestly, I’ve never been one to get super into board games. With the Coleman family, we usually bond other a bottle of wine or college football. With David’s family, every evening could end with a different board or card game. They point out it’s the perfect entertainment in the middle of a Northern Vermont snow storm. On this last trip up, I learned two new card games and was introduced to the board game, Sequence. They were all very simple and extremely engaging. I can’t wait to show them to my family during the next Sunday dinner at Mom and Dad’s. 

Whether you’re celebrating New Years Eve at home or out until the crack of dawn, I hope you all have a safe and fun night. Celebrate the highlights of the past and cheers to the new opportunities that lay ahead of you. I’ll see you in the Roaring Twenties!

Love from Florida,
Katie

If you are more interested in travel than style, be sure to visit my exclusive travel page, here.