2023: Year in Review

Reflecting back on 2023 through the lenses of life, travel, and this blog.

This again?

I know the “this year went by so fast” schtick probably feels a little tired, but man, it feels like just yesterday that I was reflecting back on 2022.

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For my new friends, at the end of each year, I carve out some time to reflect on the past twelve months. It’s my small attempt to grab the reins of passing time to hold each year a little closer, a tough feat in a world that remains focused on progress over everything else.

Today I’m curling up on the sofa with my best friend and a cup of coffee from one of my favorite roasters to take a look back at 2023. Though the lines grow ever more blurred, I’m going to try to categorize this post into life, travel, and this blog. Who’s up for a walk down memory lane?

LIFE

A collage of photos at home and in Charlotte — Time spent at home and in Charlotte (*clockwise, top left*): sweet Meow; Camp North End; building a versatile wardrobe; From Charlotte With Love Mural; mini photoshoot with Drew Furr

Though I no longer like to create traditional “resolutions,” I always like to look back at the year by going through the list of intentions I set at the start. I find it’s an excellent tool for preparing to lay the foundation for the year to come (I’ll soon begin writing that post for 2024, but for now, I’m going to focus on looking back). As a refresher, here are the intentions I set for 2023:

Use the good stuff. I set this intention because there were still a few categories of items in my household that I noticed I was hesitant to use because they felt too nice – the good yarn, the good pens, the handmade bowls, the fancy ingredients, that kind of thing. I think I’ve actually done quite nicely with this intention, and it now feels like the normal thing to do. That stuff is meant to be used and treasured, after all!

Get back in the air. I’ll talk about this more in the travel section below, but my goal for 2023 was to get back to flying regularly. Though I didn’t say it outright in my blog post in January, I hoped to book at least one flyaway trip per month to return to something that resembled my pre-pandemic travels. And I did!

Continue exploring my personal style. One big intention here was to have more fun with my wardrobe, and I feel like I’m finally enjoying getting dressed again. And I’d shared that I wanted to expand the outerwear and skirt sections of my wardrobe (thoughtfully!). I’ve bulked up the former quite nicely, but I’m still not quite feeling confident with my skirt choices. I want to like them – I love dresses and think skirts can be a great alternative to packing an extra pair of pants in my suitcase – but I struggle a bit with the fit on my curvy and petite frame. I guess we’ll call this a work in progress.

Get moving again. Another bout of vertigo a few months back hindered the progress I’d made, but slowly I’m ramping up my workouts and hope to return to my normal levels one day (soonish!).

Establish healthier blogging routines. I won’t lie, there have definitely been times when I’ve stressed over hitting deadlines (real or imaginary – because, let’s face it, I have learned that I need to give myself deadlines to stay motivated), but I feel like I’ve more or less found my footing. Running a site can be overwhelming – like, there’s always something that can be added or improved, so it’s hard to know when to step away – but upgrading my laptop earlier this year and developing some internal systems has been a huge help.

Make self-care the norm. Yikes, I did not do this, like, at all. The only quantifiable goal I shared at the start of the year was getting a massage once each quarter. I booked exactly one back in March (which honestly was pretty awful), and haven’t done anything like it since. My body is aching for care, but I have such a mental block when it comes time to spend money on it. Knowing I can buy a plane ticket for the price of a massage or a pedicure only makes me want to fly away. Spoiler alert: I expect you’ll see this goal in my intentions for 2024.

Overall, I wanted my theme for 2023 to be routine. In some ways, I’ve been thrilled to adopt a routine because it reduces the mental load for some tasks (like say, choosing to have the same meal for breakfast every day means I don’t spend my mornings trying to figure out what to eat), but I worry that it’s robbed me of the joy of novelty in others. I suppose no one ever feels like they have everything 100% figured out; instead, I’ll embrace these lessons to continue growing and evolving.

As for non-intention life updates, this year would have been a pretty solid, stable, steady year were it not for the passing of my grandmother at the end of September. The grieving process has been incredibly hard; occasionally it pops in my head to give her a call for our weekly chats, and then it’s like losing her all over again. I know that it’s normal to experience loss as time goes on, but this was a big one, and one that will likely take a long time to ease.

Still, there have been plenty of bright moments, too – so many hours spent with friends and family, exploring Charlotte, and, of course, doing my favorite thing: traveling.

TRAVEL

My goal this year was to get back in the air at least once each month, and I can proudly say we did just that. Rising ticket prices made it quite a challenge at times, but I think it all evened out in the end. This year’s flyaway trips included Austin, New York City, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, Rochester, Nashville, Paducah, San Francisco, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Regional road trips were also big for us in 2023, taking us to North Carolina cities like Albemarle, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Blowing Rock, Durham, and Salisbury, as well as out-of-state to Richmond, Virginia; Hinton, West Virginia; and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

(For my bucket list friends, that’s a total of 14 states visited in 2023, plus a few treks across the South Carolina border while at Carowinds).

My one regret? We didn’t travel internationally this year (in retrospect this is probably a good thing as I recently discovered that *someone* let his passport expire – we’re currently waiting on his new one!). But I’m so glad we took the time to explore often-overlooked destinations here in the South and along the Rust Belt – it further cemented my belief that every destination has something to offer travelers.

BLOG

Five images from the year's most popular posts — A few of this year’s most-read posts (*clockwise, top left*): 8 Essential Restaurants in Rochester, New York; Richmond Weekend Travel Guide; Solgaard Carry-On Closet Review; Avelo Airlines Tips; NYC Winter Packing List

Thanks to traveling to four new states this year, I can finally say I’ve officially covered half of the 50 United States here on the blog. While I’m not necessarily trying to visit and cover every state, it still feels worth celebrating.

Also worth celebrating is your presence! There are more of you this year than in any previous year, and I’m so grateful that you’re here. I always think it’s fun to see which posts were the most read and to see what items readers were shopping this year. Care to nerd out over some data with me?

Most-Read Posts of 2023

While posts from earlier in the year have had more time to simmer, some newer ones were popular, too.

14 Things You Should Know Before You Fly Frontier Airlines for the First Time | After years of flying the budget carrier, this post finally came together – and just in time for the busy holiday travel season.
13 Things You Should Know Before You Book a Flight with Avelo Airlines | Before I flew Avelo for the first time, I Googled them and couldn’t find all the information I needed – so I wrote the post I wish I’d read!
A Travel Blogger’s Review of the Solgaard Carry-On Closet | It had been ages since my last luggage review, and I guess I’ll take this as a sign you’re interested in more of them!
Eight Can’t-Miss Restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio | There is some good eating in Cleveland – don’t underestimate this city.
8 Essential Restaurants in Rochester, New York | Food people are my people (you’re my people!).
The Perfect Weekend Travel Guide for Your First Visit to Richmond, Virginia | I can’t believe it took me so long to write about this incredible city. I’m ready for a return visit!
10 Things You Need to Know Before You Fly on Contour Airlines | Another airline post I would have loved to read before flying this one for the first time.
Universal Standard’s FINAL Mystery Boxes Are Here, and I Have an Exclusive Discount! | Truly the end of an era! Mystery Boxes are sadly over, but you can always save 10% with code INFS-AMBWAYWARD.
The Travel Pill Organizer I Never Leave Home Without | Traveling with medication is never easy – but this little organizer is a big help!
Traveling Light: New York City Winter Packing List | This packing list was one of my faves, too!

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Your Favorite Things

A list of the things you added to cart!

Mystery Boxes from Universal Standard | I hope you found your new favorite piece!
Puma Duffel | This bag fits under the seat on Avelo Airlines while maximizing space.
Chelsea Boots from Nisolo | It’s hard to beat this classic boot style.
Travel Pill Organizer | Doesn’t this make toting all those medications easier?
Carry-On Closet from Solgaard | I had no idea that unpacking could be so easy.
Tencel Jersey Fit & Flare Dress from Quince | This dress didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but I hope it works for you!
Super Luxe Baby Cashmere Crewneck Sweater from Quince | Soft, supple cashmere for under $100? Yes, please.
The Way-High Linen Drape Pant from Everlane | A summer essential, these drapey linen pants are a warm weather dream.
Veja Esplar Sneakers | I can’t quit this sustainable shoe brand, and apparently you feel the same way!
Baby Alpaca-Wool Cropped Cardigan from Quince | This is my go-to cardigan to wear over dresses as it’s ultra-lightweight, but also so warm.

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There are so many posts in my drafts that I just couldn’t get to this year (time, and all that!), and I’m so excited to continue sharing even more travel and style content in this space in 2024.

WRAPPING UP 2023

Closing out another journey around the sun is always bittersweet, but I’m choosing to focus on the lessons I’ve learned this year to establish a healthy start for 2024. After all, we can’t stop time ever marching forward…

But mostly, I want to hear from you! Are you feeling sentimental for 2023, or are you just ready to plunge right into 2024? Did you travel anywhere new this year? What was your favorite destination? Did anything about this year surprise you? Did you discover something new about yourself?

Where to next? Why not give one of these a read:

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