If you didn’t receive a hard copy of this letter, there may be a reason. (1) It got lost in the mail. Or (2), I ran out of cards and printer toner and it snow-stormed—when I had like seven letters to go.

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Would ya look at this. It’s a good ol’ fashioned Holintine. You know, a Holiday Card/Valentine. I missed the socially acceptable time frame for sending my annual holiday letter—couldn’t bare to miss it two years in a row.

As I sit down to write this, I’m still brainstorming a good format. Everyday I write informative articles, but that’s not my aim here. Hmm. Let’s use those [chalky] Valentine candy hearts as a starting point. Each paragraph is inspired by one of those cheeky phrases.

Let’s start with a relevant weird fact. Just thinking about the texture of those hearts gives me goosebumps. Sounds bad, but I’ve made strides in the texture department this year. I can actually handle having my nails filed.

Last note before we dive in. Let me clarify one thing:

When I say ‘Steve’, I mean my boyfriend. If I’m talking about my Dad, I’ll say ‘Dad’. Life isn’t always easy. 😉

DREAM BIG: This pretty much sums up my 2017. Lots of big dreaming. I started my business in October 2016 and dedicated most of my energy to building and systematizing it this year. I made things official and formed Riley Content Group LLC. I write content marketing articles about tech, business, and all things career. I’m also building two communities, paidfreelancewriting.com and loveyourmonday.org. Pretty pumped.

LOVE ME: 2017 was a real adventure. I spent 118 days travelling: two countries (USA & Canada), 13 states (CA, OR, NV, CO, WI, IL, IN, OH, PA, NY, NJ, MA, FL), and one Canadian Province (ON). And the only way this was possible? Housing was provided during 108 of the 118 days. I am blessed with a generous network of friends and family who love me. Seriously. You make my travels possible and I’m grateful for your hospitality.

YOU ROCK: You know what else rocks? Colorado. And Red Rocks Amphitheater. I highly recommend getting yourself to this venue. In October, I took my second trip to Denver with two St. Norbert friends, Miranda and Kayla. We saw Straight No Chaser and Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, visited Garden of the Gods, discovered my new favorite place, Estes Park—where we rode horses (more on that below), and at one point, we were surrounded by a herd of wild ELK while we sought refuge on a playground. Well, Kayla was on a rock.

BE MINE: So, about my horse. His name was Brain. I envisioned forming an immediate bond with him (BE MINE. PLEASE). But as we climbed 500+ feet to an elevation of 8,155 ft., it went more like this: step, step, step, STOP. Step, step, step, STOP, reach for a trail snack. When he stopped, our guide told me to kick him. So I did, gently. He said, “No. Kick him like he cheated on you!” Brain was stop-and-go until we made it to the top. I asked the guide about Brain’s personality. He said, “He’s called Brain for a reason. Some horses are attached to the group, so they prefer to follow. Brain is independent and he knows the shortcuts. He’s not much of a follower.” From then on, we had a better connection because I realized we’re basically the same [human] being: independent and ready to forge our own path.

LOVE BUG: Since we’re talking about Colorado, Steve (my love bug) and I are hoping to move to Colorado in mid-2018, like 5 months from now. I’m heading there for a conference in February and we’re going back together in early March to scope it out as a place to live. We’re specifically looking at Denver, Boulder, and the surrounding area, but open to options. Know someone? Hook a girl up.

TOO HOT: Weird candy heart, but let’s go with it. I spent about a month in FL and NV this year. In March, my Mom, Dad, Katie Glod and I went to Florida. We saw a ton of dolphins, went shelling on an island, and saw a CRAB in the ocean (definite highlight). In May, my sister received a Gold Award at the Recon Maxi Awards in Las Vegas for her event, College Night Out at Paseo Nuevo. She gave an acceptance speech to a bunch of bigwigs like a boss lady. #toohot Lastly, I went back to FL in Dec. to visit Jade and I saw a wild ALLIGATOR.

SMILE: Steve and I went to CA and OR this summer. We started in San Jose—Sarah and Judson had just moved there from Santa Barbara. We explored their new neighborhood before making our way to UC Berkeley. In San Francisco, we visited two friends from grad school, James and Erin. They introduced us to SF and we saw a WHALE SPOUT by the Golden Gate Bridge. After SF, we flew to Oregon and visited Steve’s family. Some OR highlights: Cannon Beach, Seaside, downtown Portland, Multnomah Falls, The Dalles, Hood River, Timberline Lodge, white water rafting, St. Paul Rodeo, and seeing wild BIGHORN SHEEP. Beaming smile.

PUPPY LOVE: Sad warning. Skip to the next section if you don’t like sad things. My cat, Snickers (aka Scooby) passed away in January 2017. That said, she lived an awesome life. I got her as a kitten when I was seven, so she was seventeen. She was there for every formative phase of my life: elementary, middle, high school, college, and grad school. What a trooper. There’s no way to make this not sound weird, but that cat even showered with me. Like I held her and washed my hair at the same time. #noregrets To bring it back to this whole puppy love thing, our (i.e. my parents’) other two pets are doing well, Missy (dog) and Margo (cat).

I ❤️ YOU: 2017 was, and 2018 is, packed with weddings. My cousin Emily got married in March. My friend from grad school, Meredith, got married in September. My friends Kate and Eric got married in November. And 2018 is full. May – Sarah & Jason in WI, August – Meghan & Michael in WI, July – Erin & James in CA, and September – Sarah & Cam in IL. It’s about to get magical. I ❤️ you all.

ANGEL: One final story—this happened in 2018, 1/28/18 to be exact. I received a pretty attractive job offer on 1/27 for a full-time, remote writing job. A really tough decision. Do I want to work full-time for someone else? I’d have a guaranteed salary, but I’d need to pause my business. Or, do I want to continue building my own thing?

I’m a super reflective person, so I decided to spend the morning reading, journaling, practicing yoga, and considering both options. My day started with a 20-minute drive to yoga. When I got in the car, I intentionally decided to ‘Scan’ the radio and stop when it felt right. I’m not religious, but serendipitous and spiritual, yes.

So, that’s what I did. I scanned and stopped. A song finished and the host said, “Everyone wishes they could know the future.” At this point, I’m already on the edge of my seat. Gripping the steering wheel. He introduced the analogy of a magic 8 ball, “We wish we could use it to answer life’s big questions.” At the end of the bit, after quoting a bible verse, he said, “As for the magic 8 ball, my sources point to ‘no’.” I probably could have quit reflecting at that point, but nonetheless, I went and sat at a duck pond (like any normal person would) to compare pros and cons before officially declining the offer. And given recent developments, I’m confident I made the right decision. It’s so intrinsically rewarding to firmly stand in your values and believe in yourself.

XOXO: Moral of the story, 2017 was a beautiful year of adventure, change, risk, reward, and learning. I am so grateful that you are in my life. If the past year taught me one thing, it’s that life is way too short to postpone your own happiness. Life is really remarkable when you realize that you have the power to build the life you want. Dream Big. You Rock. XOXO.

Much love,
Laura Therese Riley
Age 25