I got my my first dog.

All my life, I've never understood the love people had for their pets, until I got my little furball. He's my little lovebug and I wouldn't know life without him! He drives me absolutely nuts sometimes because he's a little rascal and loves to get into tons of trouble, but I love him.

I celebrated my first year anniversary.

They say the first year is the hardest year... and they were right. It wasn't easy. There was a lot of communication and trust that goes into making a marriage work, but I'm so happy to be facing the world head on with my rock (almost literally. lol.) by my side. He's so amazing and I love him so much. Till death do us part. To infinity and beyond. #teamgardenzo

I gained a forever kind of friend.

I met Monica in 2011 through work, but our friendship didn't start blossoming until late 2012. As the years went by, we've gotten closer and more transparent with one another. When we talk, there's no walls and no hesitation. We don't have to be anything else, but our unfiltered selves, and that's hard to come by. I'm grateful to God for her, and I'm so happy to have her in my life.

I had a mini reunion with my cousins.

My cousin got married in Austin and there was a mini reunion; some of my cousins I haven't seen since I was 13. Granted it was only a quarter of the whole gang of "apos" (it means grandchildren in Tagalog), but I was so happy to see them. Being the youngest of fifteen cousins, it was crazy to be all grown up and join the older crowd, but being together with my family was literally everything.

I started my fitness journey all over again.

My super weird sweaty selfie.

Thanks to inspirational people in life like Sam and my sister, I started diligently working out again. It started with a small challenge in October and I'm still on that kick. In October, I started running, well more like wogging, walking with Simba, and weight lifting a little bit. In November, I did kickboxing at 5:30am three days a week. In December, I've been mixing it up. With help from apps, workout videos, and circuit calendars, I'm making it through. So far, I've lost 12 pounds and can now run a (almost) 10 minute-mile, which is a major improvement from my 16 minutes. I'm not bragging (well maybe a little lol), but this is a true testament that anyone can do it. I'm still foodie at heart and love my sweets, but I'm doing my best to keep a balanced and healthy life.

I'm grateful for the year that God has given me and feel truly blessed.

Here's to another awesome year!

-Gardenia Rose