Next week I turn 19, and I feel like this year I’ve really focused on finding out what truly brings me joy. This year required me to take a close look at my priorities and reevaluate what was truly important to me. What I found, over and over again, was that the simplest things brought me the most happiness, peace, and love.
I spent more time with my family, fell in love, found my passion, started a company, focused on my mental and physical health, deepened my relationship with God, and found true friendship.
As I amplified the presence of the good things in my life, opinions from the outside world, the pursuit of fame and money, and my anxiety slowly but surely fell away. My hope this year is that I can continue to value ordinary things in an extraordinary way, and in celebration of that, I thought I’d share my current 19 favorite things.
1. Steak and eggs: my current favorite breakfast. I wake up looking forward to it everyday, and as someone who has struggled in the past with disordered eating, waking up every day excited to eat a meal feels like a victory.
2. Coconut oil: If you’ve followed me for a while, you already knew this. This is my holy grail product and I will use it forever. It’s currently slathered over all the bug bites I got on my last trip to Hawaii. Anti-itch and anti-bacterial!
3. Minimal makeup: I still love a full beat now and again, but healing my skin this year and letting my texture show, rocking my natural lashes and leaving the house with a little brow gel and blush makes me feel really fresh and confident.
4. Tacos: my dad’s are the best, but if you’re in San Diego try out Taco Stand. Their surf and turf is incredible, and so is their elote!!!
5. Surfing: I really fell in love with surfing this year. All of my friends in Hawaii surf and it motivated me to practice and keep at it, even if there were days where I felt like I wasn’t good at it. I finally feel good on a board, and just got a custom from Kai Sallas and his business KSLCO that I’ve been riding nonstop. Plus, you may see a surf x Sienna Swim collab coming soon…;)
6. Clean sheets: always the vibe, but especially when you’ve come home from a long day in the sun and taken that post sunburn shower.
7. Scrolling on Zillow: I love looking at real estate. I’m not currently in the market to buy or rent, but I treat it like a vision board for ~someday~ when I buy my dream home. Highly suggest house window-shopping on Zillow with your morning coffee.
8. The plant section at Home Depot: while we’re on the topic of dream homes, mine includes lots of plants. Until I buy that dream home of mine, I can fill my current place with lots and lots of plants. The Home Depot plant section has become one of my regular haunts and I find the smell of soil and all the gardening supplies extremely comforting.
9. Private but not secret: I have a boyfriend. I love my boyfriend. You know this. You don’t know much else. That’s how I like it. 🙂
10. The feeling after a run: To be honest, I don’t ~love~ running. I made a promise to myself to do a half marathon this year, which I’ll be running a few days after this post is published. I do love the feeling after I run though, especially last night’s 10-miler! The combination of satisfaction from a promise to myself kept and the endorphin high is unmatched.
11. Target home decor section: The Target home decor section has provided me with so much serotonin this year. Whether I was in the market for a blanket, holiday decorations, candles, or nothing at all, I always left with a little purchase that made me happy. Call it dream home stuff.
12. My cats: This year taught me that animal therapy is a real thing. When I’m away from them for too long, I miss them like friends I want to hang out with. Their cuddles, funny weird moments and meowing bring me a whole lot of joy.
13. Traveling with Beis: I travel a lot and one of the things that has made my life so much easier was my Beis luggage. I swear these suitcases are magic because they fit SO much stuff and keep everything perfectly organized even when I’m not. Plus, who doesn’t want to feel like Shay Mitchell?
14. Chinese chicken salad: Self explanatory, but a salad with ginger dressing and crispy noodles? The texture, the flavor, the moment. Need I say more?
15. Espresso in Europe: I don’t know what they’re doing differently in Europe but they’re doing it right. Somehow I don’t get a caffeine crash, the espresso isn’t bitter, and it’s so rich and creamy smooth. I need it NOW.
16. Frozen mango as dessert: This is my favorite lazy girl sweet treat. I love the texture, the flavor, and the fact that I can eat it straight out of the bag with no effort besides opening the freezer.
17. Hey Humans coconut mint deodorant: I swear this stuff is the BEST natural deodorant I’ve ever used. It’s plastic free and it actually keeps me smelling fresh throughout the entire day.
18. Feeling the sun beat on your back: Basking in vitamin D is my favorite pastime. I love the warm and fuzzy feeling you get laying in the sun. Nothing beats sunshine when you’re trying to turn your mood around.
19. Big tee shirts: I spent 90% of my year in big tee shirts and bikinis. Lucky for you, I’m working on a little something so we can all match…;)
Thank you all for making my 18th year what it was. To those of you who supported me, I can’t tell you what that meant to me. To those of you who didn’t, thank you for giving me the push I needed to find my priorities. I can’t wait to see what 19 has in store for me. <3
