December 2022 Recap + Year In Review

Goodbye 2022 and hello 2023! This year has really gone by fast. I swear every month kept getting shorter and shorter. Am I the only one?! 

So, with the month of December and the year of 2022 coming to a close, it’s time to review. It’s time to recap all the goals, my favorite things, the best memories, and just talk about all the things! 

It can feel really exciting to look back on the year but it can be really hard too depending on what has happened in the last year. So, if you are looking back at your year and don’t feel happy because your goals didn’t work out, you lost a loved one, you struggled with your mental health, or literally anything else that would be difficult to deal with, you are not alone. 

While I will be keeping most of this post positive, don’t think for a minute that my entire year was perfect. No one is perfect and unfortunately, bad things do happen to everyone. 

But for the purpose of this post let’s focus on the good, shall we? Let’s review 2022!

Disclaimer: Links included in this post might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my blog!

2022 goal review 

Overall, I do feel pretty good about the goals I set this year. I can tell you right off the bat that most of them were not achieved BUT progress was made so that makes me happy! 

Hit 3k page views on my blog 

Did not achieve this goal BUT I am halfway there which makes me so happy. 

Start an email list 

I did that! I made a personal goal to reach 100 email subscribers and I made it to 55 so again, about halfway! 

Make money from my blog 

I guess technically I did achieve this but I mean… it was $2.78 from Amazon affiliates HAHA but hey, it’s something. I do want to be honest though and say that I did have to reapply for the program twice due to not getting enough sales and looks like I’ll be getting kicked out again soon so might take a break from this moving forward!

Write 5 guest posts 

I did that!! I also turned my guest posting into a freelance blog writing side hustle and actually got paid and have ongoing clients!

Hit 2k Instagram followers 

Not quite! I’m at around 1500 followers, so very close! 

Other goals 

As for my ETSY SHOP goals… we can just disregard all of those because I ended up not pursuing Etsy as I just did not have the time and my goals pivoted which is always okay! 

My favorite memories from 2022

2022 was full of so many exciting and fun memories. Some of my favorite memories would be:

Traveling to Las Vegas and seeing Cirque Du Soleil – I have always wanted to see one of those shows and we didn’t even plan on going because the tickets were so expensive but at the last minute decided that we needed to see it! I loved every second of it and hope to see another show in the future.

My 28th birthday – it was a fantastic weekend! We got to go to the Motley Crue concert in a suite!! I also hosted my own birthday party with all my friends, had a donut cake, and was given a GIANT bouquet of flowers. 

Wedding stuff – 2022 was the year of decisions! We picked our wedding venue and date. I found my wedding dress which was such an amazing experience.

The blog turning 1 – what a fantastic milestone! Looking back at the first year of this blog, I am so happy I stuck with it. The growth I’ve seen in the last couple of months has been simply amazing. We all start somewhere and I’m so glad I pushed through to see Life By Deanna turn 1! 

Mexico trip – going to Cancun was a great time. We had so much fun in the sun! My favorite memory from Mexico was visiting a Cenote and swimming. I am so scared of fish so it was a huge step for me and I had an absolute BLAST! 

Honestly, there are so many other fantastic memories. All the kitty cuddles I had with Luna, the dinner dates with Nick, the birthday parties, trying on bridesmaid dresses with my bff, decorating for Christmas… There are so many!!! 

The best things I used/ bought in 2022

Lunas water fountain 

Luna (my adorable cat) had a bit of a health scare in the summer. She ended up being dehydrated and had a fever. We got her this water fountain to promote more drinking and she loves it! She drinks so much more water now and it’s super cute watching her drink out of it haha 

Neutrogena hydro boost 

The best and most affordable way to hydrate your face! I use it under my make up every day and my face has never been so smooth.

Aritzia super puff 

This was a Christmas gift and I’m in love. Need I say more? 

Clever fox planner 

I’d say this is one of the best planners on the market. If you are looking for a new planner I would highly recommend this one. It’s undated, has spots for goal setting, weekly spread, and habit tracker… it has it all! 

Lamp 

Ordered this lamp on Amazon for the living room and could not be happier. It’s dimmable and looks really clean and nice! Have had it for about a year now and it’s still going strong.

Grow long leave in conditioner 

This was a random purchase but it does make your hair feel really nice. Bought it because my hair is always horribly tangled when I get out of the shower and this solves that problem. Also, my fiancé loves it too 😂

Computer monitor cover 

Fun fact: Luna has ruined 2 computer monitors by biting them and breaking the screens. Got one of these covers as a last-ditch hope and no more monitors had to suffer! 

Lounge dress from La Vie en Rose  

Another Christmas gift and I loooove it!! I will not be wearing anything else ever again. Not only is it adorable but it’s the most cozy thing I’ve ever put on my body.

Burt’s bees lip oil

I love Burt’s bees anything to be honest but I recently got this lip oil and I love the way it feels! Plus, it looks like a really juicy lip gloss without that sticky feeling.

Dr Teal’s bubble bath 

The OG when it comes to bubble bath! It’s my go-to forever and always ❤️

Favorite books read 

I read 60 books this year. My goal was 50 so I definitely surpassed that! I had a lot of good reads this year but here are a few favorites:

• The Vampire Academy series Richelle Mead
• Hook, Line, and Sinker  by Tessa Bailey
• One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose – if you like audiobooks, this one was great on audio!
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry
• The True Love Bookshop by Annie Rains 
• Kingdom of the Wicked series by Kerri Maniscalco

Top performing blog posts from 2022

I decided to pick the blog posts with the most shares and comments for this category! So here are my top 5 performing blog posts from this year: 

• How To Create A Successful Monthly Reset Routine
• How To Plan The Perfect Life Admin Day
• The Biggest Struggles Of Blogging As A Homebody (+ Tips For New Bloggers)
• How To Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone (+ 15 Journal Prompts)
• How To Create A Simple Goal Focused Weekly Plan

Reminder going into the new year 

The new year can be a super fun and exciting time! It’s so fun to plan out new goals and imagine what the next year will bring but here are 3 reminders to keep in the back of your mind…

1 – you are perfect the way you are right now and if you do make any changes in your life, it’s just a bonus! 

2 – don’t let others fool you. Nothing happens overnight and no one’s life is perfect. Take everything you see online with a grain of salt

3 – do what you need to do to protect your peace this year. Leave toxic people and mindsets in the past. You can only be your best you if you leave all those people and thoughts that drag you down in the dust! 

Thanks for reading my end of the year wrap up! I really appreciate each and every one of you who read my posts and take the time to comment and share! It really does mean so much to me. At the start of the year I felt quite discouraged because I wasn’t seeing growth but wow! 2022 has been a great year for my blog and I am so happy to share all my thoughts and insights with you all.

Have a wonderful New Year and can’t wait to keep sharing and growing into 2023! See you all then ❤