Well I know I'm not alone when I say that I feel like this year has just flown by! 2017 was quite the year. In many ways it was such an incredible year and in others, it wasn't at all what I had expected it would be. I think 2017 was a year of lessons for me both personally and of course professionally and with this blog. After 2016 which was kind of 'the year of the hustle', I'd thought 2017 would be a bit of a slower year but that was not the case. That being said I'm so happy for everything that's happened this year and in reviewing the year that was I feel so proud of everything I've been able to accomplish this year and feel inspired and motivated heading into 2018.

Most Popular Post

On January 2 I shared what would become my most popular post this year, 5 Minimalist Bedrooms. Clearly you guys were digging the minimalist vibe as much as I was. I can't believe how popular this post was but it's going to help me set the tone for more content in 2018.

Travel

2017 was a light travel year for us, so in 2018 you can expect to see a bit more travel content but this year James and I did get away in the spring to go to the Abbotsford Tulip Festival. This is definitely a bucket list worthy destination so I highly suggest checking it out. You can also check out the cutest B&B we stayed at while we were there as well as where we stayed in Harrison Hot Springs and another destination I was able to check off my list - Rowena's Inn at Harrison Mills (the CUTEST place ever!). Later in the fall I did get another chance to explore a bit more of Canada when I was able to visit Prince George. Other than that aside from a quick trip to Vegas, a couple of days in British Columbia and a few long weekends in the mountains our travelling has been pretty light. We've got a few destinations we'd like to visit in 2018 so fingers crossed we see a bit more travel next year!

Features

2017 was the year I really started to feel like all of my years of hard work on the blog have been paying off. This past year I've been featured on a few of my favourite sites like Refinery 29, Brit + Co and Apartment Therapy - including a house call post which has been one of my blogging bucket list items since day one! That was definitely a very exciting day for myself and the blog!

5 Years

In 2017 James and I celebrated 5 years together and I was finally able to wear James down enough for him to agree to be in not one, but TWO blog posts! This is huge for my guy who doesn't even like to take a selfie with me, nevermind take part in two blog posts. Maybe I'll be able to persuade James into being in a few more photos next year.....doubtful but a girl can hope! haha

Date Night In

Five Years

Bloggiversary

2017 was 204 Park's 4th year and this year rather than go all out with a big celebration post I kept things simple and shared a few of the lessons I've learned over the past four years. These lessons apply not only to bloggers and blogging but I think they apply to pretty much everyone and they're a great reminder as we wrap up 2017 and get ready to head into the new year.

Tracey

In 2017 I partnered with Edmonton lifestyle photographer Tracey Jazmin and I cannot express how incredible it has been working with Tracey. Hiring a photographer has been without a doubt the best decision I've made for my blog. As soon as I met Tracey I knew that her amazing energy, sense of humor and personality were a perfect fit. Not only is she incredibly talented but she's quickly become one of my dear and close friends. If you're a small business my #1 piece of advice is to ask for help and for me, I needed help with my photos and editing. By bringing on a teammate who can support my business and goals while I support hers, I've been able to free up countless hours of editing and frustration with my lack of skill and ability and I'm so happy to be heading into 2018 with someone like Tracey by my side!

Kresswell

In 2017 I also realized another goal I've had for 204 Park since day one, and Kristina and I joined forces to start Kresswell, an affordable online design service. Kristina and I have such similar tastes in design and how we operate and communicate has always been such a great fit that this year we decided to partner together and I'm so glad we did. We both have pretty big goals for Kresswell next year as it will be a big focus for the both of us for our goals for 2018 so I'm looking forward to continuing to grow my passion project with Kristina!

A Few of my Favourite Posts

Now I've already shared my most popular post this year which is clearly your guys' favourite but I thought I'd share a few of my favourite posts from 2017 - are any of these your favourites too?

Microblading - All You Need to Know