2016 Highlight
And there goes another year! For a lot of people, 2016 has been a year of huge challenges and heartbreaks. It was the year of frustration and disappointment, from both the US and Philippine elections alone, the year of tragic deaths of a few known people that made us realize how life is short, and is definitely the year of bad music (but this part is subjective hehe).
But despite all the wrong things this past year, there are a few good ones that are worth looking back to. For me, 2016 has been a year of revival, discovery, community, and opportunities!
⏤ COLOMBIA ⏤
This year, I traveled to Colombia with the family, to attend Jorge's cousin's wedding. I met most of Jorge's family from his mom's side and they were very warm and welcoming. I'm so glad I met them, and it was nice to have seen where Jorge came from!
We also had the most amazing experience in San Andres, where we were able to relax and enjoy the beach for 5 days! I still haven't finished editing the vlog for that trip, as well as the blog photos which is so bad, but I swear, I will get them done before January ends!
⏤ Columbus, Ohio ⏤
Like I said earlier, 2016 for me was the year of opportunities, and the biggest one was my sponsored trip to Columbus, Ohio! I was extremely excited when I got the e-mail from RhythmOne asking me to travel to Ohio. It was my first time ever, doing that kind of thing as a blogger, and I sure hope that it won't be the last! I love to see new places, and if I get to do it for free or with compensation, it would be so much more fun!
What makes this trip extra special to me is the fact that it was Jorge and I's first solo out-of-town trip together! We drove to Ohio in our new secondhand car, and it's definitely a trip to remember! Like my Colombia posts, I still have two pending posts for Cbus, so again, I will try my hardest to get these posts up before January ends.
⏤ SPONSORSHIPS AND CAMPAIGNS ⏤
2016 was the year of paid blog work! This year, I learned a lot about how bloggers make a living off of their blogs, and how hard it actually is! I learned the dynamics of creating drafts for clients, having deadlines for certain posts, and really brainstorming for quality content! I've learned the beauty in building relationship with brands, like Memebox, Parabo Press, ELF Cosmetics, IT Cosmetics, and so many more!
It's also still so unbelievable to me, the amount of products I've received this year from brands! I am so grateful for all of that! I'm glad that brands trust my work, and again, I'm really hoping that in 2017, more and more opportunities come my way! Here are a few of sponsored work I've done this year:
⏤ COMMUNITY ⏤
This year, I've become a part of a Jesus movement called Ascend, which I now call my second family. It took me a few months before I really allowed them to be a part of my life, but when I finally did, my life was completely changed. I believe that God has placed me here, in this city, to be a part of Ascend, so I can truly see what God has called me to be, and for me to be able to live out that calling for His glory. There was a new encounter, a revival in my heart, a rekindling of the fire I once had for the Lord, and Ascend and its leadership has really helped keep that fire burning. I've never been involved in a group like this one, and I'm still learning so much about this whole ministry thing. But one thing is for sure; I wouldn't be doing this Jesus thing with anybody else! Also, it's just a great feeling to be serving the Lord alongside your husband. ❤️
In less than a year, God has used me in ways I didn't even know I was capable of doing, like be a volunteer whether it be registration, hospitality or moving stuff, become a leader of our Young Adult Ministry (and even though it was short-lived, it was an amazing experience), be a part of the worship team, and even film some of our events! As a ministry, we've done so much this year, and I'm very excited for what God's going to do next. The two biggest things for me were BASECAMP, and attending The Drop 2016 in North Carolina.
S E E: The Drop East Coast Experience
Here are a few videos we put out this year. I highly suggest that you watch them if you haven't already:
⏤ YOUTUBE ⏤
In 2016, I stepped up my YouTube game and created videos like it was nobody else's business! 😂 I started putting out more and more beauty videos, until I realized that it wasn't fulfilling to me anymore. God changed my heart, so then I kind of started looking at YouTube and making videos in a different light. When I first decided to turn YouTube into a second job, all I had in mind was to make money off of it. But then I felt like God was telling me that I can do so much more, that I can show my viewers show much more of His glory; not for my glory, fame, etc., but for Him!
Anyway, as you all may have noticed, I've taken a break from daily vlogging. December felt a little weird for me, hence the lack of content on both my blog and YouTube, but I'm sorting things out. I need to determine the things I should prioritize in 2017, so I know how I would proceed in creating videos again. I'm not leaving YouTube. I love the freedom and creativity I get to exercise in my videos, so I'm going to keep doing it. I just feel like I won't be able to do as much of it as I originally wanted to, because after all, blogging is my ride-or-die, so I'm putting Explore with Corinth first.
I would like to take this moment to thank all of you for 950 subscribers! I didn't reach my goal of 1,000 subbies by the end of 2016, but I only have myself to blame for that because of all the slacking I did these past few months. 😅 I will keep the content coming, just don't expect them to come out weekly. 😬 Here are a few of my favorite videos from this year:
⏤ Bullet Journaling ⏤
Bullet journaling is definitely a highlight of 2016 because it has really helped me stay focused and organized for the most part. I'm still learning the ropes, but I'm really enjoying every bit of it. I don't post about it much here on my blog, or my Instagram, but I'm going to change that in 2017. I will be creating a "bullet journal" category here so I can share with you the few things I've learned about bullet journaling. I'm by no means an expert, but I still want to share my knowledge with you guys, because bullet journaling is part of my life now.
S E E: #CorinthsBuJo on Instagram // My Bullet Journal and Why I Started One
⏤ #TheSuarezHome and The Suarez Car⏤
Jorge and I moved out of his parents' house in the end of July and even to this day, I am obsessed with our apartment! We are living with Angelo, Jorge's oldest friend, and the experience has been amazing! It's been really nice to have our own space, to be able to wake up whenever we want to without the vampire jokes 😂, and we get to really be independent. This place is an absolute dream, and sometimes, I still can't believe that I live here. I'm just so grateful because God has really provided Jorge and I good things this year.
S E E: #TheSuarezHome on Instagram
We also got our first car this year. It's a 2005 Volvo S60. It's not a new car, obviously, but it's a really great first car for us. It's in really good condition, and we got for a really good price which was a huge blessing for us!
⏤ MY GIFTS ⏤
Besides Jorge being the greatest gift of all time, the two best gifts I got this year were my Canon 70D and my very new iPhone7 Plus. The Canon70D was Jorge's birthday gift for me, and it has really helped me with both my blog and YouTube channel. On Christmas, Jorge surprised me with the phone I've been bugging him about since its press release. I am absolutely in love with my new iPhone because of its Portrait mode feature, and I am also enjoying the bigger size! Never thought I'd be doing the upgrade, but the new camera got me shook so I'm so glad Jorge got it for me!
⏤ NYC 2016 ⏤
Our trip to New York City in 2016 was Jorge and I's second solo trip together. This time, we rode the bus to NYC, and I must say that it wasn't that bad! We had planned to start on creating our own family tradition, and we thought that traveling to NYC every December would be a great one! We went for two days again this year, the 24th and the 25th, and our trip was nothing short of amazing! I will be writing the blog posts soon so stay tuned!
How did 2016 treat you guys? What are some of your favorite moments of 2016? Let me know!
I pray that we all go into 2017 with an open heart, expectant of great things, with nothing but love, joy and peace to share.
Happy New Year everyone! 🎇 🎆
