CIAO, 2017!

Boy was I happy to say "so long" to 2016. Don’t get me wrong, lots of awesome stuff happened last year.

The Good Stuff:

• I traveled to Europe for the first time (see my last post).

• I transferred back to my old company for an awesome position.

• I moved into a house with a yard for my dog.

• One of my best friends got married.

• I saw lots of amazing live music (Beyoncé, Drake, SXSW, ACL, Wiz + Snoop…).

• I made lots of new friends...sorry Drake. :)

• I tried yoga for the first time.

• I had my Austinversary (one year in Austin, already!).

• I started THIS blog you’re reading!

Above are some random photos of some fun times from last year. 

I guess I’m a little salty over the end of 2016 because I was diagnosed with shingles on Dec. 30th. Total buzzkill. It sent sharp, burning pain through the left side of my back around to my underarm. It is MUCH better now. I still have some red marks on my back, but I feel like I got really lucky because it could have been much worse.

Regardless, it’s a new year, and no matter how cliche it is to say, January is such a metamorphic time of year. I feel like my mind accepts resetting and transformation so much easier than other times of the year.

Instead of setting lots of ridiculous resolutions this year, I did a personal exercise to choose a focal word for the year.  I’m going to keep coming back to this word and challenge myself on whether I’m living it or not. I will focus on this word throughout the year and try to embody in all aspects of life. The word I chose was mindful. Shout out to one of my previous directors, Char, who I believe instilled this in my brain. She was a great boss, and I loved working on her team. One of the things I learned from her was to be mindful. Especially in my work, but also with my words and actions. Being mindful can mean so many things, but for me, it started with being honest with myself over whether or not I was always giving 100% of my effort.

When you have people counting on you, 90% isn’t good enough. You have to come in with your “A” game every day.

So, what’s ahead?

I’m working on building up my content and revamping my blog. I want to travel more. We have a trip to Cabo planned in May. I just finished the Whole30 challenge which I’m hoping I conquered it a few pounds lighter (post to come on my experience). I want to be more mindful (see that?!) of my passions. I have a nice camera, so I want to take some photography classes. I also plan to work on my Italian, so I can move past CIAO. :]

I am wishing each of you the best for the year ahead. Do your best to make each day GREAT. You deserve all the good things in life.

XO,
Kimberly

THEKINI TRAVELS: LONDON + VERONA

Buckingham Palace - London

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I was recently granted the opportunity to travel to Europe for work. The company I work for develops CGI animations for many top luxury and tech brands. Part of my team sits in Verona, Italy. So, I was lucky enough to travel to visit the team and learn more about the company and their capabilities.

If you'd asked me four years ago when I left college if I'd be traveling across the Atlantic for my job, I know I would laugh. Life has a funny way of sorting itself out, if you don't stand in the way. This was my very first time travelling abroad.

We [travelling with a colleague] landed in London early on a Sunday morning (and I don't think I picked my jaw up off the ground until I landed back in Austin seven days later). Everything was beautiful. Everyone was beautiful. You won't find this blog dedicated to fashion. I like pulling myself together, I enjoy shopping, but I don't consider myself ultra-fashionable in most uses of the term. These days I prefer comfort chic or is it athleisure? ;) 

The Brits were polished. Posh. And, in some cases grand. I immediately wanted to toss my carry-on bag in the nearest alleyway and have someone refine me. Every building was SO old. It felt magical. Truly magical. After checking into our hotel in Kensington, we took the Hop On/Hop Off bus to avoid going straight to sleep. It was a great way to play tourist and see most of the city. Take as many photos as possible. It helps relieve the travel blues when you do return home. While in London, I saw Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the London Eye, and tons of museums. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go into any of them. However, I did find out that all the museums are FREE! So, it's definitely at the top of my list when I return. 

THE CRAZIEST THING THAT HAPPENED ON MY FIRST DAY ABROAD WAS ALMOST GETTING RUN OVER BY A CAR BECAUSE MY BRAIN WAS PROGRAMMED TO LOOK THE "WRONG" DIRECTION. 

We were only in London for one day before we took another quick flight to Verona. Jetlag definitely set in on the second and third days. But, lucky for me, I was in ITALY. Home to some of the best espresso known to man, and I sure took advantage of that. Verona was honestly the most gorgeous, romantic place I've ever been. I felt like I was walking around in a fairytale.

Arena di Verona - Piazza Bra

It was interesting for me leaving an English speaking country the day before to enter a country that doesn't speak my native tongue. The people were so friendly, and listened through my very, broken basic Italian and would help in any way they could.

It was nice to have friends in Verona that could show us around the city, and take us to the most delicious restaurants. I had a wonderful time exploring. Honestly, I didn’t want to return home. I ate so much pasta. I got to go inside Arena di Verona located in Piazza Bra, visited the booths and carts in Piazza Erbe, Castel Vecchio, and Giulietta's Balcony! Every angle in Verona was picture perfect.

Amazingly, I was able to pack for my entire trip in a carry-on! I also carried a UA backpack for my laptop and things I needed to quickly access. I left enough room to stuff my cross-shoulder bag inside as well so I would still technically meet the two-bag requirement.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE PHOTOS. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WHAT'S YOUR NEXT TRIP? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.

P.S. - Please forgive that all these photos came from my phone! I promise to bring my DSLR on my next trip now that I have one international trip under my belt! I must also mention that I lost many of my photos from this trip when I got a new phone a couple weeks ago. My heart aches, but new memories can be made. 

XO,

Kimberly