I know it's been a long time but I also know that it doesn't feel like it. It has been that long but in terms of life experiences, IT'S BEEN LIKE TEN YEARS.

I know that the general consensus would agree 2016 was not their year. On a really large scope, yeah, ok, it wasn't our proudest year as a country. A lot of sad, disappointing, and flat-out outrageous things went down. We weren't any less violent. We didn't find a way to live in perfect harmony. We didn't even remotely agree on who should lead us. I get it. 2016: we. are. over. you.

BUT.

When I look at my personal life and what this year brought, I can't help but be proud and feel incredibly #blessed. There were a few major things like HOLY SHIT I GOT MARRIED and it's been 7 months and I still don't actually believe I have a husband. (Married life is the bomb.com by the way. I get to live with my best friend and not have to ever do life alone again.) (Except when he's playing wii.) (Amazon makes really great shows.) (More on that to come).

Along with planning a wedding, I managed to:
go on a kick-ass honeymoon cruise to the Caribbean.
discover running, ran, and ran some more - which lead to a half-marathon(!!!).
turn our bachelor-pad house into a warm, comfy, roommate-free home.
went to a bunch of great concerts including ADELE. I SAW ADELE. THAT HAPPENED.
cut, like, 7 inches of hair off.
get surprisingly good at blackjack.
figure out what it means to love my body.

That last one, though. Let's talk about that. Because my whole life has been a continuous stream of diets and crashes and losses and gains and "no carbs" and "no cheese" and "no fun". Every time I failed at mastering a restriction, I became a little more hateful towards myself. I think about how I used to (and sometimes still) talk to myself and I just get angry. When did that become ok? And what good does it do to bully myself into being better? Because not only does it not work, it leaves behind a trail of pain.  You can't hate yourself into loving yourself. If it does happen to motivate you enough to lose weight, you'll only be skinnier, not happier.

I'm not giving up on losing weight, I'm just giving up on obsessing about it.  Growing a little older means realizing my health has to be everything, but I can be my size and run 13.1 freaking miles and live a freaking incredible life. I won't be reduced to my pant size any more.

A few things I've obsessed about instead of my weight?:
The podcast "My Favorite Murder"
Jane the Virgin, Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent, Mr. Robot
Also, HBO
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls - READ THIS. Even if you're not fat. Even if you're not a girl.
Black skinny jeans (also, learning how to wear whatever the hell I want.)
Running in circles for miles at a time (AKA, the track at Southern) (did I mention I ran a half-marathon?)
All the makeup - There's no denying it, I'm a makeup hoarder. But this year was all about perfecting my technique, refining my routine, makeovers, talking about it 24/7, and of course, Jaclyn Hill
Finding the perfect breed for our first dog
Ashley Graham
Being a lame newlywed and spending a ton of time on the couch with my husband
Tacos on corn tortillas because are they even tacos if they're on flour ones?
The discovery page on Instagram
Getting enough coins to beat the next level of Solitaire Tri Peaks
My nephew, Ithaniel, the most magical 19-month-old boy that has ever lived and probably the reason I don't have room in my heart to love anyone else, and the fact that my sister is here in Chattanooga and I can see them as much as I want



So, I guess you could say I'm back.
I'll try to keep things simple, honest, and....frequent. Ish.
Thanks for stopping by!

-Mariela Marangella

(I have one.

And he's the best.)