Letter from TeriLyn – December 2024

Happy New Year friends! Like all of you, December was nuts but I actually feel like I was able to enjoy the holiday season with less chaos than in years’ past. I think it really helps that I create gift guides so early in the season because I can get my own shopping done and focus on what matters!

Family

Some of my favorite memories with Thomas were picking out a real tree, decorating all five trees we ended up with (lol), seeing the “snow” that our church blew at the kid’s Christmas event, and then getting real snow the next day! It was also so sweet putting up the luminaries that our neighborhood does every year with him; he’s still talking about them. We also took him to Tweetsie, and it was his HEAVEN. He absolutely loves Christmas, and he loved that it was a night just with him (Charles stayed home with Tommy’s parents). And, of course, Christmas morning was really sweet. He wanted an Iron Man mask, an Iron Man hand, and a “shark flippy over the car,” which Santa delivered.

The other thing that was so special in December was going home to see my family. My parents couldn’t come to NC for Thanksgiving this year, and I hadn’t seen them since February, so I flew to them. I took Charles with me and decided to bring my social media assistant and close family friend, Salem, at the last minute. She was SUCH a huge help, and we got some amazing pictures! The older I get, the more I appreciate just what a good family I have. They’re all so sweet with Charles – watching my nieces and nephews with him is especially sweet since they’re all so much older. It was a quick trip, but I had time with my family, which was the main goal of the visit.

Health

Since cutting out gluten, I’ve (unfortunately) felt so much better. I’ve struggled with persistent joint pain for years, and it got a lot worse this year. While I’ve found a few things that help (like this and the Tumeric Complex from Just Ingredients), cutting out gluten has almost completely eliminated the pain. And when I accidentally have gluten (or intentionally have it, thinking it’ll be fine), I can tell within a few hours that it’s caused issues. So, I’m off gluten, sadly but I am grateful to have found something that helps — especially since that means I can run again!

I’m still not running long distances, mostly because I don’t have the desire or want to take the time, but I’m happy with 1-2 runs a week. I really love strength training and working with my personal trainer once a week. We do 30-minute sessions, and I can tell the difference in my body, and it’s fun to learn new moves.

Work

December was actually busier than usual with a couple of last-minute sponsored posts that popped up, but they were brands I was so excited about! Here’s who I worked with in December:

• Solawave – I featured their red light wand, which is a product I’d been eyeing for myself for a while and had already purchased for two people as gifts before they even reached out. A perfect fit! Here’s the reel I shared.
• Mejuri – They’re a long-time favorite jewelry brand of mine, and I always feel cool when I get to work with them.
• Primally Pure – This is the clean beauty brand I’ve used the longest, and I absolutely LOVE their new packaging. I shared their body butter and face mist.
• Nordstrom – It’s still surreal that I got to work with them, even in a small way!
• Subtl Beauty – A new-to-me makeup brand that I quickly fell in love with.
• Honest – I absolutely LOVE their kids bubble bath; finally one that I feel good about using with the boys.
• Colleen Rothschild – And, of course, the loveliest brand I’ve ever worked with (I’m so thankful to have an ongoing partnership with them this year as well). They make great products, and the team is a dream to work with, which makes the partnership even better.

And, on that note, I’m going to wrap this up and get back to work! I’m shooting photos today for “What shoes to wear with flare jeans,” new pictures for what to wear to church, and also working on a post called “What to wear with leggings (so you still look polished).” It’s cold out, but I kind of love it!

Thanks for being here. Your support simply by reading and clicking my links means more than you know since it allows me to have the job that I do– which I absolutely LOVE.

My Favorite Products of 2024