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Hello! Happy 2017! I'm about a week late in celebrating the new year, and in true Maria fashion, I kept to my word and had an extremely low-key NYE. Movies, aircon (Queensland heat right now is unbearable), hot chocolate and tucked up in bed by 10:30pm. It was great; if I'm going to be given an imaginary "clean slate" such as a new year, I may as well wake up feeling fresh the next day. As you know, I've never really been a fan of resolutions as I don't think you need a new year to improve your life, however, after the uh, interesting-ness of 2016, it's nice to start a new chapter in life. One in which I'll be leaving my teens (weird, since I started this blog before I was a teen) and entering my 20s. Albeit, 2016 wasn't as terrible for me as it was for the world. I actually achieved a lot of what I wanted to last year (including getting the driver's license I've been wanting for SO LONG!) and I'll look back on it as a year that really helped shape me as an individual!

Forever New bodysuit, Dotti skirt, Urban Soul heels, Essence lipstick in "Barely There" 

I'm always excited (and just a little terrified!) for what the future will hold for me but this year I think will be particularly wonderful. Three of my friends are tying the knot, my sister is also getting married (helloooo bridesmaid life!) and it's my last full year of uni before I graduate in the middle of 2018. As always, I hope for Avenue Maria to continue... I love this little corner of the web. It's come such a long way and I love that it enables me to look back on parts of life that would otherwise have been forgotten. "Photoshoots", as my ever faithful photographer (and sister) has dubbed them are always so much fun and I think this year I'd love to experiment more with doing my own freelance photography. If I had the equipment, I would love to document people's weddings professionally, but for now, it's a hobby that brings me an immense amount of joy. That - and collecting records! I bought a record player off my friend last year and collecting vinyls has become a recent obsession. I find that they completely transform the way music is listened to. I live for the little crackle between each track, and the old-worldly feel that Artie Shaw's music brings to my bedroom in all its fairy light glow. 

I hope you've all had a lovely start to 2017 - back soon! Oh, and I updated the January Playlist with a few more excellent tracks. It's such a weird combination... there's everything from Doris Day to Run The Jewels, but it works somehow. Enjoy!