Hey daydreamers! It’s Hannah here!

After five years of blogging under a pen name, that felt pretty weird to type! I’m not sure if any of y’all thought Emmie was my actual name, but if you didn’t know, Emmie has been my blogging name for a super long time. It’s actually short for the username I created when I was nine – “EmeraldPhoenix,” which I thought was an amazing choice at the time. 😂 (The “Emmie” comes from “Emerald”.)

Part of why I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump lately, I think, is that it was starting to feel weird to use a different name. It’ll probably take all of us some getting used to, but I feel like I can be a lot more open with you guys now! As this year comes to a close, I feel like this “name reveal” is going to be the start of an amazing new chapter of Diary of a Daydreamer in 2022.

Which leads me to today’s post… I thought it would be really cool to make a sort of 2021 time capsule to look back on in the future! I haven’t done a yearly recap in a while, but I always like reading other people’s and wanted to make my own. Let’s get right to the post!

songs that were on repeat: I was obsessed with Wonder by Shawn Mendes for some reason, and ofc drivers license was on repeat every single day when it came out 😂

favorite moments of the month: Honestly, January wasn’t the best month ever, and I don’t remember too much from it XD I didn’t write in my diary at all, and I didn’t have very many photos, but taking dance headshots with my friends was super fun!

favorite post: A Cozy January Playlist + Aesthetics! I think it was my first playlist & aesthetics post, and it ended up doing really well. It was super fun to try and find pictures for the collage, and it was fun to share some of the music I liked with y’all!

most popular post: The same one 😛

songs that were on repeat: Anyone Else and Common Sense by Joshua Basset were definitely favorites, Livin’ Right by the Score, still drivers license, and Ophelia by the lumineers.

books I read: I read Anne Frank’s diary this month, and it was incredible! I remember being blown away by her story, and it was a really interesting and impactful read.

favorite moments of the month: The freeze was both a good thing and a bad thing! It was so crazy that it snowed that much, but losing power wasn’t fun. It was fun to spend time with family though, and enjoy the insanely cold weather!!

favorite post: Ideas & Inspo for a Self Care Day, because I really liked how it turned out!

most popular post: Valentine’s Day Outfit Ideas, but I didn’t really like that post too much.

songs that were on repeat: Anyone Else and Common Sense by Joshua Basset were definitely favorites, Livin’ Right by the Score, still drivers license, and Ophelia by the lumineers.

favorite moments of the month: This was the month I got really into playing the keyboard and songwriting! I also had some fun sleepovers. We had cheer tryouts this month right before spring break, and that was super stressful but still a good experience.

favorite post: How to Style a Tennis Skirt, because I was super proud of this one.

most popular post: Best Friends Tag!

songs that were on repeat: I was OBSESSED with deja vu and literally played it multiple times everyday…Also Fearless Taylor’s Version came out, and I discovered the masterpiece that is Mr. Perfectly Fine! Nick Jonas’s album also came out that month that I listened to a ton.

favorite moments of the month: April was a pretty good month! We had our spring performance for dance company, which was sadly virtual, but it was pretty cool to film and to be apart of it. We also went to a boardwalk for my sister’s birthday, where I discovered my love for roller coasters 😛

favorite post: Reacting to Your Assumptions About Dance! This one was fun to put together.

most popular post: Sneak Peak!, which is a weird one to be the most popular, since it was just a story post.

songs that were on repeat: I listened to SOUR a ton when it came out, and I was also into this song called Anywhere Away From Here that we did a combo to in contemporary class.

favorite moments of the month: Said goodbye to seventh grade after finals, and we took a super fun field trip to Austin! That was definitely a highlight! I also had some fun days with friends, ate lots of ice cream, and had a (virtual) dance recital.

favorite post: Probably my summer bucket list!

most popular post: A Chill Morning In My Life (Ft. Skincare Routine)

songs that were on repeat: I alternated between my “June” and “summer vibes playlist”, haha. I listened to Swim by Beach Chapel, GET UP by Shinedown, Shotgun by George Ezra, Wave of You by Surfaces, Next Thing by Surfaces…

favorite moments of the month: A fun family vacation, lots of Sonic, checking things off my bucket list and trying tennis camp.

favorite post: All of the Emmie Show posts! I haven’t done one in awhile, but I’m hoping to continue the series (and it’ll need a new title 😂)

most popular post: Summer Playlist & Aesthetics

songs that were on repeat: Bad News and Phobias by Johnny Orlando, The Rose Song, and all of Surface’s new album!

favorite moments of the month: Making my collage wall, going to a theme park and trying a bunch of rollercoasters! I also went to camp and got to try a bunch of cool things, like jet-skiing, Zero Shock, lake swimming…

favorite post: It’s a super-close tie between Trust in the Trials: a Devotional and DIY Collage Wall (on a budget!)

most popular post: Pack with Me!

songs that were on repeat: august by Taylor Swift (ofc), Heat Waves by Glass Animals, What If by Matthew West

favorite moments of the month: Dance intensive was so fun!! I was also doing a cheer intensive at the same time, and getting over being sick from camp, so it was a lot XD I also started eighth grade, and cheer was pretty fun this month.

favorite post: How I Did On My Summer ’21 Bucket List! (Summer Recap)

most popular post: the same one

songs that were on repeat: We Belong and Jane by Brynn Cartelli, Happy for Me by kenzie, and all of Into the Mystery by NEEDTOBREATHE

favorite moments of the month: Football games and pretty sunsets! I also found out I was Clara, and I got to do a photoshoot for the promo!

favorite post: Outfits inspired by SOUR, but that was one of the only posts I did that month

most popular post: the same one

songs that were on repeat: Dirty AF1s by Alexander 23, Tear in My Heart by twenty one pilots

favorite moments of the month: October was amazing! I turned 14, saw the Jonas Brothers in concert, had a bunch of fun Halloween costumes at dance and on the actual day, and some more football games!

favorite post: Fall Outfit Ideas, I had a lot of fun coming up with the outfits!

most popular post: the same one

songs that were on repeat: All of Red Taylor’s Version, especially ATW10!

favorite post: what to ask for christmas/teen girl gift guide

most popular post: once again, the same one

songs that were on repeat: lots of Christmas music, and still listened to Red a ton

favorite moments of the month: December was crazy busy, but also amazing! I went straight from finals to Nutcracker, which was an incredible experience I’ll never forget! I loved playing Clara and all the other roles I did, and it was really special to be back to the live stage this year! Then we went to Colorado, and I learned how to skii for the first time! I also went tubing and ice skated on a real frozen lake. We saw lots of snow and it was super pretty. After that, we visited our grandparents, and then it was Christmas!

favorite post: what I got for christmas 2021, because I really enjoyed taking the pictures and editing them!

most popular post: again, the same one

Overall, 2021 started out as meh, but as the year went on it got better and better! I made a lot of great memories this year, and I’m so grateful for all of the support you guys have given to this blog throughout this past year! I’m so excited for all that the new year has to come for Diary of a Daydreamer, and I can’t wait to hear all about your plans for 2022 in the comments! I’ll try to get a post up soon, so see y’all then and happy new year!

Any exciting things happening in the new year? How was your 2021? Favorite moments from the past year? Any resolutions?