Good Bye 2017, Hello 2018 (Plus January Intentions)



2017 was busy and fairly typical- there were lots of great moments, there were some hiccups, mostly small with an exception of one or two. But at this moment we are all healthy, happy, employed, comfortable, and progressing through life. I'll take it.

Some of my favorite moments from the past year? Had to be these:

- Taking Sawyer to Yosemite for a few days and meeting my family up there for one of the days. I was a little wary of traveling alone with him, but we passed with flying colors

- Getting back into running. I have always had a love/hate relationship with tis form of exercise, but it's working for my life right now so I'm sticking to it. I'm on month five of a six month half-marathon training cycle right now- a month until race day!

- Sawyer acclimating to preschool. We had to change childcare providers in August and decided to enroll him in preschool a year earlier than planned. There was a minor, mostly painless, adjustment period, but since those initial weeks things have gone really well and I am so excited to see his vocabulary and skills develop.

- Connecting with friends. I have made an effort to see friends (outside of work) at least twice a month and it makes me so much happier. Sometimes it's for a walk, sometimes it's an activity with out kids, sometimes drinks or dinner. Whatever it is, it's good for my spirit.

- The Zadie Smith/Michael Chabon event I attended at UCLA. It was incredibly last minute but worth every ounce of the hassle.

- Going to two amusements parks as a family. My husband works a lot, so I end up taking Sawyer on most of our outings. We did go to Legoland for Sawyer's third birthday and then Knott's Berry Farm in October. We had a blast!

- Our quick trip to Modesto for my mom's wedding. My siblings, mom, and I haven't been together for four or five years, so it was nice to be reunited for a day or two.

- Teaching my students. I really enjoy this group of kids that I have- they're steady, bright, funny, and make going to work enjoyable (if only I didn't have to grade their papers or wake up so early).

- Our little adventures around Southern California. We did a lot of local things this year- The Getty Museum, the beach, a UCLA basketball game, hiking, a corn maze, The Living Desert, the San Diego Zoo, a few children's museums, and other places I can't think of off the top of my head.

- My day alone in LA. I took off a day over the summer and went to the MOCA, lunch, and The Last Bookstore alone and it was awesome. 

2018- Looking Ahead
I am hoping that this year is the year of travel. Right now for sure I have a trip to Yosemite this spring and Banff National Park in Alberta this summer planned, and there might also be a trip to Seattle. Locally we plan to take Sawyer to Disneyland for the first time and stay at one of the big hotels for the night to really seal the deal, and I also get to spend a night at the beach before my half marathon. Maybe I can get in a short trip somewhere new next fall? We'll see. 

I hope to run a half-marathon or two or three, depending on how this upcoming one goes. 

I'll watch my students graduate and I think I might apply to be a scorer for the IB exams, as well.

More than anything, I hope things just stay... good enough. There are always kinks to work out and bumps in the road. I just want to have fun and manage what comes my way. 

I have moved away from yearly resolutions in favor of monthly intentions instead- it's a lot more manageable for me and keeps me accountable when I blog about it. I slacked off a bit over the holiday season, but I'm back with January's today:

1. Make more deliberate food choices/track calories- I need to be better about my protein intake, choosing less carbs, and fueling better for runs. I will never say I am on a diet or am cutting out a certain type of food, since I know that doesn't work in the longterm for me. In order to make sure I stick with this I'll track all my food in my Fitbit app for a month.

2. A financial diet- This is one diet I will stick myself on. November and December have been expensive and I need to take my car into the shop this week, so I'm sure that will cost a pretty penny. For the next month I will stick to my weekly budget, which does allow some wiggle room, and curb unnecessary spending. 

3. Be ready to run Surf City Half Marathon- This is a month away, almost exactly, which means the next few weeks of training and then tapering is really important. 

1 comment:

  1. Happy New Year! Good luck with your intentions and on your upcoming half marathon!

    ReplyDelete

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