2022: The Best Year... Ever?

I feel almost guilty admitting this, but 2022 has been once of the best years, if not the best, of my life. People don't want to hear this, whether it's because misery loves company, they think it's bragging, or whatever the deal it is (their deal...). And I get it, if you've had a shitty year the last thing you want to hear about is someone raving about why they're so happy. So, that's why I do it here, since basically no one reads (blogs are dead, it's cool) and if they are we're either strangers, they're hate reading to begin with, or they're a genuine friend that like to catch up on my ramblings. 

So, here are my top ten reasons why 2022 was great (we have to keep with the obligatory top-ten year-end lists, right?):

1. Travel! I could really put a hundred exclamation points behind it, but finally, I got on a plane again! We did a lot in the state, as well. Here were our various destinations:

    - Yosemite 

    - La Jolla (just me, on my solo weekend trip)

    - Modesto (my sister's wedding)

    - Bay Area (including San Francisco)

    - Sequoia National Park

    - The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks 

We have some very exciting places on the docket for this year (writes reminder note to deal with passports)

2. Hiking I made it my goal to hike an average of once a month ago and definitely exceeded it. Here are some of my favorites:

    - Yosemite

    - Sequoias

    - Tetons/Yellowstone

    - Big Bear

    - Idyllwild

    - Peter's Canyon

    - Claremont Nature Loop

    - Skyline Trail (it's actually not a great trail, but the beauty comes from it being       so close)

    - Santa Rosa Plateau 

    - Joshua Tree 

3. Happy family My marriage is really good and my son is thriving (swim, art, friends, reading). We found a babysitter who is amazing, which has allowed us to go out much more often, which is super nice. 

4. The best friends I remember when I moved out to the area I live in now and I had no friends or family. I had my husband, my then boyfriend, but I was never close to his family, so I was starting from scratch. Which has turned out amazing! Seventeen years later I have the best friends, and I work hard to maintain my relationships with them. Even if it's just a quick cup of coffee, a walk, or a drink for an hour on a Friday, we make it work. Obviously I love the readings in LA, the lengthy brunches, or afternoon pool dates, but we get what we can take. 

5. Financial goals Oh! The F word! I paid off my car after only one year, hit a savings goal, and set up monthly contributions to two charities I feel strongly about. 

6. Family Time Besides time with Scott and Sawyer (we definitely did more together as the three of us than ever before), I also went to Modesto for my sister's wedding, visited my other sister in the Bay Area, got together with my brother, his baby, and some other family in San Luis Obispo, and hosted some people down here (including for Thanksgiving). 

7. Reading Goal Hit I already published a post on my reading goals, but books are a huge source of happiness for me, so the fact I had such a good reading year was a huge positive

8. Small Home Improvements One of my goals this year was to either coordinate or do some sort of home project each month, as simple as installing solar walkway lights or logistically annoying as  hiring someone to paint our kitchen and living room. By necessity we had to have a tree cut down out back, replace a huge pool part, get a new washer and dryer, and have a leak in our downstairs living room fixed. I also painted a bathroom, did some work in the yard, and had someone finally come and clean out the dryer (PSA- if you don't do this or have someone, put that on your calendar ASAP; that is the leading cause of dryer fires and is an easy fix). This is a boring, adulty positive to have on the list, but it felt good to fulfill. 

9. Fun Stuff  We do a lot, it's how I want to spend my time and money, what can I say? Museums, amusement parks, trails, restaurants, whatever sounds good. I like having a life that is full of variety and movement. I know that's not for everyone, and I do like the occasional weekend where we don't have plans, but this year I took advantage of life basically being back to "normal" and enjoyed it extensively.

10. Small Joys A new tattoo, becoming unapologetically obsessed with the show Yellowstone, discovering one of my new favorite bands Lord Huron, figuring out that doing my nails during my runs (well I hop off to paint really fast) is super efficient, walking down the hill to Starbucks (and back up), and lots of other microjoys that help me get through the daily.