Monday, December 31, 2018

2018 Year In Review

1. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before?
Moved to Houston. Actually started to really like Houston as a place. Ha. 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?Overall, I'd give myself a solid 92/100 for an A! Goals for next year are below. Mainly, I need to take the reins of feeding my body things it needs and I'll be al good in 2019. 


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?Not really. 


4. Did anyone close to you die?No. We narrowly escaped 2018 without that but with an almost 94 year old grandpa and a 17 year old dog, I do not expect to have the same answer next year. 


5. What countries did you visit?Belie, twice (my stupid keyboard is broken and I cannot type the right word but it's in Central America). I fell in love with Ambergris Caye. It is my happy place. We're strongly considering buying some land there when we go back, yet again, in Feb. 


6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you didn't have in 2018?better self-control over my diet. This year was gawdawful. I know what I need to do and I just did not execute. 


7. What dates from 2018 will be etched upon your memory, and why?May 8th - we drove to Houston

May 10th - the Peloton was delivered
Basically the whole month of May. So many firsts and so many lasts and it was just overwhelming. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?I got certified to teach at the Bar Method. Which was INTENSE and took from March until Labor Day weekend. 


9. What was your biggest failure?Momming. I always feel like I can do better at this whole parenting thing. It's so hard sometimes. 


10. Did you suffer illness or injury?The Bar Method was my healer. I've been ALL good this year, despite kicking my own ass on the Peloton. They are not playing when they tell you the workout and method was done with a physical therapist. 


11. What was the best thing you bought?Scotland trip that we booked on Christmas Day. 


12. Whose behavior merited celebration?I think our whole family for handling the move and all of the challenges that came along with it as best we could. 


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?My mom. I feel like she aged 25 years in this past year. 


14. Where did most your money go?Moving. Travel. House things (homeownership kind of sucks sometimes like the time the tree limbs kept breaking in the front yard and it cost $$$$ to have it removed)


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?Adam finishing school. All our awesome trips. Seeing Hamilton. Calvin Harris. 


16. What song will always remind you of 2016?The Middle (from our Cali trip) One Kiss (from my Bar Method intensive in Brooklyn)


17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?a) way happier
b) a little fatter, womp
c) way richer


18. What do you wish you'd done more of?I wish I'd gotten in to the bike faster. I'm obsessed now. 


19. What do you wish you'd done less of?eating crap. 


20. How did you spend Christmas?Christmas was kind of random! We woke up, opened presents (the last one was surprising my mom and Owen with tickets to see the Rockets). We all got ready for the game, which turned out to be a blast. When we got home, Mom left, which was awesome because she'd moved out only 5 days earlier after living with us for 8 months. Adam and I stayed up and enjoyed ourselves. 


21. Did you fall in love in 2018?I don't think I fell in love with it but I really have grown to love our house and neighborhood


22. What was your favorite TV program?Fixer Upper. Adam traveled SO much this year and Owen and I got in a habit of watching Fixer Upper together on Tuesday nights. It was a really good way to spend time with my small guy. 


23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?Probably not? 


24. What was the best book you read?Reading was not a thing that happened for me in 2018. 


25. What was your greatest musical discovery?Seeing DJs is totally awesome. Calvin Harris was A+ and a top ten moment of the year for me, for sure. 


26. What did you want and get?the Peloton


27. What did you want and not get?a really cheap house in Houston, hahaha! 


28. What was your favorite film of 2018?Mary Poppins Returns, Cray Rich Asians


29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?I turned 37 this year. It was an average Wednesday. I went to Bar for a class, taught at noon and 5:15. Adam had a dentist appt that afternoon so I met up with him and we went to Kendra Scott together. He got his bonus that day and it was actually good this year so we had a really nice (and full of relief) celebratory dinner at Hopdoddy. 


30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?The situation with my mom being better. She had a rough year. Breaking her foot cost her her independence for months. She had to live with us a lot longer and it cost her a ton of money to do so. She had trouble finding a job. She had trouble buying a condo. It was just a lot to deal with for almost 9 months of the year. 


I also could have done without basically the entire month of January. Also, buying and selling houses freaking sucks. 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2018?In summer: running shorts and a tank (holy hotness, Houston)

In other seasons: jeans, black shirt, various colors of tieks

32. What kept you sane?I learned how to drink cocktails. Margaritas and Moscow Mules being my favorites. 


33. What political issue stirred you the most?Kavanaugh. The midterms. 


34. Who did you miss?our dallas friends


35. Who was the best new person you met?Cora. our swim team people. The staff at WBE. My boss. We got so lucky to stumble upon a great spot here in Houston.

.
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018. 

That it really always will be ok if you just sit back and let it be ok. January almost broke me but we got out of it alive and now everything is fine. 


Thursday, December 27, 2018

19 things to do for 2019

ummmmmm. what am I going to do when it's 2056? do 56 things? that seems exorbitant. maybe I should have thought this through better.

Anyway.  Here's the 19 things I aim to do with my life in 2019:

1. Go to Scotland and London.

2. Spear fishing in Belize.

3. Take Owen to see our cousins in Boston/NH.

4. Astros road game in California. 

5. Find a cleaning lady and lawn people. 

6. Ride 5000 miles on my Peloton. 

7. Hit the 1000 ride milestone. 

8. Lose the 15 lbs that I gained in 2018 (I hate that this is on my to do list but it must be done.) 

9. Get my Bar Method Century socks. 

10. Save 20% for retirement. 

11. Read 20 books. (God, that is so lame. I better do it. I will read on the bike if I have to.)

12. Three quarters fruits/veggies with my meals. 

13. Either go to or plan a Hawaii trip when SW finally gets it together to fly there. 

14. At least one date night or day date a month. 

15. Do some work to make joining the PTO easier for people and create a FB group for existing members. 

16. Two summer staycations.

17. Work on being a better listener, especially when talking to people with different beliefs than me. 

18. Continue to work on letting go of the things I can't change. More serenity prayer. Less road rage. 

19. Make a decision on Big International Trip 2020 for our 10 year anniversary! 




Thursday, December 13, 2018

18 Priorities for 2018 

1. Leave the country - we went to Belize twice. Contemplating actually buying land there next year! 

2. Find a house, preferably under $300K - did not come in under budget but nailed it. I love our house. 

3. Low buy all spring - did remarkably well with this. Saved money all year. 

4. Take Owen on a fun trip this summer - that baby child had an epic summer. 

5. Find a job in Houston - DONE DONE AND DONE. 

6. Save for the iphone X - purchased in January. Love that thing. 

7. Lose 15 more lbs - oops. can't hit all the goals, eh? Goal for 2019 is to lose 25 lbs. EEK.

8. Find a workout studio in Houstonn - YES MA'AM. not only do I have a great studio, I work there and we have an awesome community. 

9. Buy a peloton bike - Got it! Love it! 200+ rides under my belt. I'd say this goal was crushed.

10. Read 20 books - EPIC FAIL.

11. Reorganize all my workout plans - this goal was a tough one to meet with the way the year went. But I'm not mad at it. Life just had other plans. 

12. Survive the move and be nicer to Adam - I think we're good. We had a very, very tough year but at the end of it all, I love this man even more and can't imagine doing life with any other partner. 2018 was hard but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and we. are. strong. now. 

13. Make plans for Scotland 2019 - Booking as a christmas day present to each other. 

14. Run a half marathon - was not in the cards for this year and that is ok. I'm not sure I'll ever run another one but I am doing so much else with my fitness that it's hard to be mad at it. 

15. Do a pull up - I need to see if I can actually do one! 

16. Find a local Houston ride or die beer - yeah. no. not sure this is going to happen. Blood and Honey is my life. 

17. Find a Shady's of our new neighborhood - not only one but we have 3-4 hangouts that we love, where we see people we know, where Bear frequently requests. We are all good here. 

18. Make 3 new friends when we move - DONE DONE AND DONE. We have our peeps we can call when we need. As I said before, 2018 challenged us in ways beyond our comfort zone but I think we're stronger and better for it. 

BRING IT ON 2019. 

Thursday, June 7, 2018

**almost half way progress report**

18 Priorities for 2018 

1. Leave the country
Went to Belize in Feb. Already have tickets to go back in August with the whole family, looking into going to Costa Rica in early December. 

2. Find a house, preferably under $300K
Found awesome house, paid way more than I wanted to but we did that for shorter commutes and that is ALWAYS worth it to me. 

3. Low buy all spring
Meeeeeh. I refrained from buying any purses though! 

4. Take Owen on a fun trip this summer
Belize is planned. We're also going to have some fun times in Dallas for a week. My original plan to go to California driving will take too long and I wasn't anticipating being working already. 

5. Find a job in Houston
WOOOOOO DONE! 

6. Save for the iphone X
Also done! 

7. Lose 15 more lbs
First I have to work on the 10 I gained while moving.  But I still think I can achieve my goal if I work at it for the rest of the year. Trying to give myself a little grace because moving is hard. 

8. Find a workout studio in Houston
YUP! Just need our studio to open :) 

9. Buy a peloton bike
Best investment ever. 

10. Read 20 books
I'm a little behind (as in maybe zero books read) but I did join the Houston library the other day 

11. Reorganize all my workout plans
This one is a scratch. I have all new workout plans to memorize. 

12. Survive the move and be nicer to Adam
Part 1 complete, Part 2 in progress, haaaa. 

13. Make plans for Scotland 2019
Will work on this in December. 

14. Run a half marathon
Need to get on that! 

15. Do a pull up
Not sure if this one will happen but I am still working pretty aggressively on upper body strength. 

16. Find a local Houston ride or die beer
In progress. 

17. Find a Shady's of our new neighborhood
We found a reasonable substitute at this point but it's not quite the same... still searching. 

18. Make 3 new friends when we move
In progress! 

2018 To Do List

I saved this in my phone when I did it just before the New Year but apparently it never made it here for posterity:

18 Priorities for 2018 

1. Leave the country

2. Find a house, preferably under $300K

3. Low buy all spring

4. Take Owen on a fun trip this summer

5. Find a job in Houston

6. Save for the iphone X

7. Lose 15 more lbs

8. Find a workout studio in Houston

9. Buy a peloton bike

10. Read 20 books

11. Reorganize all my workout plans

12. Survive the move and be nicer to Adam

13. Make plans for Scotland 2019

14. Run a half marathon

15. Do a pull up

16. Find a local Houston ride or die beer

17. Find a Shady's of our new neighborhood

18. Make 3 new friends when we move