August (Mid-year) Update

Wildly amused that I thought I'd update this more, considering I missed my normal midyear update. 

Personal: 

1. Keep the cooking journey with Owen going and set up some goals of things he wants to make together. He's doing really well in the kitchen and we're progressively giving him more responsibility (he finished a pot of chili for me recently and was very proud of himself). 

2. Back to sourdough! Still on it. Carrie Breadshaw has been the best starter ever.

3. At least do MFF for Q1 and see what new recipes we can add to our mix. This could use some additional attention. Womp. (Same answer, no updates.)

4. Keep working on the restaurants goal. Embrace leftovers and stop being lazy on tired weeknights. I think overall, we had some summer slide but did ok at this. Our freezers are in a good place where we're eating lots of the stuff we have. 

5. Organize my office. I've done this... ish... it could be better. I need to decide at the end of the year what to do really. 

6. Work on Lynn's tapes and stories. I need to just buckle down and do this one. (Same answer, no updates.)

7. Front yard/driveway project. Check done. 

8. Generator install and enjoy not losing power anymore! Also, check done! 

9.  Read at least one fun book. Have massively sucked at this. 

Wellness/Health: 

10. 250 Pilates classes, can I do it by July 4th? Done, hit in early August by surprise because I didn't keep track of the last few. 

11. Figure out a monthly massage situation. Was all over this until July... and I'm not super motivated to spend money on it right now. 

12. Keep working on my eyebrows with Minoo. This will probably be a fall thing but things are good for now! (Same answer, no updates.)

13. Enjoy my Sopra membership. Facials? So far this looks like botox only but that's also ok. (Same answer, no updates.)

14. Use my LED mask daily. Gave it to Anastasia, lol, oops. 

15. Get 10-15 lbs off this frame by recommitting to vegetables and protein intake. Not sure I care anymore? 

16. Daily 8600 steps. No real reason not to. This went by the wayside when we went to Europe and my app got all screwed up and I didn't realize it would fix itself when we got home :( I need to figure out something that isn't so all or nothing. I think dropping to 7500 and making that non negotiable might help?

17. Figure out what is worth keeping of the Peloton equipment. Strongly considering listing the rower on FBMP. 

Career/Financial/Travel: 

18. Enjoy new to me Milan and restock wine. Check done! 

19. Attack new role in Q2 and figure out how to make it mine. (PE/PMP Prep?) Check done! 

20. Work on mentor maintenance as they start to retire... what's next? Check done! 

21. Actually work on a budget after January when we have a better idea of how 2026 is going to shape up. Ugh... again, so not motivated but we're not in a bad place, we could just be better. 

22. Figure out college savings better for Owen. CHECK DONE!! All of his money is in an invested 529 in Kansas now. 

23. Tax situation... can anything be done? I mean... we're totally screwed on this and I need to just let it go. Mom's account will help us get through the next 8 years. 

24. Explore what other options we have at Creative Planning. While this hasn't been super successful as it stands, I did create a taxable brokerage for general investing and another one for the additional college funds we have set aside for Owen that I don't want tied in the 529 so I call this a Check done! 

25. Evaluate all current credit cards and subscriptions... what is worth keeping and what might be better spent elsewhere? I think overall, the math maths in terms of what we get out of the annual fees that we pay so I don't have any changes, just making sure to use the bennies! 

26. Get back to NYC somehow... Went in March and July... going back in December CHECK DONE! Love good crushed goal. 

Mid Feb Update

Going to attempt to keep this better updated throughout the year so I can be more intentional about hitting goals!  

Personal: 

1. Keep the cooking journey with Owen going and set up some goals of things he wants to make together. This has been mid at best... need to work a bit harder on it. 

2. Back to sourdough! OH beyond crushing this one :) The sourdough rolls are saving me at least $4 a week on buying other buns. 

3. At least do MFF for Q1 and see what new recipes we can add to our mix. This could use some additional attention. Womp. 

4. Keep working on the restaurants goal. Embrace leftovers and stop being lazy on tired weeknights. Jan/Feb are easier on this for sure as it's often snowy or freezing. I'd say we've done about 50% better and there is definitely room for improvement. 

5. Organize my office. Ooops. Haven't even touched it. 

6. Work on Lynn's tapes and stories. I need to just buckle down and do this one. 

7. Front yard/driveway project. Basically we're on the waiting list for when they get better weather! 

8. Generator install and enjoy not losing power anymore! See above - hopefully March?

9.  Read at least one fun book. I have two on my plate right now and need to get this going. 

Wellness/Health: 

10. 250 Pilates classes, can I do it by July 4th? I'm at 146 on 2/12. This is going to be a tall order. 

11. Figure out a monthly massage situation. Feb massage coming on Sunday! 

12. Keep working on my eyebrows with Minoo. This will probably be a fall thing but things are good for now! 

13. Enjoy my Sopra membership. Facials? So far this looks like botox only but that's also ok. 

14. Use my LED mask daily. I hate that thing and want to get rid of it so that's fun! 

15. Get 10-15 lbs off this frame by recommitting to vegetables and protein intake. I feel like I'm down a couple (in terms of the way things fit and fee) but I was good about veggies for maybe 2 weeks in January, womp.

16. Daily 8600 steps. No real reason not to. For Feb, I've been working on 10K a day, thinking about adding a 2 days at 12K per week goal to that. Definitely challenging myself and doing it! 

17. Figure out what is worth keeping of the Peloton equipment. I at least used the rower this year, ha. 

Career/Financial/Travel: 

18. Enjoy new to me Milan and restock wine. 2 months until we leave! 

19. Attack new role in Q2 and figure out how to make it mine. (PE/PMP Prep?) This has gone better than expected and I've had so much more time in Q1 to do it. 

20. Work on mentor maintenance as they start to retire... what's next? Crushing this one so far. 

21. Actually work on a budget after January when we have a better idea of how 2026 is going to shape up. Not crushing this one so far. 

22. Figure out college savings better for Owen. Will pay off the Texas plan next week and then figure out what, if anything, we can do this year. 

23. Tax situation... can anything be done? Skull emoji in the not funny way. 

24. Explore what other options we have at Creative Planning. I have no idea what I was thinking here. But I'm wondering if we can find a taxable brokerage option that isn't the giant CP minimum.

25. Evaluate all current credit cards and subscriptions... what is worth keeping and what might be better spent elsewhere? In progress! 

26. Get back to NYC somehow... Will be there in about a month!!!! 

2025 Year in Review

  1. What did you do in 2025 that you'd never done before?

Went to Italy! Ate all the food and drank all the wine. It was the best. 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

I did pretty well with my to do list, all things considered, and will continue this year. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 

This year? I don't think so! 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Again, this year... I don't think so? Thank goodness. 2024 was too much. 

5. What countries did you visit? 

Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Belgium, France. Pretty awesome passport year! 

6. What would you like to have in 2026 that you didn't have in 2025? 

Rest... and I mean productive rest. I actually need less scrolling on my phone and more truly devoting to rest. 

7. What dates from 2025 will be etched upon your memory, and why? 

Spring Break... going to Italy for the first time. It was such a neat experience and we had a fabulous trip. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? 

Continuing to seek career clarity and getting closer all the time. I'm really excited for 2026. 

9. What was your biggest failure? 

Probably back to the scrolling, just wasting time where I could have been more productive. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 

All of us? For getting through the world events shitshow that was 2025. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 

Not wanting to discuss it but a certain person really disappointed me this year. It's been building for awhile but really came to light in 2025. 

14. Where did most your money go? 

Travel! As always... also a new backyard. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 

Italy, my shopping experience at Gucci, feeling like that trip was planned pretty close to perfectly between all the excursions we did and cities we hit. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2025? 

probably anything from Life of a Showgirl

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

a) so much happier, time does help to heal wounds

b) way thinner

c) richer - we have done a really good job setting ourselves up for retirement

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? 

Being present with Owen and Adam - oof same goal as last year

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

Scrolling on my phone

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Totally lazy morning, watched football and got ready to tailgate in the afternoon.Watched a great football game and halftime show in the parking lot and then enjoyed the heck out of a surprisingly close Chiefs game. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2025? 

Ohh... Pilates was a great addition to my life. 

22. What was your favorite TV program? 

Dancing with the Stars!  

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

Hate is a strong word but I saw true colors of people that I really did not care for. Again... seeing true colors is a better way of putting it than hate. 

24. What was the best book you read? 

The memoir by Phil Knight that I read for Seller-Doer was excellent. 

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? 

I don't know that I discovered anything new or groundbreaking this year but I continued to love Taylor Swift, Kasey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Dua Lipa

26. What did you want and get? 

Everything? I'm spoiled.

27. What did you want and not get? 

New driveway and a generator but those are both coming when it's time. 

28. What was your favorite film of 2024? 

As usual, I don't watch many movies.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 

My birthday was a Friday, my dad, Josh and Lori were in town. We went shopping and ate lunch at a really awesome Italian deli and continued the theme with going to Farina for an excellent dinner. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 

Good question... maybe less work frustration? 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2025? 

continued Nuuly and lots of homeless athleisure. I did have to figure out how to wear workout clothes outside of the home again when I joined Pilates. 

32. What kept you sane? 

Pilates was a huge piece of this over 2025. I'm so glad I woke up one morning in July and knew I needed to do something new and just went for it. 

33. What political issue stirred you the most? 

FFS - too many things to count. Living in Trump's world sucks most of the time. 

34. Who did you miss? 

my mom - still stings for sure. 

35. Who was the best new person you met? 

probably the continued relationships built with our neighbors, not sure if anyone was new in 2025 but I love where we live and the community we have. 

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2025. 

Lots of things can be both/and or two competing things can both be true. 

26 for '26

 Personal: 

1. Keep the cooking journey with Owen going and set up some goals of things he wants to make together. 

2. Back to sourdough!

3. At least do MFF for Q1 and see what new recipes we can add to our mix. 

4. Keep working on the restaurants goal. Embrace leftovers and stop being lazy on tired weeknights. 

5. Organize my office. 

6. Work on Lynn's tapes and stories. 

7. Front yard/driveway project. 

8. Generator install and enjoy not losing power anymore! 

9.  Read at least one fun book. 

Wellness/Health: 

10. 250 Pilates classes, can I do it by July 4th? 

11. Figure out a monthly massage situation. 

12. Keep working on my eyebrows with Minoo. 

13. Enjoy my Sopra membership. Facials? 

14. Use my LED mask daily. 

15. Get 10-15 lbs off this frame by recommitting to vegetables and protein intake. 

16. Daily 8600 steps. No real reason not to. 

17. Figure out what is worth keeping of the Peloton equipment. 

Career/Financial/Travel: 

18. Enjoy new to me Milan and restock wine. 

19. Attack new role in Q2 and figure out how to make it mine. (PE/PMP Prep?)

20. Work on mentor maintenance as they start to retire... what's next? 

21. Actually work on a budget after January when we have a better idea of how 2026 is going to shape up. 

22. Figure out college savings better for Owen. 

23. Tax situation... can anything be done? 

24. Explore what other options we have at Creative Planning. 

25. Evaluate all current credit cards and subscriptions... what is worth keeping and what might be better spent elsewhere? 

26. Get back to NYC somehow... 

2025 - How did I do?

  Personal: 

1. Figure out my eyes :( 

Got a lot of pairs of glasses. 

2. At least come up with a plan for the back yard, perhaps execute? 

DONE! We started enjoying it in August. 

3. Maintain what was done in the front yard. 

I think this was successful for the most part and we'll finish the driveway and lighting this year. 

4. Enjoy the heck out of Italy! 

Absolutely nailed this. 

5. Go to NYC at least once. 

Yikes. I don't think this happened. 

6. Figure out our 15 year anniversary celebration. 

This looked totally different than expected but we had a fantastic time in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. 

7. Clean and organize my office to something more functional. 

Ope... this is moving to 2026

8. Work on Lynn Hearn's tape and papers. 

See above :(

Health/Fitness: 

9. Work through 3 fat loss phases with the nutritionist. (Jan-mid-March, April-May, Sept-Nov)

This was a fail but not entirely. 

10. Finish at least 5 Peloton programs.

Did a major pivot this year but in a good way. 

11. Hit 20K peloton minutes.  

See #10

12. Get to a place where we are only going out to eat 3 times a week at maximum. 

GAH. Total fail but I think that Torchy's closing mid year helped a ton. 

13. Work through the food in our freezers! 

I think I've gotten more intentional about this! 

14. Go to a class with Anastasia. 

I need to give up on this as we have children to compete with but I did go to a lot of Pilates with other friends so it all worked out! 

15. Teach Owen to cook. 

Work in progress but we're doing it! 

16. Figure out what maintenance looks like and live there. 

Unintentionally did this for a lot of months of the year... just about 20 lbs heavier than I'd like to maintain at. 

Professional: 

17. Enjoy my time with NOW. 

Year 1 down, on to year 2! 

18. Exceed all my billable time goals. 

I would say this was nailed beyond what I'd hoped for and that will continue at least for Q1 of 2026. 

19. Continue to mentor my team even when I am no longer their direct supervisor. 

I consider this a win! Some more than others bur I have a lot of good relationships built. 

20. Finish PMP Coursework. 

100%

21. Pass PMP Exam. 

Also, check done! 

22. Apply for APM in the fall. 

This didn't look the same but did end up working out as I applied for an entirely different and much more suited for me role and got it! 

23. If not Seller-Doer, figure out another way to be involved in a T&D Training Program this year.

HAHAHA ones like this are always fun to look back on. Boy did I accomplish this! Not only was Seller-Doer a highlight of my year, I am now FULLY involved in T&D Training. 

24. Have a transition plan that makes sense for all parties, i.e. get out unscathed and leave it better than I found it. 

I think this worked out as well as it could have given the challenges and circumstances and for the most part, I get along fine with everyone. 

BONUS:

25: Read 5 books. 

UGH. I maybe did 2 and that might be generous. OPE. 

 Personal: 

1. Figure out my eyes :( 

2. At least come up with a plan for the back yard, perhaps execute? 

3. Maintain what was done in the front yard. 

4. Enjoy the heck out of Italy! 

5. Go to NYC at least once. 

6. Figure out our 15 year anniversary celebration. 

7. Clean and organize my office to something more functional. 

8. Work on Lynn Hearn's tape and papers. 

Health/Fitness: 

9. Work through 3 fat loss phases with the nutritionist. (Jan-mid-March, April-May, Sept-Nov)

10. Finish at least 5 Peloton programs.

11. Hit 20K peloton minutes.  

12. Get to a place where we are only going out to eat 3 times a week at maximum. 

13. Work through the food in our freezers! 

14. Go to a class with Anastasia. 

15. Teach Owen to cook. 

16. Figure out what maintenance looks like and live there. 

Professional: 

17. Enjoy my time with NOW. 

18. Exceed all my billable time goals. 

19. Continue to mentor my team even when I am no longer their direct supervisor. 

20. Finish PMP Coursework. 

21. Pass PMP Exam. 

22. Apply for APM in the fall. 

23. If not Seller-Doer, figure out another way to be involved in a T&D Training Program this year.

24. Have a transition plan that makes sense for all parties, i.e. get out unscathed and leave it better than I found it. 

BONUS:

25: Read 5 books. 

2024 Year in Review

 1. What did you do in 2024 that you'd never done before?

Spent time at a Cancer Center, watched a blood transfusion, worked on settling an estate. 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

My to do list was a mixed bag but, all in all, I think I did the best I could. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 

Anastasia did but I am sick and haven't gotten to see Lola yet! My boss also had a NYE baby yesterday. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. Too much loss, in fact. Adam's grandma in May, my mom in July and my stepmom in December. 

5. What countries did you visit? Canada and France.

6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you didn't have in 2024? 

A little more peace. 2024 felt like we were constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I know they say bad things come in threes but it felt like bad things came in units too many to count this year. 

7. What dates from 2024 will be etched upon your memory, and why? 

May 4th - the day that my mom told us she was sick, it completely changed the course of our lives this past summer

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? 

surviving - truly. There were so many obstacles and tough things to overcome. 

9. What was your biggest failure? 

I gained a ton of weight and did not handle stress in positive ways. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 

Pretty much everyone around me, I can't imagine I was easy to be around for much of the year. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 

This year was challenging at work, for sure. On a positive note, it did give me clarity on next steps for me! 

14. Where did most your money go? 

Travel! 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 

The Superbowl was such an unexpected and incredible surprise of the year! 

16. What song will always remind you of 2024? 

The Alchemy

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

a) sadder - this year broke a lot of things inside me

b) ugh, so much fatter

c) richer - we have done a really good job setting ourselves up for retirement

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? 

Being present with Owen and Adam

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

Crying. Being sad or mad about things I couldn't control. 

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We were in Paris! Walked around for a bit, enjoyed a lovely lunch, went up in the Eiffel Tower all the way to the top and took a boat cruise on the Seine. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2024? 

I felt like the Superbowl was one of the most awesome days of life that I've ever experienced - almost as awesome as getting married. 

22. What was your favorite TV program? 

We pretty much watched all the sports this year, so I'll go with the Olympics since it inspired our trip to Paris. 

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

Hate is a strong word but I saw true colors of people that I really did not care for. 

24. What was the best book you read? 

As per usual of late, I did not read many books. I think the Elizabeth I book we read as a work book club might have been my favorite. 

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? 

I don't know that I discovered anything new or groundbreaking this year but I continued to love Taylor Swift, Kasey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Dua Lipa

26. What did you want and get? 

The trip to Paris, being away at Christmas was cathartic

27. What did you want and not get? 

I know that both my mom and stepmom are in a better place but I miss them and wish they were still here and wish they'd had less suffering before they both passed away. 

28. What was your favorite film of 2024? 

As usual, I don't watch many movies but &Juliet and Suffs on Broadway were both moving and incredible. 

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 

My birthday was a Thursday, I worked all day from a hotel room in NYC, went to Peloton and rode with Jess King (my wish was granted and it was a holiday ride!) and had dinner with Adam and friends. It was perfect. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 

Spending less time at hospitals.  

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2023? 

Nuuly

32. What kept you sane? 

Adam and Owen

33. What political issue stirred you the most? 

Nothing really stirs me all that much, I was so disappointed but not surprised by the election.  

34. Who did you miss? 

my mom the most 

35. Who was the best new person you met? 

moving divisions was such a gift as there are too many new people in my life that have impacted me positively to count.  

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024. 
That I am both stronger and weaker all at the same time. And that both things are ok. 

24 for 24

 Personal: 

1. Hit state #50, Alaska! DONE but god bless, it almost didn't get done

2. Figure out the yard/landscaping situation. We spent a literal fortune on having a nice front yard, so calling this a win. 

3. Hit the last of the 4 big Hawaiian islands, Kauai. This was horseshit, bad on 2023 me. We did it in January. 

4. Clean out my closet and get rid of items that no longer fit/serve me by August. I did this and then promptly outgrew all the things that fit me ugh. 

5. Go to NYC at least once. Unexpectedly went twice but this is a great goal and considering I am typing this from Paris I think I am team NYC. 

6. Get back into normal shoes - continue to heal my foot. I don't know that I had anything to do with this as opposed to time but BOOM DONE! 

7. Host a party at our house. I think we had a lot of parties at our house of varying sizes and things worked out exactly as they should have. 

8. Jump off the diving board at Brookridge. DONE July 4th! 

Health/Fitness: 

9. Complete two serious cut phases with Bailey and focus on true maintenance. Bailey quit coaching in the spring so that derailed all of that and I had no bandwidth the remainder of 2024. 

10. Finish at least 5 Peloton programs and redo Ben's program in June to track progress. See above, no bandwidth. I may have gotten 5 done but it's not worth even checking. 

11. Hit 18K Peloton minutes in 2024. Not even close.

12. Go to the gym at work at least 24 times over the year. NO. 

13. Work out at least once with Alyssa. No. 

14. Go to a class with Anastasia. No. 

15. Make at least 20 new MFF recipes.  Maybe but counting as a no. 

16. Transfer fully over to Macros First. Nope. Sucked. back to MFF. 

Professional: 

17. Continue mentee relationship with Wendy. YES~ this was a huge win in 2024 

18. Develop relationship with Shannon. See above. HUGE WIN 

19. Find a cool speaker for a Project Services mgmt team meeting. Maybe this is a win? I don't know. But we had a fantastic meeting with Agnes and I got a lot of personal praise out of it and Agnes is incredible so yeah? 

20. Help everyone on my team in some way. I don't know if this happened. It turns out I am not the best people manager ever because I have real high expectations and hold people accountable so I'm not sure my team would have glowing things to say about me. 

21. Be intentional about continuing relationships with Dave, Brenda, Agnes and Audrey. Like all relationships these ebb and flow but I think overall things are good. 

22. Monthly HH with Anastasia, alternating times with Audrey. I think we did these! 

23. Hire intentionally to support NIA. Intentional was my middle name and I want to give a shoutout to 2023 me for seeing what was coming. BOOM! 

24. Figure out a project to work on in T&D and figure out if PMI is my path before my renewal in November. DONE and future path on the way! 

24 for '24 Midyear Update

I didn't have my mom getting diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer and moving in with us for the summer on my 2024 bingo card so taking where we are with a grain of salt... 

Personal: 

1. Hit state #50, Alaska! Going next week!

2. Figure out the yard/landscaping situation. Paying the deposit this week and work starts next week. This is only for the front yard but getting it going! 

3. Hit the last of the 4 big Hawaiian islands, Kauai. CHECK DONE! 

4. Clean out my closet and get rid of items that no longer fit/serve me by August. This wound up being an exercise in culling my closet for my colors but DONE! 

5. Go to NYC at least once. Not one but two trips booked! 

6. Get back into normal shoes - continue to heal my foot. DONE! 

7. Host a party at our house. DONE! I hosted a party for work people last week. We also had 4th of July brunch :) 

8. Jump off the diving board at Brookridge. DONE! on the 4th of July, not once but twice. 

Health/Fitness: 

9. Complete two serious cut phases with Bailey and focus on true maintenance. Bailey stopped coaching in the spring and things have been a shitshow (putting it nicely). Going to evaluate after the trip if this is something I can do on my own or if I need to find a new coach. 

10. Finish at least 5 Peloton programs and redo Ben's program in June to track progress. Tracking well on this as I just completed one last week and have 2 more going. I've already done Tunde's Arms (which broke me) and I finished Adrian's program in January but I won't count that as I did half of it in December. Reminds me to do another round this year though! 

11. Hit 18K Peloton minutes in 2024. As I'm not even to 8K yet, this one is going to be dicey but I'm going to try! 

12. Go to the gym at work at least 24 times over the year. So far this is an epic fail but I still have time. 

13. Work out at least once with Alyssa. Going to put this on the books for August. 

14. Go to a class with Anastasia. She went and got pregnant so this seems highly unlikely. 

15. Make at least 20 new MFF recipes. Being that I made half of the Chili's month, let me see where we are with this - ONE MORE TO GO! 

• Cheddar Bay Pot Pie
• SW Eggrolls
• Molten Lava Cakes
• Turkey Frito Pie
• Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells
• Crazy Bread
• Turkey Enchilada Skillet
• Slow Cooker Chicken & Broocoli
• 3 Meat Pull Apart Pizza
• Ravioli Casserole
• Skillet Queso
• Philly Cheesesteak Tacos
• Baked Mozz Sticks
• Skillet Chicken Fajitas
• Bacon Rancher Burger
• Margarita Grilled Chicken
• Pizza Waffle Sandwiches
• Mexican Street Corn Chowder
• Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Lasagna Soup

16. Transfer fully over to Macros First. Work in progress, I'm there when I track. UGH. 

Professional: 

17. Continue mentee relationship with Wendy. We've met once or twice this year but I've been remiss on anything as I missed a lot of work this summer for chemo treatments. 

18. Develop relationship with Shannon. 100% done! Just got a kick ass pep talk from her last week. 

19. Find a cool speaker for a Project Services mgmt team meeting. This... has not been in my realm, sadly. 

20. Help everyone on my team in some way. I don't love that I made this an ambiguous and weird goal but I think I'm headed down the right path. 

21. Be intentional about continuing relationships with Dave, Brenda, Agnes and Audrey. I'd say this is going well. 

22. Monthly HH with Anastasia, alternating times with Audrey. Def doing this! 

23. Hire intentionally to support NIA. I love that I had the foresight to realize what was coming - I'd say this has been really good so far. 

24. Figure out a project to work on in T&D and figure out if PMI is my path before my renewal in November. This is tough to say but I think I've been doing more than I thought I would. 

24 for '24

Personal: 

1. Hit state #50, Alaska! 

2. Figure out the yard/landscaping situation. 

3. Hit the last of the 4 big Hawaiian islands, Kauai. 

4. Clean out my closet and get rid of items that no longer fit/serve me by August. 

5. Go to NYC at least once. 

6. Get back into normal shoes - continue to heal my foot. 

7. Host a party at our house. 

8. Jump off the diving board at Brookridge. 

Health/Fitness: 

9. Complete two serious cut phases with Bailey and focus on true maintenance. 

10. Finish at least 5 Peloton programs and redo Ben's program in June to track progress. 

11. Hit 18K Peloton minutes in 2024. 

12. Go to the gym at work at least 24 times over the year. 

13. Work out at least once with Alyssa.

14. Go to a class with Anastasia. 

15. Make at least 20 new MFF recipes.  

16. Transfer fully over to Macros First. 

Professional: 

17. Continue mentee relationship with Wendy.

18. Develop relationship with Shannon. 

19. Find a cool speaker for a Project Services mgmt team meeting.

20. Help everyone on my team in some way. 

21. Be intentional about continuing relationships with Dave, Brenda, Agnes and Audrey.

22. Monthly HH with Anastasia, alternating times with Audrey. 

23. Hire intentionally to support NIA. 

24. Figure out a project to work on in T&D and figure out if PMI is my path before my renewal in November. 

2023 Year in Review

 1. What did you do in 2023 that you'd never done before?
Ripped the roof off the house and added a second story. 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

As usual, don't do resolutions. I royally sucked at my to do list. (same answer as last year, LOL)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? two new babies in our VDN/KC Crew! 

4. Did anyone close to you die? I don't think so this year... that is lucky. 

5. What countries did you visit? Germany, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, France

6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you didn't have in 2023? Similar answer to last year - more consistency. I really found myself this fall and want to keep that going. Keep making the journey in healing my relationship with food. 

7. What dates from 2023 will be etched upon your memory, and why? Adam's 40th birthday in Paris, the day I interviewed for and got a new job, my day at PSNY 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? Leap of faith to apply for a new job and got it. Survived the house remodel! 

9. What was your biggest failure? Other than not having my life together for my to do list - I don't think much was a failure. This year was a year of immense personal growth for me. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? our family - we had a great year and I think all of us grew in a positive way. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Same ole same ole, just general work suckiness. I struggle with people who do not get their life together. 

14. Where did most your money go? Paid off the NEW!!! Lexus, Adam golf, the contractor, Drybar

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our big trip for Adam's birthday. I wasn't super excited leading up to Hawaii because I was generally stressed but it was such a fantastic trip. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2023? anything Taylor Swift

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

a) happier. I love everything in the new house. 

b) def thinner

c) same same, I think although our retirement savings is pretty excellent these days and we drive a way nicer car and have wealth in our house

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? celebrated the small things

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? eating and drinking things that aren't super great for my body (same answer as 2022)

20. How did you spend Christmas? woke up and flew to Vegas and had a fantastic dinner at Mon Ami Gabi then had a top 10 meal of my life at the Bedford on 12/26

21. Did you fall in love in 2023? fell in love is a weird phrase but I definitely had a lot of self growth and did a ton of functional self-care

22. What was your favorite TV program? Emily in Paris

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? not really but I definitely found myself disappointed by some people 

24. What was the best book you read? I don't think I finished a single book. Dammit. 

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Midnights (same answer as 2022)

26. What did you want and get? a new job - recognized for my efforts

27. What did you want and not get? probably nothing, I am spoiled rotten

28. What was your favorite film of 2020? The Taylor Swift Eras movie

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? My actual birthday was a random Tuesday but I did spend the weekend before in NYC living my best life with Peloton and some really good food. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? fighting various ailments over the course of the year, my heel SUCKED. 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2023? getting back into smaller clothes

32. What kept you sane? friends

33. What political issue stirred you the most? Trump. God I don't want him running again. 

34. Who did you miss? all the friends we've met along the way that we don't get to see as much, my family being further away

35. Who was the best new person you met? Audrey, by far. 

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023. 
That my diet does not have to be all or nothing. 

23 for '23 in Review

 1. Track Food (X365) Big time fail but I did get my life together from August-December

2. Peloton every day (X365) Also failed, I think I got sick the first week in January. Lesson learned - every day things are not good goals for me. 

3. 8K Steps (X365) See above but I did increase my step count trends intentionally despite having horrible foot problems for half the year. 

4. Lunch Bunch (X/12) James moving to Florida kind of messed this up but we did pretty darn good! 

5. Sharon Says So Bookclub Shit. Didn't finish a single book. 

6. Phone down at 8:40 pm. CRUD. 

7. Fly with Dave to Cincinnati Ran out of time so moving this one to 2024

8. Get to know 5 new people (work)  (X/5) massively crushed this one - Shannon, Wendy, Audrey, all my new T&D peers and new boss

9. Get to know 5 new people (non-work) (X/5) not so hot here but we did hang out with our neighbors more

10. Survive the reno and move upstairs WOOT WOOT CRUSHIN IT! 

11. Drive to North Dakota nailed it

12. Read 10 books (X/10) epic fail

13. Budget every month (X/12) even more epic fail

14. Try a new recipe every month (X/12) crushed this thanks to Elyse Ellis and MFF 

15. Make sourdough tried and failed :)  

16. New ballpark Dodger Stadium was VERY cool

17. Figure out the yard/landscaping ran out of money but the new dining room is worth it all day every day

18. Be involved in WTS did ok with this

19. Organize new office and work from home more (1-2X/month) (X/20) did great with the office but not so much on WFH but I don't think I want to WFH more

20. Organize craft space in the basement it was so great having an away place to wrap presents this Christmas and I also use it to actually iron my clothes instead of paying a fortune for dry cleaning

21. Go to the library once a month (X/12) we did great until March then train wreck

22. Take a golf lesson did a golf clinic again and decided that maybe this is not a great goal for me, I don't think I care that I don't golf 

23. Do yoga at least 30 min/week (X/52) I think I made it to Feb. ugh. 

As I typed this out (wrote them on 12/31 and just never got them here, already failed at a perfect on a couple, OOOOOPS), I realized that half of these are habits and half are to do and probably 1/3 of them are pretty tough BHAGs for me. 

23 for '23

 1. Track Food (X365)

2. Peloton every day (X365)

3. 8K Steps (X365)

4. Lunch Bunch (X/12)

5. Sharon Says So Bookclub

6. Phone down at 8:40 pm. 

7. Fly with Dave to Cincinnati

8. Get to know 5 new people (work)  (X/5)

9. Get to know 5 new people (non-work) (X/5)

10. Survive the reno and move upstairs

11. Drive to North Dakota 

12. Read 10 books (X/10)

13. Budget every month (X/12)

14. Try a new recipe every month (X/12)

15. Make sourdough

16. New ballpark

17. Figure out the yard/landscaping

18. Be involved in WTS

19. Organize new office and work from home more (1-2X/month) (X/20)

20. Organize craft space in the basement 

21. Go to the library once a month (X/12)

22. Take a golf lesson

23. Do yoga at least 30 min/week (X/52)

As I typed this out (wrote them on 12/31 and just never got them here, already failed at a perfect on a couple, OOOOOPS), I realized that half of these are habits and half are to do and probably 1/3 of them are pretty tough BHAGs for me. 

2022 Year in Review

1. What did you do in 2022 that you'd never done before?

Did the whole board of zoning appeals thing for permission to renovate the house. It was kind of a months long shitshow but we're approved. 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

As usual, don't do resolutions. I royally sucked at my to do list. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I have a new nephew, Hayden! And my stepsister had a baby, Diego. 

4. Did anyone close to you die? Oh... I almost said no but then... Higgy boy. 14 years and a very peaceful end. 

5. What countries did you visit? UK, Belize, Korea, Mexico!!!!

6. What would you like to have in 2023 that you didn't have in 2022? Consistency. Showing up for myself more. Finding things I like to do and doing those things! 

7. What dates from 2022 will be etched upon your memory, and why? Hmmm... this is a tough one this year. I feel like the whole thing was a blur. I think going from zero to 60 in terms of people getting back to more normalcy post-covid made it overwhelming a lot of the time. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? Also tough... I don't feel like I achieved much. Again, it was another season where survival felt like the important thing. I bit off a lot more than I could chew for much of the year and it showed. 

9. What was your biggest failure? Taking care of myself. Setting up healthy habits. Making good choices on a consistent basis (especially food and exercise related choices). 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Not mine :) 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? An unnamed colleague. Goal for 2023 - care less and try to get out of working with them as much as possible. 

14. Where did most your money go? Paid off the Lexus, architect bills, Adam golf, inflation, the contractor

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? London! Belize! Korea! Mexico! all the smaller trips we got to do. It was a great year for wanderlust. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2022? Lizzo's new stuff, It's ME, HI, I'm the problem, it's ME! 

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

a) mostly happier. I love it here. I've identified what doesn't serve me, now it's time to leave that shit behind.  

b) so much fatter. UGH.  

c) richer, but about to be crazy spending on what will basically become a new house. YOIKS. 

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? (same as 2021) exercised.  I'm such a bitch without endorphins and I consistently suck ass at remembering that when life gets hard. 

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? eating and drinking things that aren't super great for my body. 

20. How did you spend Christmas? Plan is to wake up, open Santa presents and head to NYC! 

21. Did you fall in love in 2022? Ohhh Lucy dog. I miss her so but she's living her best life. 

22. What was your favorite TV program? sports? I enjoyed the World Cup and EPL soccer a lot more. 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? see above re: unnamed but I think the disdain was already highly developed by this time last year  

24. What was the best book you read? Little Black Stretchy Pants

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Midnights

26. What did you want and get? a new title

27. What did you want and not get? a new job description that makes more sense

28. What was your favorite film of 2020? Downton! 

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 41 on a Monday. We didn't do a ton, which was fine. One of my bosses sent me some amazing flowers and we had a low key dinner at Johnny's. I got to do tea at the Brown Palace the following week, except Adam had covid, oops. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Adam not getting covid. 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2022? wearing the few items that fit

32. What kept you sane? friends

33. What political issue stirred you the most? Roe v Wade

34. Who did you miss? Lucy, Higgins, all the friends we've met along the way that we don't get to see as much, my family being further away

35. Who was the best new person you met? Didn't meet this year but developed a closer relationship with a friend and she's going to be a life friend. 

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2022. 
I feel like I didn't spend enough time learning lessons this year. Good food for thought to go into 2023. 

22 Things to Do - Review

Normally I go over this in June-ish and most certainly did not this year. I feel pretty disappointed in myself. Without further adu, here's how I did.  

22 Things To Do - 2022 Edition

1. Figure out my next steps at BMCD and what I want my path to look like. Kind of but not really. Especially in the last month, I feel more further away from this than ever. 

2. Find and hire a designer to help us with our master renovation since this is going to be a little outside of my wheelhouse. Another kind of but not really. Does an architect count? I can handle the design decisions but thankfully Wes did the space constraint heavy lifting for us. Should be starting the addition any day now! It was a lot more of a journey than we anticipated.

3. Find at least 2 volunteer opportunities. UGHHHHHHHHHHH yes. no. sort of. I am still doing Lead to Read so check for that! I did Big Brothers Big Sisters for half the year but that I definitely bit off more than I could chew and was slightly mislead about how involved Adam and Owen could be with me. We ran a very successful food drive at work and also did a day cooking meals at the Ronald McDonald house, not terrible for a still slightly covid weird year. 

4. Figure out our landscaping situation and what works here in Kansas. Nope but our yard is about to get destroyed during the renovation so this turned out not to be a priority at all. Maybe in 2024.  

5. Go to London. FINALLY. One I accomplished. 

6. Celebrate Alli's birthday in Belize. Make that 2. 

7. Take Mom to NYC for her 70th. We leave next week! 

8. Eat 3/4 veggies at nearly every meal and quit being so stupid about it. Epic fail, nothing more to say. 

9. Do something Peloton every day even if it's just 5 min core or a mediation if I'm sick/injured/whatever. I don't think I even made it out of January on this one. 

10. Find a local race to run since we're missing Rock the Parkway and run a 5K with Owen. Check! Owen won his age division and we did a second one! 

11. Cooking class with friends. Nope. 

12. Find new doctors/dentists/etc (GAH!) Kind of. Owen has a doctor. I figured out how to utilize the on site clinic. Dentist = fail

13. Read 10 books and put my damn phone down. I think I read one. Ugh. 

14. Master the sous vide. I think I decided I don't like it! 

15. Figure out our plans for KC theater tickets. This is also a pretty solid fail. I got season tickets and we have only seen a couple of shows because we have too many other things going on. Not sure how to handle this for next year. 

16. Find friends/community/whatever here and figure out if we are wanting to do church or not. This is a half credit goal. Church = not right now

17. Mother/Son trip Nope. 

18. Go visit the farm. BOY DID WE EVER... This led to our 6 month foster of Lucy dog. HA! 

19. Go to the lake. We managed to do this! 

20. Plan a CDC trip now that we all live in the Midwest again. Half credit, I got to see Kristen in STL. 

21. Visit a new ballpark. Brewers game!

22. Go to a Chiefs game. I think I accomplished this 3 times with another one next week! 

7 and a bunch of partial credit... not my finest year.