2023 Resolutions

Hi friends - I wrote my 2022 wrap-up post a few days ago, and it got long so I split these into two posts. So for part 2, here's the new goals!

1) Consolidate my TBR list in one place (combine Goodreads & amazon list into one) 

2) Read 6 non-fiction books & at least 36 books total in 2023 (3 per month, non-fiction every other month)

3) Finish 2 prayer or bible study guides (similar to none like him, or praying psalms over your kids)

4) Complete the 5x5x5 Navigators New Testament 52 week reading plan (5 days, 5 minutes, 5 ways to read)

5) Consistently use the Blogilates 2023 Fit Planner (at least 75% by year end, including her daily workouts)

6) Get to a 10 minute mile consistent pace for a 5K (Finish a timed, race 5K in ~30 min) 

7) replace 2 household appliances (examples: dishwasher, dryer, washer, fridge - joint goal with Ryan)

8) Build up supply of water/food in basement storage for family to survive 3 days (joint goal with Ryan)

9) Clean & organize basement storage room, guest room closet, and my closet (joint goal with Ryan)

10) Finish Stephanie's knit blanket by Christmas 2023

Several of my friends set "intentions" for the year rather than resolutions, words that they are intending to live by in the new year, a sort of "vibe check" instead of number-based goals. While I like the idea of this (because it frees people from any associated guilt with un-achieved number goals), I need the measurement of number based goals. However, in reviewing my goals I see three themes for 2023 emerge. They are "consistent", for habits I want to build upon or strengthen with new routines this year, " consolidate" for my book list and closet cleaning goals, and "complete" for those goals that are carry-over from prior years (the 10 min mile) or some projects (like the knit blanket).

Things that didn't make the list, but would still be cool to do (we'll call these extra credit points):

- Finally bake something with yeast (i.e. a dough that has to rise)

- Finish my October 2023 Triathlon in less than 2 hours (setting a PR for sprint tris)

- Reduce my time to swim 100 meters to 2 minutes or less

- Listen to 12 audio books (I'm trying audible this year for the first time)

- Bike the B&A trail or another 10 mile+ trail in the area (https://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/2021/march/08/top-10-trails-in-maryland/)

2022 Resolutions Report Card

Well, friends, here we are at the end of the year, which means it is time for the long-anticipated, long-awaited annual review that always comes to this otherwise mostly quiet blog space. I went back to check and in 2008 (the year that I started this blog!) I did write a summary of the year, though I cringe to read it because oof, being a high school junior was not an easy time in my life. And then every year since then (sometimes in December, sometimes on January 1st) this blog is a digital time capsule of things I've tried to do each year in this thing called life. Some stuck, some didn't, some were achieved, some weren't, but it's an important part of my annual ritual this time of year to take stock of what I resolved and how I did, and set some intentions for the new year (which will come in a second post).

Here's my scores from last  year:

1) Weekly Prayer Journal - 0.75 points

I did this in the Jan-March timeframe, then again June-early Aug, then again Sept-Dec. Took a while to find a format I liked and could stick with. Only giving myself  partial credit for part of a year.

2) Bake through the Jane Austen cookbook I was given - 0 points

This was a lovely Christmas gift, and I wanted to conquer my fear of yeast - but I didn't get time to try. This one will probably end up being a carry-over goal into next year!

3) Return to Triathlons - 1 point

I did this! No personal records were set, but I returned to the racing circuit after two years. And one of my planned races got deferred due to a hurricane, so I've got to do this again in 2023 (though it doesn't make the resolution list). 

4) Hold a plank for one minute - 1 point

I was able to do this using the Blogilates training program Jan-March, and once I achieved it I promptly stopped her program. So, not really as intended, and one of my new resolutions tries to address that - but it was achieved!

5) The "one second a day" 2022 in review video project - 1 point

This one is DONE (well, 3 days from being done) and it is an absolute treasure. Definitely some days there were photos instead of videos by accident, but overall I'm really happy with the memory it created (especially with a one year old who changed so much this year, seeing it captured on film is great).

6) Floss Daily & Brush Daily with Max - .5 points

Max loves brushing his teeth. I don't love flossing and didn't really stick with it, but I have overall better dental hygiene because it's part of Max's bedtime routine, so it's overall a win. 

7) Run a 10 minute mile for 5 miles - 0.5 points

I ran an 11 minute mile average for my 5 mile race in October (thanks to my friend Nancy for running with me and keeping the pace!). I was able to run a 10 minute mile this year (in the month of April I ran at least 1 mile every day with my friend Julie, and one of those days I achieved the 10 minute mile - but only for 1 mile). So I achieved parts of this goal - faster for the 5 miler and capable of being 10 minute mile fast - but not both together.

8) Finish at lease one of my unfinished craft projects - 1 point

I finished 2 knit blankets I'd started for friends babies, finished 1 quilt top (but not the whole quilt) and helped my sister finish another quilt project we'd worked on together.

9) Read 12 translated books - 0.25 points

I set a goodreads goal to read 52 books this year, and I achieved it, but only 4 of them were translated books (and 3/4 are Japanese translated books, so not especially horizon-expanding if I stay in the same culture, though they are really great books!). Here are the 4 translated books:

- Before the Coffee Gets Cold         - Convenience Store Woman

- Where the Wild Ladies Are         - The Mirror of My Heart

Here are all 521 https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/11636-2022-reading-challenge

10) Knit Ryan a pair of socks - 0.5 points

I didn't knit socks for Ryan, but I made three pairs of baby booties for new babies, so I'm giving myself half credit for achieving the goal of braver knitting (not just squares). 

30 for 30 board games

I get the board game geek weekly emails, and I saw a post about 30 games for 30 years. I loved the idea (even though I had never played most of the games on his list), so I decided to make my own. These are in no particular order, just as I thought of them, or of the memories associated with them. Growing up, my dad and his good friend Paul loved playing games, and some of these are games I remember from playing as a child with them, or with my cousins. The first game (Biergarten) I’ve only played once, but it is high in my memory banks because I won it, playing against Dad, Paul and my sister Abigail. I rarely won, so this was extremely momentous - I even wrote a college essay about that particular game because of it. Other games on here are from playing with my good friends Andrew & Bethanie from college. Some are games I discovered at board game cafes (These include The Board and Brew and The Board Room in the MD/VA area, or Thirsty Dice and Queen & Rook in Philadelphia, where A&B live). Others are games I discovered due to Tabletop, Wil Wheaton’s amazing YouTube series. At least one is a game that my brother-in-law taught me to play (he’s also a big board gamer), and another is from my husband’s friend Matt. Some are from the board game club at work - we meet for quick games at lunch time (or we used to, before the pandemic). And the very last one (Murder of Crows) is a game that Ryan and I purchased at PAX Unplugged in 2019 which we went to at the recommendation of our next door neighbors, who also love board games. (photo below shows one of many Game of Thrones skins applied to games that year at PAX - we bought "Gloom of Thrones" which is an especially fun take on number 26 in my list below).

It would take a long time to put each memory that I associate with each game, so I have not done that in the list below - but I hope you get the sense that board games has been one of the fun constants in my 30 years of life, and are something I look forward to continuing to collect and play in the upcoming decades. And with that, here is my “30 for 30” games list:

1. Biergarten https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178335/biergarten

2. Love Letter https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129622/love-letter 

3. Kingdomino https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/204583/kingdomino 

4. Go Nuts for Donuts https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184346/go-nuts-donuts 

5. Sushi Go https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/133473/sushi-go 

6. Mysterium https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181304/mysterium 

7. Kill Dr. Lucky https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257/kill-doctor-lucky 

8. Dominion https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36218/dominion 

9. 7 Wonders https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68448/7-wonders 

10. Citadels https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/478/citadels 

11. Agricola https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260/agricola 

12. Forbidden Island https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/65244/forbidden-island 

13. Zombicide https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113924/zombicide 

14. Tsuro https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/16992/tsuro 

15. Ticket to Ride https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-ride 

16. Pandemic https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic 

17. Century Spice Road https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/209685/century-spice-road 

18. Hanabi https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/98778/hanabi 

19. Through the Desert https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/503/through-desert 

20. Organ Attack https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/201406/organattack 

21. Pack & Stack https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/37120/pack-stack 

22. Captain Sonar https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171131/captain-sonar 

23. Lovelace & Babbage https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257056/lovelace-babbage 

24. Carcassone https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/822/carcassonne 

25. Takenoko https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70919/takenoko 

26. Gloom https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12692/gloom 

27. Elfenland https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10/elfenland 

28. Chrononauts https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/815/chrononauts 

29. Loonacy https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/154892/loonacy

30. Murder Of Crows https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128475/murder-crows   

Suddenly (but for my son's birthday)

I tweaked the words to "Suddenly" from Les Misérables for my son's birthday today. If you're not familiar, here is Hugh Jackman singing the original lyrics from the 2012 film adaptation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dunmi9lvOc

Suddenly a year

I can still recall the start

When your parents anxious hearts beat as one

Just last year we were alone

And now we are a family

Something truly dear

Somehow for a year

It has been fun

Suddenly this house

Became quite baby safe

Somehow you could crawl, very fast

How was I to know what kind of love could be inside me?

Now a year has gone

Now we journey on through your life

How was I to know how fast that you would grow, has been a blast

Trusting me to catch you

I’m afraid of falling too

Just a child, who does not know the dangers/how pandemics grow

There are masks on every where

A carefree world, we cannot share

Never quite alone

Always in my heart

You have changed my life, little son

You have brought the gift of joy

And love so long desired

Suddenly, it’s me

Who is called mommy

Somehow, suddenly

You are one!

I have developed a whole list of Broadway songs about parent love and I am slowly working my way through lyric re-writes :)

2022 Resolutions

Hello my friends! Happy New Year! Here's my resolutions for this year. I will admit that I am mostly resolving to maintain habits I have already established, but I am resolved nonetheless!

1) Maintain my Weekly Prayer Journal (carry-over goal from 2021)

2) Bake every recipe from the "Tea with Jane Austen" cookbook I received this year (I need to conquer a fear of yeast/waiting for things to rise that I have and this seems like a good boundary line to do that with)

3) Return to triathlons (planning for one in May of 2022!)

4) Be able to hold a plank for at least 1 minute (using the BODY by blogilates program)

5) Make a "2022 in review" video (hoping this can become an annual thing in addition to photos!)

6) Return to daily teeth flossing & start brushing with baby (he doesn't have teeth yet but I want to make it part of bedtime habits with him anyways)

7) Run a 10 minute mile pace for at least 5 miles (goal to do this by the Baltimore Octoberfest run)

8) Finish at least one unfinished project (I have 4 quilt projects in various stages of completion)

9) Read 12 translated books this year (My regular reading challenge was issued by the Reading Women podcast, which has since had it's final episode and won't be releasing more challenges, so I've set this one for myself as translated books were always the most interesting from these challenges)

10) Knit Ryan a pair of socks (he loves fuzzy socks and I'd love to have made one myself, and to move from squares to slightly more complex knitting)