2015 Resolution Recap

This is the first year in a very long time that I actually set New Year Resolutions, and I’m very pleased to report that I actually accomplished most of them! And because I know you’re all just dying to know all about it, here are the results:

  • Spartan Race: This is the only goal that I didn’t fulfill. I found out how ridiculously expensive they are and realized I couldn’t afford it, especially not with travel expenses added to the bill. I wanted to do a 5K instead, but never heard about any in time to sign up for them. I’m also lazy and didn’t train, so there’s that—but I did do a fair bit of time on bicycles (both stationary and mobile) , so at least I wasn’t a complete couch potato.
  • Drink More Water: I’m still not where I should be, but I’m working on it and I definitely improved. For one, I actually started drinking the water I’ve been carrying around in my Philmont Nalgene instead of just lugging around 32oz of stale water like I used to. Small victories, man.
  • Wear This: This, of course, referring to the cap, gown, and pretty blue hood that graduating MSc students get to wear. While I didn’t get to attend my graduation ceremonies a few weeks ago and didn’t technically wear the pretty blue hood, I did pull out my cap and gown from High School and wore it to work on the day I got my results. Granted, that day was Halloween, so people just thought I was in costume. And I did also wear an afro wig so I looked really ridiculous, but whatever. I’m counting it. And as a special birthday present to me, I got this in the mail today:
Look at me, all gradumatated and stuff.
Look at me, all gradumatated and stuff.
  • Read 10 Books Just For Fun: I knew with all the school-related reading I was going to do, I wouldn’t have as much time for personal reading. I purposefully set a low goal for this year’s reading, but I managed to read more than I thought I’d be able to. Most of these were kindle books that I got for free through Book Bub, but I did discover that the Newcastle City library had a half-decent YA section. Here’s the complete list of my reads for the year, with my favorites in bold.
    • Keeping Secrets by Maggie Dana
    • War Child: Pawn by Ernie Lindsey
    • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
    • Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick
    • The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
    • The Book of Deacon by Joseph R. Lallo
    • The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
    • Rippler by Cidney Swanson
    • Appaloosa Summer by Tudor Robins
    • Steel Lily by Megan Curd
    • Everblue by Brenda Pandos
    • The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg
    • The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
    • The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard
    • Far World: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
    • Wednesday Riders by Tudor Robins
  • Create Stuff: Okay, so I didn’t exactly do a project every month, but I did crochet a scarf, edited some videos, and made a bunch of crafty stuff when I taught art at the Boys and Girls Club for two months after getting back to Idaho. My favorites were these two:
Oil Pastel Tree
Oil Pastel Tree
IMG_20151120_113431756
Popsicle Stick Scarecrow

[clear]

  • Five New Passport Stamps: So apparently, they don’t stamp your passport when you cross borders on a train or a bus. They also don’t always stamp your passport at the airport. But whatever. I totally visited 12 countries this year, so BOOM. Checkin’ this one off the list, even if they didn’t stamp my passport.

2015 was a pretty awesome year, and I’m excited to see what 2016 will bring.

Did you complete your resolutions? What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming year?

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Jess Friedman
Jess is a Canadian-American who’s always ready for the next adventure. She loves all things living, always has a million creative projects in progress, and polishes her nerd badge daily. She is passionate about helping families make and preserve treasured memories that strengthen bonds across generations. You can read more posts by Jess here.

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