2015 Goal Recap

As I was cleaning & straightening a bookshelf this weekend, I found one of my notebooks. I quickly flipped through to see what I had been using it for & found a list of 2015 goals that I had written out at the beginning of last year. I had actually forgotten about this list because I usually like to make short term goals rather than year-long resolutions. But as I was going through it, I was pretty pleased with my progress.

I didn't accomplish everything, but I think that's okay. I'm never going to achieve everything I want to in a year, but it's great to set the bar high.

Lose 30 Pounds

At the beginning of 2015, I would have said this goal was the least likely to happen. I didn't do much in the way of working towards this until after I hurt my back at the beginning of February. I definitely scared myself into wanting to get healthy, without really thinking much about losing weight. I was more concerned with feeling better & stronger. I set a goal of running a 5k every month during the summer & ended up running races all the way through December. Running was something I could do anywhere, even when we didn’t have money for the gym. Through exercise & watching my calorie intake, I lost 30 pounds between March & December. I still have a ways to go to reach my final target weight & fitness level, but this year has been so amazing and actually kind of life-changing.

I loved spending so much time outdoors & my mood has improved so much since the beginning of 2015. I will definitely be continuing running in this new year & I'm even working towards some new next level fitness goals for 2016.

Blog 3 Times a Week

I definitely didn't do this, but I am pretty proud of the blog content that I did produce this year. I will continue to work towards a 3 time a week blogging schedule this year!

Cook Real Food 5 Times a Week

While we didn't really eat that poorly in 2014, I did want to cook more & I'm happy to say that I accomplished this for the most part. We cooked at home, froze leftovers for days when I was feeling too lazy to cook & ate out so much less than previous years. Not only did this accomplish my goal, but it was good for our budget, too!  I'm sure this also helped with losing weight & getting healthier.

Take a Class

Rick & I took a glass blowing class at the beginning of the year (thanks to a Christmas gift from his parents) and we both loved it! It was nice to do something outside my comfort zone!

Direct/Act in a Play

This didn't happen this year. I had been on the board of a local community playhouse & resigned at the end of 2014. While I am disappointed that I didn't do any theater this last year, it has been nice to take a bit of a rest. I hope to make my return to the stage (in some way or another) in 2016.

Read 50 Books

I totally smashed this goal. I set my Goodreads reading goal a the beginning of 2015 at 50 books. I hit my goal in July & raised my goal to 75 & finished the year out having read 81 books. This year's goal is 100 books! Let's see how I do!

Take Better Care of my Teeth

I went to the dentist for the first time in 11 years in 2014 & had my wisdom teeth out. While I need to book an appointment with my dentist for the beginning of this year, I think I've been doing pretty good on this particular goal.

Write Every Day

I definitely didn't do this, so it will be going onto my 2016 list.

Go Home to Hayden 8 Times

I think I'm most disappointed that I didn't make this goal a reality. We only made it home to Hayden once in June, though we had plans to go two other times & they fell through. I will always miss the Yampa Valley. There is a Hayden-shaped whole in my heart that will never be filled by any other place. This goal also transfers to the 2016 list.

Learn a New Skill

I really racked my brain to figure out what new skill I learned & I eventually came up with making Ramen from scratch. Rick & I are part of a gourmet supper club that meets every couple of months & when our month came up in March, we knew we wanted to make ramen. It was a great experience & while I don't know if I'll be doing the entire process again anytime soon (it's like a whole week of work to do it right), I definitely picked up some individual recipes that we've used multiple times for quick ramen.