Somehow it’s December 29 and I have been at this Substack thing for an entire year! I haven’t missed a single week. I’m proud of that. I wanted to consistently write this year and I have achieved that.
Today I thought we’d do a recap of 2023. I think reflecting in this way is important and fun. Seeing where we’ve been helps us to get clear on where we want to go in the coming year.
For 2023 I made small and large goals.
Warning: this is going to be extensive so if you don’t care about my life then this might not be the post for you haha. If that’s the case, I’ll see you next week. If not, we shall carry on and dive in.
So let’s get to it!
JANUARY
I officially changed my last name to my married name! Mitch and I got married in October 2022 but I didn’t take on the name changing task until this point. Pro tip: check out Newly Named to make this process as easy as it can be!
We went ice skating! This was a small goal that I had for the year. This was only my third time on ice skates and I am not a pro by any stretch of the imagination but I got myself away from the railing and I was happy about that!
FEBRUARY
I went snowboarding for the first time! And the second time! These were not great experiences because dang is it hard to learn how to snowboard for the first time at 30 years old. But I gave it a shot twice and this was a small goal that I set for the year so even though I didn’t love it, I’m glad I did it!
I hit a deer for the first time. The car is still drivable and thankfully it was my beater car that I was in but this was frustrating even though it’s almost guaranteed to happen at some point in western PA.
We went bowling!
Lily had a bad flare up and ended up at the emergency vet.
MARCH
Lily had another flare up that took us to her regular vet. Thankfully this was the last one for a while.
We took a trip to Buffalo and Niagara Falls! It was a fun weekend trip. First time at Niagara Falls. I don’t really need to go back anytime soon, but it was fun to check off the list.
I started to feel an ankle injury coming on. I bought new running shoes that aren't minimalist shoes and hoped for the best in training for the July marathon.
APRIL
Mitch and I went to NYC!! First time I was in NYC since 2019. Longest I was away since my first time there in 2013. I still love it oh so much. We just did a day trip and it was fantastic.
I started counting macros! After feeling unfulfilled with food, not happy with my body, and overall looking to switch things up and try something new, I started to track all of my first. This was a first and something that I surprised myself by loving.
On the last day of April I decided to stop running and switch to biking for marathon training. This was a scary decision but one that was so necessary because I wasn’t able to run anymore on my ankle. The pain was extreme and I was afraid of doing some permanent damage to it.
MAY
Annual Shenandoah National Park trip with my mom!
I continued to bike all throughout the month in place of running with the goal of starting to run again in June.
Enjoyed lots of time outside enjoying the blooming flowers and sunshine.
JUNE
Another Shenandoah National Park trip. This time with Mitch!
We bought rollerblades and took them out for a spin. It is not as easy as it was as a kid lol.
I started to reintroduce running in the form of speed work twice a week. Any distance runs were a no-go but short sprints were okay so that’s what I did, along with biking, of course.
Family vacation to the Smoky Mountains!
Then Mitch and I headed to Virginia Beach for a few days.
On our way to the beach we stopped to meet up with an internet friend and made it an in person connection. So fun!
JULY
Beach, beach, beach. We had the best time and this was a big shift and expander for us and what we want out of life.
Two weeks before the marathon I started to run again for the first time since April. I ran 6.5 miles one week, 13.1 miles the next, 8 miles after that, and the marathon the next week. No ankle pain!!
Ran a marathon!!! I can’t believe I did it. It is amazing and you can read more about it here.
The next day we signed up for another marathon even though we claimed to never do it again haha.
AUGUST
I continued running and while my ankle was fine, I was feeling burnt out from the volume that I was running after not training properly. I do not recommend this at all but this is what I did. By the end of the month I cut way back on running and incorporated lots more biking once again.
Otherwise, August was a pretty chill and uneventful month!
SEPTEMBER
Marathon number 2!! Once again, amazed that I ran not one, but two marathons with such little training!
Another goal I had was to bike 100 miles. We randomly decided to give it a shot and omg it about KILLED ME. But we completed that too!!
I started to consistently practice yoga again and with that, post on Youtube consistently.
OCTOBER
Mitch ran a third marathon on his own with me as his mobile aid station. First bike ride since the 100 miler and I didn’t dress properly, freezing the entire time, but grateful to not be running.
We went to the Penguins (NHL) game. First one since March 2020 and I used to go at least once a month!
Mitch and I celebrated 1 year of being married!
I turned 31, somehow. I do not feel 31, but at the same time I don’t really feel any age at all.
Mitch and I started working out together for the first time in our relationship. We didn’t know how it would go but we both surprisingly liked it.
I posted a yoga video on Youtube every day for 30 straight days!
NOVEMBER
We had a slight layer of snow on November 1! Lily loved it.
Lily turned 4!
And Mitch turned 28! He wanted to celebrate with a Chinese buffet. Yuck to me, but we did it.
DECEMBER
A month of sickness. Lily got food poisoning and then I had the flu for over a week.
I procrastinated making the Christmas gifts I planned to make so it was crunch time on getting them done. I did it!
I baked some Christmas cookies, which was a goal of mine.
And tomorrow we head to another Penguins game.
Overall, it was a good year full of some fun travels, old hobbies revisited and new ones tried, big bucket list items checked off, and everything in between.
I tried to share some struggles along with the good stuff because balance. Both are important to create a well rounded life experience.
Looking into 2024 I want to live more. I want to add even more things to these lists. I haven’t sat down to plan out my goals and intentions for the New Year yet but I have a general idea of what that’s going to look like. Fitness goals, personal goals, professional goals, and fun goals. Some things that will top the list are a few places I want to revisit that I didn’t go to in 2023, moving, reading 35 books, going to Vegan Treats bakery, and everything else I sprinkle in there when I sit down to plan things out this coming Sunday.
I hope that you take the time to reflect and get clear on what intentions you want to bring into 2024. That doesn’t mean that you have to change your entire life on January 1. But small changes add up to big things and if you start with small shifts you never know where you’ll be by December 2024.
Time moves so fast and during our day to day lives it doesn’t necessarily feel like that but looking back on things can help you to remember that time is precious, we only get so much of it, and living with a fierce presence and drive to make the most out of life is so worth all of the experiences that come along with that.
Thank you for being here today and each week.
Cheers to 2024 and all of the abundance ahead.
THIS WEEKS OFFERINGS
Yoga on Youtube! Check out this New Years Intention Setting Practice
Setting An Intention For 2024 - Getting Clear On What You Want In Life | Holy Health Podcast