I love setting goals but lately, I have been terrible about following through on my goals. Creating the goals is the easy part. It’s creating the small, daily habits to reach those goals. Another thing I struggle with with goals is celebrating when I hit that goal. So this year, I thought I woudl do A Year of Celebration to take time each month to celebrate the wins. Normally, It’s all about hitting the goal and moving on to the next goal. This year I really wanted to be more present and celebrate more.
January
A few good things happened in January. I celebrated my one year anniversary at my full time job. I am so thankful that I found a job that I love so much. There has never been a job I have had that I enjoy doing every single day. Also, I celebrated one year of home ownership. I wrote a blog at 6 months of home ownership and 1 year of home ownership. It was really fun to write these because we did a lot in the first year.
January was also a month that I learned to be thankful for everything that happened. Even if it didn’t work out how I wanted. Be thankful that it happened because I learned something from it.
February
February was a month of date nights. I was looking back through photos and found one when I did my hair differently for a date night with another couple. Honestly, I was not looking forward to going because my anxiety was so high. Plus, I get anxiety before going out with people. I want to cancel all the time. When we got there, it was so much fun. Then at dinner, the husband of the other couple said he was so glad that he came tonight because he didn’t want to come either.
March
We did our first in-house renovation. We redid our bathroom, and by we I really mean Gary. I helped with picking everything out, watching Heisman, and keeping the house organized but other than I was useless. It looks so good and I can’t believe that it’s finished. In the future, we will leave this to the professionals.
March was also the month I went to the gun range with my grandpa’s gun. I am really bad but it was just fun to go out with something that was his.
April
April is the start of baseball season. I went to Wrigleyville for Opening Weekend Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs. It was freezing, but it was so much fun! While spending the weekend in Chicago, I went to a Chicago Fire game. It confirmed the fact that I will never understand soccer. I can appreciate it from a distance.
We finally got to catch up with some friends that we hadn’t seen in a long time in Quincy, IL. To be honest, Quincy turned out to be a lot better than I expected.
May
To be honest, I had to go back through my pictures of things that happened in May. (When I first thought of this post I thought I would write at the end of each month.) May was the month that I took a different route to Iowa. I have been to Iowa so many times but I have gone the same route, and I needed to switch it up. I took Interstate 34 through Illinois and Iowa stopping in Eldon, IA, and Pella, IA. While driving to Iowa, I had the radio off and enjoyed the scenery. I was in the moment, and it was amazing because I am a planner and struggling to be in the moment. This road trip reminded me of that. Enjoy the right now.
When I was in Pella, it was Tulip Time. I love tulips. They are my favorite flowers and Pella is covered in them during late April and early May. I was in heaven. I took so many pictures of all the tulips up close and from a distance. Now living in the midwest again, it a goal of mine to spend the weekend in Pella for Tulip Time. (There is also another Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan which is too far from where I am)
May was also the month I went to Florida. I kinda forgot about it because I went to Florida a few times this year. Tampa/St Pete was so much baseball and exploring new things. One of my favorite things I did in Florida was The Fairgrounds which was an interactive art museum.
June
June was my first car camping adventure in Iowa. It was so much fun, and I fell in love with car camping and camping in general. I started planning more trips. I think I was gone every weekend during the summer after I got back because I was so happy.
June was the month of hiking. I think I was probably out on a trail a few times a week. I learned a lot this month about what I should keep in my hiking bag. I learned a lot by trial and error, and to have more water than I think. I wrote about my experience at Ledges State Park.
July
In July, I explored my town. I went on more hikes and explored all the touristy things. I knew there were a lot of things to do here, but it was a lot more than I thought. I didn’t realize that Peoria has so many murals. (I learned later in the year, I learned that murals are always changing)
One thing I learned during this month, I was right in a certain situation even though people made me feel like it was my fault. In all actuality, I was gaslighted for YEARS to make me feel like I was the one in the wrong. It felt nice to finally be vindicated and that I was always doing the right thing. What really sucks is that only a few people know about this situation. I really want to yell it from everywhere because it was yelled from everywhere what a horrible person I was, but it would do more harm for others.
I had to make another trip to Florida which was the worst on so many levels. But what made it amazing was going to Bryant Denny Stadium. If you don’t know, I am a huge SEC fan. I was so excited to that Tuscaloosa was on our way to Florida. I ran around the whole situation in flip flops because as I kept going I would see something else that I wanted to see.
August
August was the worst and best month. August I had the worst anxeity/panic attack in my life. I was off work for a week, and I couldn’t leave my bed for 2 days. It was the worst feeling of my life for a few days, but I went to the doctor (She gave me xanax) and I felt better towards the end of the week. The doctor also gave me a week off.
It was the best month because I started therapy. It was great to talk with someone who doesn’t know anything about what I am talking about, and able to give me advice. I learned that my feelings are valid even if other don’t agree. She has given me such great advice and perspective as an outsider.
August was also a month of friends. I hung out with friends I haven’t seen in a while, and met some people that I knew online and finally met them in person.
September
September was the month I got to see one of my best and dearest friends get married. It was at a ballpark in Ohio, and it was her in every single way. It was nice to get away for a few days after the last few months of drama and trauma.
Free little libraries were part of my September adventure. In the past, it would be pure luck if I found one, but then I found out there was a website that had all of them listed. I found a few around my area, and one that is right down the street that has become one of my favorites.
I also visited a new town in Illinois, Lincoln. I found it on facebook because they were having a harvest shop hop. If you purchased something from each of the participating store, you got an free item for your wreath. The wreaths were provided at the end of the day at a brewery. I didn’t say for it because I finished shopping around noon, and the event was at 4pm. Lincoln is a pretty cool town especially because it’s on route 66.
October
October I went to Phoenix for a girls weekend with my friend. We also went because she is hair stylist who wanted to get her certification in hair extension. I was her model while she was learning. It was so much fun because I use to live in Tempe, and we stayed at my hotel bucket list, The Graduate. Leaving was also really tough because I fell right back in love with Arizona.
November
If I could pick a month to redo it would be November. I forgot my password to my phone and iPad twice. First, I forgot the password to my iPad. I remembered the password about a week later after I completely reset my iPad. Then I forgot my password to my phone. It was set for 3 hours hold time, and I coudln’t really wait the 3 hours because I didn’t know exactly how to get home from Jackson, Michigan. So I reset my phone and lost all my pictures from the weekend. Thankfully my phone was backed up from a few days prior so I didn’t lose everything. I did lose all the pictures of the murals and content I took at the hotel.
I got to cross off a bucket list place – Lambeau Field. I went to the Chargers vs Packers game, and it was so much fun! I did a tour of Lambeau the day before the game, and got to be on the ground level but not the actual field.
December
I can’t believe it’s the end of the year. December was the probably the chillest and least productive month. I worked on my goals in September because I knew at the end of the year would stress me out. My therapist says just because I’m not seeing the changes doesn’t mean there isn’t any. I’m trying to stay open and be in the moment.
This month I have embraced living a minimalist or simplistic lifestyle. I want my life to be more simple and for me to have the things I truly want to have. I am focusing on having what I need and using what I have before purchasing anything else. Everything also has to be organized in a bag right now. I want everything to have it place and ready to grab.
2023
Overall this year has the highs of the best highs, but also the lowest I have ever been. I have learned so much about myself which is the one thing I wanted. I wanted growth, change, and transformation. I got all of those things. Looking back at a year in celebration was really fun. I might do this again next year.
Thoughts on 2024
I want this next year to be simple. I want experiences over things. That’s about it. I know it sounds odd, but I want simplicity. And that’s what I am going to have.
