I began thinking about this post in May or June as a way to check-in on my goals for the year at the halfway point, and was a little discouraged by the lack of measurable progress at that point. By waiting two months, I have more to report and a better vision for the rest of the year. Patience is a virtue, I suppose! Read the original post
here.
2018 Goals
Visit Japan - We did it!
This trip deserves a post of its own, but who knows when that will happen. It took nearly 30 hours of travel plus an unplanned night in Osaka before we made it to Keizo's parents' house in Tokushima, then after a few nights with them, we took the train to the city where his sister lives, then back to his parents' before heading south to Fukuoka, the city where we met. We fit in some sightseeing and revisited a few of our favorite places, but hands down the best part was being able to spend time with people we see so rarely.
Read more than 27 books - As of today, I've finished 16 and have a few in progress. I was expecting to read more on our trip than I did, but have been making it a point to plan fewer activities and read more on the weekends since we've been back.
Train for and complete a half marathon - In a previous draft of this post, I had written about coming home from vacation excited to work on this goal. And I
was inspired by a month of a lot of eating and not a lot of exercising to get back into a routine (and my clothes). However, with August being a terrible time to start running again and waking up to aching feet the mornings after even short runs, this goal no longer seems worth pursing right now. I'm still trying to run twice a week, but I'm not worrying about distance or time.
On a more fun note, I have a new bike (and my first pair of clippy-shoes) that I know will get lots of use!
Apply for and pass AICP exam - My application was accepted, and I've paid a small fortune to reserve my spot for the exam right before Thanksgiving. Now I guess I have to actually begin studying! Since this isn't exactly the most fun goal to work towards, breaking the process down into baby steps with multiple calendar reminders and an application due date right before our trip helped a lot - hitting submit felt so good after years of procrastinating!
Monthly Goals
- Try a new restaurant - (8) Blue Duck Tavern, Tail Up Goat, Lina's, Tico, Indigo, Tortas Tacos and Tequila, Shouk, Purple Patch
- Host a meal at our house - (5) Kimchi Nabe / Olympics Opening Ceremony, Ramen Night, St. Patrick's Day Brunch, Easter Breakfast, Brunch w/ cousins
- Do a project around the house - (2 complete, started on several...) Rug for bedroom - done; bought more houseplants and have mostly found homes for them; bought canvases for DIY art - still in plastic; made hexagonal shelves - sitting in the closet; new comforter purchased, but still a bit too warm to use.
- Volunteer - (4) City Blossoms School Yard Garden, iCanShine bike camp, alumni interviewer, plans for more gardening
- Visit a museum - (4) Renwick Gallery, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Capital Trolley Museum, Freer Sackler Art Gallery
Weekly
- Work on blog post - For someone who struggles to publish even one short post a month, this is a pretty ambitious goal. I need a break from the computer in the evenings after spending almost all of my day at work in front of one, and I almost always underestimate the time it takes to put together a decent post. I would like to document more of our travel and return to this blog's roots with some recipe posts, but it's hard for me to make blogging a priority.
- Go to the gym - Our early gym dedication waned entirely once the weather got warmer and the days got longer. I've been back a few times this past month, and will probably go more consistently as it gets colder and darker, but unless there's a really good deal when it comes time to renew, my gym days are probably numbered.
