Currently - January '24

We're a good 2.5 weeks into the new year, and they have gone by very quickly! I've started the year off at work with a bang, getting assigned a new project with lots of moving pieces and multiple weekly, sometimes even daily, meetings. But since there's no time like the present, so here's a slightly delayed update of what I've been doing 'currently':  

First spectacular sunset of the year on 1/1

loving - That we got to celebrate New Year's Eve with good friends who came to visit from out of town. Without them, I think I would have been in bed by 10 PM and nothing very celebratory would have happened. Instead, we got to indulge in rich foods together and stayed up playing some rather competitive card games.

looking forward to - I'm looking forward to a change in scenery with a trip to Denver for a weekend of fun and two days of working from an office. I'm also looking forward to--and will be trying to take advantage of--the next few months of very nice weather in Phoenix before it gets hot!

resolving - So many goal ideas, so little time! It always takes me a while to come up with and then commit to goals for the year. I've definitely gotten away from calling them resolutions, since those tend to be forgotten about and then doomed to fail. I have a little look back at 2023 below, and based on that and some other thinking, here's what I have so far:

• More biking - this one needs some more specifics, but I'd like to plan a longer distance adventure and make it a more regular part of my exercise routine
• More activities outside of the house - finding a knitting group and some volunteer activities
• Get to know AZ better - day and weekend trips both close by and further afield

doing to stay cozy this month - No one wants to hear any whining about cold weather in Phoenix, but we did have a couple of overnight frosts last week, and the house doesn't feel like it heats up at all during the day. It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I've been wearing puffy vests and using a blanket on my lap as I work to try and stay warm.

cooking - Another one of my too many goals for 2024 is being more mindful of our meat consumption by planning and making "Meatless Monday" dinners. There's a vegetarian section in my binder of go-to recipes, but since the sections are alphabetical, it's way in the back and I don't always make it that far when planning the meals and groceries for the week. 

2023 by the numbers

• 35 books read (almost the same as 2022)
• 198 days I met my daily step goal (13 days more than 2022!) 
• 127 times I did yoga/stretched (about one 30-day yoga challenge less than 2022)
• 402 total miles biked (a big drop from previous years)
• 5 western states visited to see family & friends (CO, NM, NV, UT, WA)