2018 Goals Wrap Up

Back in January I posted about 18 things I wanted to do in 2018! I love setting goals each year and really liked the "style" of the goals I set this year. they were pretty low pressure and were aimed at filling my life with joy and fun activities. I didn't complete everything, but I did pretty well!

1. Go to 4 concerts
• COMPLETE! 
• Vundabar (3/3)
• Boston Calling (The Killers, The National, Portugal the Man, Maggie Rogers, etc.!), (5/26)
• Billy Joel (8/10)
• Mae (10/13)
• Mumford & Sons (12/9)
2. Complete 2 races
• DID NOT COMPLETE - Running was just not on the priority list for this year and that's OK -- between spending 3 months in physical therapy and giving myself some much needed personal space from the gym.
3. Go to 10 new restaurants
• COMPLETE!
• I haven't kept track of this but most definitely surpassed it.
4. Drive to or from New York to Boston (like, be the physical driver)
• COMPLETE!
• Embarrassingly, this is one of my proudest accomplishments of the year! I drove to or from NY a few times with Jacob, and then made the trip several times on my own! It was not nearly as bad as I hyped it up to be and I actually REALLY enjoy the hours listening to podcasts, jamming out to music, and just being alone with my thoughts.
5. Take a pottery class
• DID NOT COMPLETE - I actually researched this several times but could never find a good class. Oh well, maybe next year? 
6. Read 20 books
• COMPLETE! I read 22 books in total this year. The books I liked the best are in bold (clearly I read the best books in packs?)
1. This is How it Always is - Laurie Frankel
2. Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate
3. Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly
4. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
5. Silent Victim - Caroline Mitchell
6. Tips for Living - Renee Shafransky
7. A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea - Masaji Ishikawa
8. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
9. Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir - Cinelle Barnes
10. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
11. Behind Her Eyes - Sarah Pinborough
12. The Last Mrs. Parrish - Liv Constantine
13. The Alice Network - Kate Quinn
14. Intuitive Eating - Evelyn Tribole
15. I'll Be Gone in the Dark - Michelle McNamara
16. The Power - Naomi Alderman
17. The Hideaway - Lauren Denton
18. My Life as a Goddess: A Memoir through (Un)popular Culture - Guy Branum
19. Love and Other Words - Christina Lauren
20. Matchmaking for Beginners - Maddie Dawson
21. The Kind Worth Killing - Peter Swanson
22. Then She Was Gone - Lisa Jewll
7. Finish decorating my apartment
• DID NOT COMPLETE - Welp, we had to move fairly suddenly from the apartment I was referencng in this list, so we are now in a new apartment with a lot more space (yay)! With all that went on in the fall/winter and with the extra expenses of a move, decorating has not been a huge priority. We have bought some stuff for the apartment but still have a lot to do.
8. Go to Tree House Brewery (looong overdue) 
• COMPLETE! Thank God.
9. Continue organizing book club
• COMPLETE! I organized 7 book club meetups this year and I also joined another book club with my coworkers. Yay!
10. Complete my Institute for Nonprofit leadership course and graduate in May
• COMPLETE! Graduated in May :)
11. Take a "big" trip
• COMPLETE! We went to Portugal in August-September for 10 days and it was PHENOM!
12. Visit Northeastern and the Skywalk Observatory with Divina
• DID NOT COMPLETE - Divina didn't want to either of these things when I suggested them but has since had a change of heart! We are planning to visit Northeastern early in the new year.
13. Watch all of the Star Wars movies
• DID NOT COMPLETE - Oops, totally forgot this was a goal of mine! I watched a few of the Star Wars movies but didn't watch them all.
14. Replace a few of my makeup products with organic and environmentally friendly versions
• COMPLETE! I rarely wear makeup anymore -- maybe once a week and pretty much only to special events, but I did replace many of my makeup products with Burt's Bees brand.
15. Complete an entire hot yoga sculpt class without a break
• COMPLETE! For about 8 months of the year I went to hot yoga sculpt nearly every Tuesday morning and over the summer I did complete a class without any breaks. Once I moved I also cancelled my gym membership so haven't been back since August :(
16. Go camping
• DID NOT COMPLETE - This was planned for July but didn't end up happening. Oh well!
17. Order omakase at a good sushi restaurant
• DID NOT COMPLETE - Totally forgot about this one - definitely re-adding it to my 2019 list!
18. Complete a 500+ piece jigsaw puzzle
• COMPLETE - I did a 1000 piece New Yorker puzzle and loved it! I got 4 more puzzles for Christmas!

2018 Goals Check In

1. Go to 4 concerts
• ON TRACK - I've already been to one concert (Vundabar) and have tickets to see Billy Joel in August. I've been keeping an eye out for concerts but WHY are they so expensive??
2. Complete 2 races
• BEHIND - I have not signed up for any races yet but that's okay. I'm back in physical therapy for my foot so am hoping to start running in a few weeks. I plan to complete a race in the summer and one in the fall.
3. Go to 10 new restaurants
• ON TRACK
• Amaterus (Boston, MA)
• The Hourly (Cambridge, MA)
• Fore Street (Portland, ME)
• Honey Paw (Portland, ME)
4. Drive to or from New York to Boston (like, be the physical driver)
• BEHIND - I was planning to do this last time I visited but it was blizzarding so I didn't think it was the best time to try. I did drive all the way to Portland though - about two hours!
5. Take a pottery class
• BEHIND - have not even looked into this
6. Read 20 books
• ON TRACK (6 so far)
• This is How it Always is - Laurie Frankel
• Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate
• Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly
• The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
• Silent Victim - Caroline Mitchell
• Tips for Living - Renee Shafransky
7. Finish decorating my apartment
• ON TRACK - we bought a rug, curtains, etc. but sitll have not hung anything up on the walls. We just learned that our landlord is selling out building (UGHH!!!!!) so may have to move again. Decorating is on hold for now.
8. Go to Tree House Brewery (looong overdue) 
• COMPLETE! Finally made it to Tree House and it was glorious, despite the 2 hour line.
9. Continue organizing book club
• ON TRACK - This is still happening, although the time between book club meetings seems to be getting wider and wider.
10. Complete my Institute for Nonprofit leadership course and graduate in May
• ON TRACK - Just 2 more classes to go and then graduation is in May!
11. Take a "big" trip
• ON TRACK - 10 day trip to Portugal is scheduled for end of August - early September!!!!
12. Visit Northeastern and the Skywalk Observatory with Divina
• BEHIND - We haven't done either of these things yet. The weather is always so shitty every time we get together and we end up staying close to her home.
13. Watch all of the Star Wars movies
• BEHIND - Ooops, totally forgot this was a goal of mine!
14. Replace a few of my makeup products with organic and environmentally friendly versions
• BEHIND - I haven't done this, but honestly I rarely wear makeup anymore. Maybe once a week but usually I'm bare faced.
15. Complete an entire hot yoga sculpt class without a break
• ON TRACK - I continue to go to yoga sculpt every Tuesday morning and have seen improvements, but have not yet made it through an entire class. I'd like to start going twice a week and learned another studio offers the class for just $10 on Sunday mornings at 9:30!
16. Go camping
• ON TRACK - This is scheduled for July but I'm not sure if it's happening. Camping is still top of mind though!
17. Order omakase at a good sushi restaurant
• BEHIND - I have not done this yet, but maybe it could be a good birthday present to myself!
18. Complete a 500+ piece jigsaw puzzle
• BEHIND - I thought about this but actually don't have a table big enough in my house. This might need to wait in case we move.

Whole 30 Round II

I recently finished my second round (almost) of whole 30! This round was way easier than the first. I wanted to take some time to reflect on the 30 days and share my experience here to look back on.

I did not do Whole 30 to lose weight, although knew that might be a plus in the end. The "holidays" this year lasted a full 3 months for me. From early November - end of January my weeks were filled to the brim with holiday eating and drinking events. I was cooking and exercising way less and indulged in the office cookies/brownies/sweets more than a few times a day. I had an "everyone is doing it" mentality about the holidays and by the time the end of January rolled around I was feeling it. I felt sluggish and tired, some of my clothes weren't fitting, my skin was broken out, and I was just unhappy and fed up. I decided to do Whole 30 for the month of February (+2 days in January) for the sole purpose of getting back to a healthier lifestyle.

That all being said, I managed to lose 11 lbs and ~8.5 inches in 30 days. The craziest part about this was that after the first few days, I NEVER felt hungry. When I think of losing weight, I usually think about the intense hunger and empty stomach feeling that comes with eating a calorie restricted diet. On Whole 30 I felt full and satisfied all the time. If I ever did want food outside of my meals, it had nothing to do with hunger and more to do with environmental factors (other people are eating, I usually snack when I watch TV, it's a special occasion, etc.)

Other feelings I felt for the most part during Whole 30: energetic, awake, content, healthy. The first few days were rough. I had such intense headaches that started around 5 pm and lasted through the night, from sugar withdrawal, I think. On Whole 30 you are not supposed to take any medicine (unless absolutely necessary) so I held out until the third day when I popped 2 Advil before sleeping. After three days, my headaches totally subsided. I only felt tired for about 2-3 days during the Whole 30 and that was usually attributed to other things (like traveling, stress). Almost every single day I woke up  before my alarm went off. I also had more energy during my workouts and felt really good while exercising.

The other significant change during Whole 30 was the quality of my skin. I have terrrrrrible skin and break out with new pimples on a daily basis. During Whole 30 my skin completely cleared up. I did get a new pimple here and there but maybe 2-3 times during the month.

While I didn't really miss any specific food on the regular, there were a few tough times that I considered throwing in the towel. The most challenging time for me was during a work trip to Atlanta. On the way back, I had to spend about 4 hours at the airport and it was SO hard. Everyone around me was eating chick-fil-a and french fries. I didn't want any food the airport could offer to me and I just felt annoyed at the world. It's crazy how strongly I associate travel with "indulging" in food.

Whole 30 also forced me to get back in the kitchen. It really did help me rediscover my love for cooking. Here are some of the meals I had during Whole 30:

This time I'm actually trying to follow the Whole 30 suggested reintroduction plan. They suggest bringing back 1 food group at a time and seeing how you feel over 2-3 days. My plan is:

2 days - gluten free grains (quinoa, rice, oats)

2 days - dairy

2 days - legumes, peanuts, soy

2 days - grains with gluten (bread, pasta)

After the reintroduction I'm off to Portland, ME for the weekend and plan to ease up the reigns a little. My hope is that moving forward I will stick to Whole 30 with some minor modifications/additions, at least when I'm cooking for myself. I really have never felt better or more satiated than when I'm following Whole 30 (or a mostly Whole 30) diet, so I'm hoping that's enough motivation to keep moving in this healthier direction!

18 in 2018

Here are 18 things I want to do in 2018!

1. Go to 4 concerts
2. Complete 2 races
3. Go to 10 new restaurants
4. Drive to or from New York to Boston (like, be the physical driver)
5. Take a pottery class
6. Read 20 books
7. Finish decorating my apartment
8. Go to Tree House Brewery (looong overdue) 
9. Continue organizing book club
10. Complete my Institute for Nonprofit leadership course and graduate in May
11. Take a "big" trip
12. Visit Northeastern and the Skywalk Observatory with Divina
13. Watch all of the Star Wars movies
14. Replace a few of my makeup products with organic and environmentally friendly versions
15. Complete an entire hot yoga sculpt class without a break
16. Go camping
17. Order omakase at a good sushi restaurant
18. Complete a 500+ piece jigsaw puzzle

2017: A Year in Review

In many ways I felt like 2017 flew by. But while looking back at photos to prepare for this post, it didn't seem so fast. I packed a lot into this year -- travel, a move, lots of family visits and time with friends. It was a fabulous year in so many ways! Despite only having blogged here a handful of times, I'm still glad to have this space to wrap up the year and reflect on all of the incredible memories I've created. So let's start from the beginning!

2017 kicked off with one of the most fun weddings I've ever been to. I celebrated one of my oldest friends Caitlin (we met in 4th grade!) and her husband Kevin on New Year's Eve. It was such a blast and a weekend I will remember forever. It was also the first time many of my friends from home met Jacob -- of course he was a hit.

A few weeks later I marched in Boston for all of those who felt (and still feel) anxious and unheard in the current political climate. It was an amazing day of giving voice to the voiceless and feeling strength in numbers.

At the end of January I attended my first National Mentoring Summit - the annual conference my organization hosts in DC. We spend the entire year planning this and it's attended by over 1,000 mentoring leaders, companies, foundations, philanthropists, policymakers, educators, etc. It was so wonderful to see all the hard work come to fruition AND I executed a kick ass event at the insanely gorgeous Library of Congress.

In February I attended Jacob's work holiday party at the Moakley Court House.  It was a lot of fun and great to meet more of his coworkers.

In March we were off to New York to help my parents move into a new condo. The house is beautiful and was a much needed change for my parents. I'm so grateful to Jacob for taking off work to come and help out -- even if that just meant playing cards with my dad.

We also attended Jacob's cousin's wedding. He was in the wedding so I even got some solo hotel time (my favorite). Elaine and John got married in a beautiful venue in western Massachusetts. It was so fun to spend some time with Jacob's family and celebrate a beautiful couple.

At the end of the month we headed to Stowe, VT for a weekend getaway and to celebrate our anniversary! On one of our early dates, Jacob said if we made it one year together we'd celebrate my opening and sharing his highly coveted Sam Adams Utopias from 2003. He kept his word!

I had a lot of work events to plan this year -- the first being in Los Angeles! This was my first time in LA and I had so much fun. I spent the weekend with my friend Britney from college and did lots of touristy sightseeing.

 A few weeks later I made a trip to New York for another event. I spent some time with family and got to meet a few "celebrities" including Kenny G (!!), Bill Clinton, and Colin Powell!

Onto one of my favorite memories of all time, not just 2017 -- goat yoga!! This was a spur of the moment adventure I will remember forever.

In April we went to Lake George, NY for a weekend getaway with Jacob's friends. We spent cozy nights in our beautiful cabin, drank lots of local beer, made a colorful fire, and ate some delicious German food!

Then it was off to Chicago for another work event. I didn't take any pictures except this one...oops!

In April I got promoted at work! Years ago I set a lofty goal for myself to be a director by the time I was 30 and I did it! Woo woo! Jacob, thoughtful as ever, sent these beautiful flowers to my work to celebrate.

May kicked off with a Harpoon beer festival. It's been a while since I went to a Harpoon event and this one was a blast. You can't get much better than beer, friends, and sun!

In the middle of the month I went to Baltimore for another work event. It was my first time in the city and the event was a success. Of course I had to make a pit stop for Maryland crabs!

And at the end of the month I celebrated my 29th birthday! I hosted a little gathering at Lawn on D and so many friends came out. I felt so showered with love all week! I also had a work event in NY so got to spend more time with family.

Jacob took me to Tasting Counter for my birthday diner. It was absolutely wonderful -- from food, to service, to ambiance. Everything was perfect. 

In early June I headed to Portland, ME for a bachelorette party. I always love visiting Portland and this was such a fun weekend with old and new friends.

Then it was back to New York again for Jackson's baptism. Liz and Marvin gave me the honor of being Jackson's godmother!

In early July my family rented a beautiful house in the Hamptons for a weeklong vacation. It had a heated in-ground pool and was the perfect getaway for us. Jacob and I rode bikes to the beach every morning, we cooked and went out for fabulous meals, spent hours swimming and relaxing, visited wine country and breweries, went kayaking, and so much more. I had such an amazing time, I suffered serious post-vacation blues when it was over.

At the end of July we went back up to Vermont for my friends Nicole and Mike's wedding. It was a gorgeous wedding and another incredibly fun getaway.

The last word in this title is "fitness" so I have to mention the one race I ran this year. In July Jacob and I did the Jim Kane 5K in our neighborhood. It was his first 5k and he kicked butt! It was 100 degrees out and I thought I was going to die. Ha.

I also spent hours and hours commuting to work by foot. There is a new art and park installation underneath the highway on my way to work and it made for so many pleasant morning and evening walks.

This summer I also made pasta by hand for the first time! I even wrote a whole blog post about it.

Jacob and I visited the Arnold Arboretum this summer, which has been on my Boston bucket list foreeeever. So glad I finally made it!

In August we took a trip to New Hampshire and the Saco River. This weekend was soooo fun. I've wanted to do a river trip for a long time and am so glad we made it happen. We rented out a tiny Air BnB and spent hours drinking and floating down the river. On the way back, we drove down the beautifully famous Kancamagus Highway.

We celebrated Jacob's birthday in August at Cafe ArtScience. This was a fun and unique dinner - I think we both really enjoyed it!

We wrapped up the month with a move! Apartment searching and moving is such a bitch. I'm glad Jacob and I came out of it still loving each other and happy with our decisions. I love our little home!

And just a few days after moving, it was off to New York again to celebrate Jackson's first birthday! Can't believe this little munchkin is now 1.5 years old! We ended the weekend with a trip out east with some of my friends from high school. We visited a few breweries and wineries, and took a private oyster tour! Jacob and I took the ferry back to Massachusetts and I was BOMBED. It was pretty funny.

Summer lasted well throughout September this year, so we fit in a trip to the Cape with friends, a few Red Sox games, kayaking, and a festival in Everett. I also took my mentee hiking for the first time!

 In October I had the privilege of attending the "Take the Lead" at Fenway Park. It was inspiring to see the city come together to discuss race and inequity and how sports can work to make a difference in communities.

We also had some visitors in Boston! My sister and her family visited for a wedding and Jacob and I babysat Jackson. It was our first time babysitting and I think we were pretty good at it.

 Mid-October brought one of my favorite weekends of the year -- Wellfleet Oysterfest! Last year there were no oysters, and this year it poured. The festival was still fun and the whole long weekend was a blast. We hung out in our beautiful rented house and visited Provincetown.

October wrapped up with another trip to New York and another wedding! This time to celebrate my friends Danielle and Christina. Long Island weddings are ALWAYS a blast, and this one was no different.

Despite finally giving in and buying real hiking boots, we did not do a lot of hiking this year. Here's one shot with the foliage on a walk/hike in early November.

In mid-November we celebrated Jacob's aunt's 60th birthday at a roaring 20s theme party! It was so fun to dress up and spend more time with Jacob's family.

At the end of November we were back in New York for Thanksgiving. I actually worked from home that week so we got lots of family time in.

December was chock full of holiday events. I saw the Nutcracker, the Slutcracker, attended numerous secret santas and gift exchanges, and ate lots of christmas cookies.

And finally, here are some random pictures from the year that I like but didn't make it into the highlights above!

Wow, that was a long post! I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for me!!! :)