2016 overall

Well. 2016 is in the books! I personally had an okay year.

I accomplished most of the things I wanted to accomplish. However, I didn't accomplish the really big things, like saving more money, losing some weight, etc.

I am going to hammer into those a little bit more (and STICK WITH THEM) for 2017.

I'm not completely sure on my goals for next year though. I'll be starting the year off with travels (yessssss) to someplace I've never been before (YESSSSSS). I will (hopefully) be getting a second job to melt away some of my tuition/home repair bills. I was grandfathered in to a really good Black Friday deal at my gym from 2015, so I need to make the most out of it and go more often. I have quite a few Book Lists pinned to my Pinterest boards, so I hope to expand my horizons a bit.

I grew up a lot and had a lot of fun in 2016. Now to set some goals for 2017!

December 2016

Lose weight.
Save more money.
Read 16 books.
Lose weight - I have a bad, bad habit of letting one slip up turn into a day full of slip ups. Rather than recognizing that I ate an unhealthy, cheesy, nacho-y lunch and then move on, I just decide that the whole day is trashed and I should just keep slipping rather than pick myself up, dust myself off and move on. Not a good habit. I don't think I am going to keep "Lose weight" as a goal for 2017. I definitely want to have some sort of physical health goal. I'm just not sure what it will be yet.

Save more money - The thing about being a nurse is that there are a lot of opportunities to make extra money. Making extra money gives an opportunity to save more money. I would like to pay off some bills (windows, tuition, credit card) completely in 2017. No more monthly payments!

Read 16 books - I did it! The last book I read You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero and as goofy as I think Self Help books can be, I do think this one has given me the chance to change my perspective for 2017 a bit. Yahoo! Going to head into 2017 with guns a'blazing!

November 2016

Lose weight.
Save more money.
Read 16 books.
Lose weight - Not even a little bit. If anything, I got way worse in October. I was promoted to a new position, which caused quite a bit of excitement, but then quite a bit of nervousness and stress. So I did not treat my body well in October.

Save more money - Also did not treat my bank account well in October.

Read 16 books - I also did not finish American Gods because I just having been as into it as everyone else. I think it's a good story, but then there are some strange applicable tangents that are distracting. Not to mention this new job I started and school this semester has really wiped me out this month. Pretty sure all I have done the last two weeks is wake up and go to work, eat something unhealthy for dinner, and sleep only to wake up and do it all over again.

I plan on November being a better month. I'm getting into the swing of my new position (which came with a pay increase, so hopefully "save more money" will be a feasible goal for 2017), I'm working on getting ahead of school this week to get a bit ahead of the game instead a little behind the game. I'm hoping to finish this book this weekend and move onto something I like a bit more. Harumphf.

It's October!

Lose weight.
Save more money.
Travel a little bit.
Read 16 books.
Lose weight - Sort of back on track. Went to 9Round a couple times before vacation, rode bikes on the trail with Logan a couple times (PS, who remembers bike seats being so ungodly uncomfortable when they were kids? Holy hell. It's awful.), we walked almost 40 miles in the four days we were on vacation (and that includes the day we drove/flew until 1 p.m.) I didn't have any soda while on vacation. Or any fancy coffee drinks. I DID have a frozen butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is probably what the clouds of heaven are made of and did not help my plan of losing weight.

Save more money - Well. Shoot.

Travel a little bit - YES! YES! WE DID IT. Logan and I went to Orlando in September. We went to Universal Studios for 1-1/2 days and to Disney's Magic Kingdom for one. We had so much fun! We rode on roller coasters and 3-D rides. We met Beetlejuice, Tinkerbell, Woody & Jessie from Toy Story, and a Velociraptor from Jurassic Park. We drank Butterbeer in the Hogsmeade portion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. We rode the Hogwarts Express to and from both sides of the park. We shot laser guns at aliens on the Men In Black ride. We shopped at the Kwik E Mart. We helped the Transformers find the All Spark and then did something with Spiderman (I don't remember what the goal of that ride was.) We conquered both Space Mountain and Splash Mountain (Big Thunder Mountain was closed). We were creeped out in It's A Small World and didn't get to ride Peter Pan's Flying Adventure or the Seven Dwarves Mine Train (the waits on these rides was INSANE). After we watched the fantastic fireworks at Magic Kingdom, we went to Disney Springs and ate a delicious dinner at The Boathouse. (Lots of alliteration in this monthly update). I'll be able to cross this goal off my list.

Read 16 books - Well. Turns out I'm not as into this Neil Gaiman book as everyone else I know was. Probably because I started reading it, took a two week break, and just haven't picked it back up again. I'm still on track with reading 16 books though!

September

Lose weight.
Save more money.
Travel a little bit.
Read 15 16 books.
Lose weight - I was lazy this summer. Between clinicals and picking up hours at the Sim Center and traveling, I really didn't spend the time I should have at the gym. BUT, I have stepped it up in the last couple of weeks. I bought a bike (!!), which I have been intending to do for a couple years now. I will need to get a new seat for it because YIKES that seat hurts my butt! And I started going to the gym again. I'm setting a goal for twice/week for September (except for the week I am on vacation!) and then will step it up to 2-3 times in October. Logan and i plan on riding bikes on the trail, so I think that will make for a good "off day" balance.

Save more money - I absolutely hate that once I get back into the swing of saving money and paying off debt, I get some big ole necessary purchase thrown in the mix. In August it was getting a new windshield ($330) and this month I have to get my outlying pipes cleared out by the plumber because of the big ole maple tree roots. It's either that or deal with it when the whole thing backs up and floods. I'd rather deal with paying a plumber for maintenance.

Travel a little bit - I was all "heading to Chicago in September" - NOPE. WE ARE GOING TO ORLANDO, BABY! So this year I did Mexico, Nashville, Alabama, and Orlando! Not too shabby. I think I can cross off "Travel a little bit" as complete in October!

Read 15 16 books - I finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the end of August and am NOW starting American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Including HP, I've read 12 books this year, which is awesome. I originally planned to do 15 books. But I guess I put into my goodreads.com challenge that I would do 16. So I reset my goal on here too. I found a "challenge" on pinterest for next year - I will still plan on reading between 15-20 books (maybe set my goal for 18?), but this challenge focuses on expanding genres more than quantity of books. I think I'll give it a whirl.

I'm actually quite proud of most of these accomplished goals this year! Every year I wish I weighed a little bit less and I wish I had a little bit more money. I am pretty stoked that I have been able to travel as much as I have (probably why the "Save More Money" goal is what it is...) and happy I've read more this year than in previous years. And happy that I actually grew some stuff this year!

Here I come, August!

Lose weight.
Save more money.
Travel a little bit.
Grow something edible.
Read 15 books.
Lose weight - I was lazy in July.

Save more money - Man. July kind of sucked. I spent more money than I should have. I'm back on a spending freeze (I think I said that at the end of June...), but I really need to stick with it. I have a bigger balance on my credit card than I should have. I'm trying to pay off the ole hospital bills and tuition fees. Ooof. Bills bills bills.

Travel a little bit - Heading to Alabama next week! And maybe Chicago in September!

Grow something edible - SUCCESS! I was able to eat some strawberries and basil before it all went to shit because of the weather. I'm taking care of the plants this month - one-way tickets to the woods for those dead little guys. I'm calling this "resolution" a success and striking it off the list.

Read 15 books - I am right on track! I plan on finishing the Stephen King book today (school really took over my lounge-y reading time) and then starting up a Neil Gaiman book for the beach! Hooray!

July was really eaten up by finishing my class and squeezing in a bunch of clinical hours during my free time. I also started picking up a bunch of hours in the Sim Center (hopefully curing some of my "save more money" woes this month). I still kind of think I will have some OT hours in my future at the hospital. I want money in my savings account, my two credit cards paid off, no outstanding tuition fees, and no more hospital bills by the end of 2016!

July! 1/2 the year is done and gone!

Lose weight.
Save more money.
Travel a little bit.
Grow something edible.
Read 15 books.
Lose weight - I'm sort of trying. I am trying. I'm just not trying as frequently as I should be. I really do want to do better. I just need to remind myself often and frequently and always that I didn't get to be this size and inactive overnight. I won't get to be a better size and more active overnight either. Slow and steady wins the race.

Save more money - I am still doing well with this. I put myself on another spending freeze outside of vacations. I am doing that for all of July and August also. And I keep putting 5% of what I spend into savings. Just chugging along!

Travel a little bit - Can I just say that I am so stoked that I have been able to travel more? One of my friends asked me about my marriage the other day (I've been divorced for since 2013). Sometimes I get bummed I'm divorced. Sometimes I get bummed I failed at something so huge. Sometimes I get angry that I was left with a hugely disproportionate amount of responsibility from my marriage. But then I recognize the things I have been able to do since my divorce and they are all things that I probably wouldn't get to do (definitely not as easily) if I was still married (at least if I was still married to that particular individual). In the 4 years I was married, I went on 3 vacations. One by myself to Alabama to visit my dad, one with him to Alabama to visit my dad, and one with his family to Boston. Which is fine. BUT SINCE I'VE BEEN DIVORCED, I HAVE BEEN ON SO MANY VACATIONS AND SEEN SO MUCH COOL STUFF. I have been to Texas, and Alabama (a few times), and Epcot in Florida, and New York, and Mexico, and Washington DC, and Tennessee, and Nebraska. I have been able to do these things with my friends and have had a blast every time. I have a couple more adventures in the mix for 2016 and another one when I graduate next May. HOLLER.

Grow something edible - Sooooo I tried. And Missouri weather screwed me bigtime. My plants were super flourishing. And then it rained a ton and my spinach croaked. And then it was a hot drought and my other plants got sad and almost died. Then last weekend it rained for about 50 hours straight and my dang plants flooded again. BUT I have been able to eat strawberries AND basil. AND peppermint. And the other mosquito-repelling plants have totally done a good job and I have been able to successfully repel those devil bugs!

Read 15 books - I am right on track! I am reading my first Stephen King book ever right now - 11/22/63. I didn't realize until I checked it from the library on my kindle that it was over 800 pages. I think the first 100 pages were a little slow, but it's starting to pick up and now I'm pretty into it. I think after this one I am going to finish the two I have started and am about 1/2 finished with. And then I need to get a beach read for Alabama even though I probably won't read much of it at all because I will have too much fun being with my friends and my cute as pie boyfriend.